Greek cities tended to use foreign judges when there was a special need for impartial judges. However, as this inscription shows, that did not stop some litigants from attempting to influence them.
The inscription has been translated into French by A. Cassayre, "La justice sur les pierres", pp.206-209 ( PDF ). It is worth quoting her comments on the background to the inscription, in English: 'This inscription is one of the many decrees for foreign judges issued by the city of Gonnoi shortly after the Third Macedonian War. The city experienced a complete paralysis of its justice system of such an exceptional magnitude that it seems unique in the Greek world . . . The dating of the decrees indicates that half a century was necessary to get away from it. From one appeal for foreign judges to the next, the crisis was not resolved, as evidenced by the arrival some time later of yet another panel of judges. For at least fifty years, Gonnoi integrated the use of foreign judges as a norm in its judicial system.'
. . . [when the tagoi were] . . . , . . . son of Epikrates, and . . . son of Patrokles; and the treasurers were Kleoxenos son of Asandros, and Theolytos son of . . .; and the secretary was Epimenides son of Asklepiades; in the month of Dithyrambios; since the judges who came from Skotoussa - Hipparchos son of Diokles, 10 Melantas son of Dikaios, and Autoboulus son of Aristodemos - and the secretary who accompanied them, Molotos son of Phoinix, both in their general conduct and in their judicial capacity acted in a manner worthy of themselves, and of the city which sent them and of those who were involved in litigation; and they mostly brought those who had disputes to conciliation through their own honourable conduct, while to those for whom they gave judgments, they rendered justice according to the laws; 20 and since, when someone attempted to bribe them in regard to some litigation, they did not pass it over in silence, but they called an extraordinary assembly of the citizens and openly denounced the one who had sought to perform a dishonest and illegal action; therefore, it was resolved by the city of Gonnoi to praise them, and to grant them citizenship, the right of intermarriage, the right of owning property, security 30 in wartime and in peacetime, both for themselves and for their descendants, in the same way as the other citizens . . .
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