The careful wording of these letters leaves it unclear whether the cities were pleased to have Aristodikides as a landowner, or merely obeyed orders; see M.D. Gygax, "Benefaction and Rewards in the Ancient Greek City", p. 49 ( Google Books ), and P. Mckechnie, "Outsiders in the Greek Cities in the Fourth Century BC", p. 210 ( Google Books ).
There is another translation of the inscription in M.M. Austin, "The Hellenistic World from Alexander to the Roman Conquest", no. 164 ( Google Books ).
[10] King Antiochos to Meleagros, greeting. We have given to Aristodikides of Assos two thousand plethra of cultivable land to join to the city of Ilion or Skepsis. Do you therefore give orders to convey to Aristodikides from the land adjacent to that of Gergis or of Skepsis, wherever you think best, the two thousand plethra of our land, and to add them to the boundaries of the land of Ilion or of Skepsis. Farewell.
[11] King Antiochos to Meleagros , greeting. Aristodikides of Assos has come to us, asking us to give him in the Hellespontine satrapy Petra , which formerly Meleagros held, and of the land of Petra fifteen hundred plethra suitable for cultivation, and two thousand other plethra of cultivable land from the country adjacent to the "lot" formerly given to him. And we have given him both Petra, unless it has been given previously to some one else, and two thousand plethra of cultivable land besides, because he as our "friend" has furnished us his services with all goodwill and enthusiasm. Do you therefore having made an investigation, if this Petra has not already been given to some one else, convey it with its land to Aristodikides, and from the crown land adjacent to the land formerly given to Aristodikides give orders for the surveying and con veyance to him of two thousand plethra, and that he be permitted to join his holding to any of the cities he wishes in our country and alliance. If the crown peasants of the region in which Petra lies wish to live in Petra for protection, we have ordered Aristodikides to let them do so. Farewell.
[12] King Antiochus to Meleagros, greeting. Aristodikides has come to us, saying that, because it had been assigned to Athenaios the commander of the naval base, he has not even yet received the place Petra and the land belonging to it about which we previously wrote giving it to him, and he has asked that there be conveyed to him instead of the land of Petra the same number of plethra elsewhere, and that there be granted to him two thousand plethra besides, which he may join to any of the cities in our alliance he wishes just as we wrote before. Seeing therefore that he is loyal and enthusiastic in our interest we are anxious to favour the man highly and we have given our consent in this matter also. He says that his grant of the land of Petra was fifteen hundred plethra. Do you therefore give orders to survey and to convey to Aristodikides of cultivable land both the twenty-five hundred plethra and, instead of the land belonging to Petra, fifteen hundred other plethra suitable for cultivation from the crown land adjacent to the "lot" first given him by us. Give orders also to permit Aristodikides to join the land to any of the cities in our alliance he wishes, just as we wrote in our earlier letter. Farewell.
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