It has sometimes been assumed, although the inscription does not explicitly say so, that these soldiers were sent to protect Ilion from raids by pirates; see P. de Souza, "Piracy in the Graeco-Roman World", p. 123 ( Google Books ).
Since, when the proconsul Gaius Claudius Nero son of Publius instructed the magistrates of the Poimanēnoi to send to us some soldiers for the protection of the city and a commander in charge of them, the Poimanēnoi, being our friends and kindly disposed towards our people, sent the soldiers and their commander Nikandros son of Menophilos, who upon arriving in the city has resided here in a fine and seemly manner, worthy of our people and of his own fatherland, and has ensured that the conduct of the youths residing here under his [command] has been well-disciplined and blameless, as befits a [noble] man, [and has maintained] the trust that has been put in him concerning the defence [of the city and its territory in the finest and holiest manner, and] has shown [much] zeal [and eagerness on behalf of the city], . . . shirking no [danger] . . .
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