Previously Perigenes, who is honoured in this decree, was thought to be the Ptolemaic admiral who fought against the Syrian fleet in 218 B.C. ( Polyb_5.68 ). But closer study of the text has shown that he was an 'otherwise unknown aulētēs' - see Angelos Chaniotis, in "La Musa Dimenticata", page 89 ( academia.edu ). The context is still likely to be the Egyptian victory in the battle of Raphia, although some writers associate it with Egyptian successes in the 'First Syrian War', which ended in 271 B.C.
[Since . . ., who was sent by the people as an envoy to king Ptolemaios, on his return has reported that king] Ptolemaios [maintains his existing] friendship [towards] our [city, and that the king and queen] Arsinoē and their forces are well; and Perigenes [of Alexandria], the son of Leontiskos, who [was present], joined in rejoicing at the [good] news, [and] offered as a present to the city, to play (?) alone on his flute for two days, in his desire to demonstrate [his] goodwill and piety towards the king and the [queen] and our city; therefore, in order that we may be [seen] to honour those who show gratitude towards king Ptolemaios and the queen and our city, with good fortune it is resolved by [the council] and the people to join in rejoicing at the news brought [by . . .] and to praise Perigenes of Alexandria, the son of Leontiskos, and to crown him with a golden crown of two thousand drachmas, on account of his virtue and his benevolence towards the king and the queen and [our] city. The award of the crown shall be announced in the theatre at the Dionysia during the contest of the tragedians. Perigenes shall be a proxenos of our city, both himself and his descendants; they shall have the right to sail to and from our city in war and in peacetime; and they shall be inviolable, protected from being seized; and they shall have privileged seating at the games that the city holds; and they shall have access to the council and the people, if they have need of anything, second only to sacred matters. The prytaneis shall inscribe this decree in the precinct of Dionysos.
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