This inscription was published with a French translation and commentary by B. Helly & A. Tziafalias, "Décrets inédits de Larisa organisant la vente de terres publiques attribuées aux cavaliers" ( Persée ). There is also a translation into modern Greek by I. N. Arnaoutoglou ( academia.edu ), which has been consulted - with the help of Google Translate - while preparing this English translation.
The Greek text is written in the idiosyncratic Thessalian Aeolic dialect, and the vocabulary is daunting: the meaning of three key Greek words - hippoteion, rythnos and taga - is unknown from elsewhere, and has to be established from their context here or from their etymology. Fortunately the first editors have provided an expert analysis, stretching to 116 pages, to make the text somewhat easier to understand.
[A] . . . [in order to obtain?] as quickly as possible funds for the military (?) expedition which must be sent, with respect to all the plots of land for horsemen {hippoteia} that were possessed by those who were registered by the taga of the Agathokleadai, which either they subsequently have not cultivated in accordance with the law, or the plots remain uncultivated, the treasurers shall sell them at the highest possible price and and the purchasers shall appoint a trustworthy guarantor for the amount of ten staters. With respect to the plots of land for horsemen which are cultivated with vines for an area which is not less than ten plethra or where a house has been built, those who want to keep possession of them shall pay, if they use half of the plot four minas, if they use two-fifths of the plot three minas, or if they cultivate half of the plot with vegetables two minas. If the holder of the house does not want to pay 10 the fixed price within ten days, he shall depart from it, taking his timbers with him; the treasurers shall put the land for horsemen up for sale, and the purchasers shall pay the fixed price to the treasurers within ten days from the assembly on the last day of the month of Hippodromios; if not, the treasurers shall continue with the sale, and the purchasers shall appoint a trustworthy guarantor for the ten staters. The purchasers, or those who have deposited the payment of the fixed amount to the city, shall then make whatever use they wish of the land for horsemen, after paying the ten staters to the public treasury. With respect to the harvesting of the crops which are currently sown in the plots of land for horsemen, the current holders of the plots shall gather the harvest. The treasurers shall also put up for sale all the old plots of land for horsemen which need? to be sold in a taga, 20 and the land that they have in the allotments under the same conditions, after those who are in possession of the allotments have benefited from the remainder of the sheep-pasturage, and from the income from selling the produce and from any other plots of land for horsemen. With respect to fallow land and land producing pulses, those who are currently in possession of the plots of land for horsemen shall complete the sheep-pasturage. Any citizen who wishes to buy any of the plots of land for horsemen may buy it, so that the city receives as large a revenue of money as possible, and he may do it in whichever tribe he wishes, for as many plots as he wishes. The treasurer shall sell the plots on the basis of fifty plethra in any sector {rythnos}, indicating first to which sector the land for horsemen belongs and how many lots of fifty plethra it contains. In order that there may be no financial loss, unless someone deliberately damages the income of the city, if the amount due is deposited the treasurers shall record the plots of land for horsemen in each sector, how many there are in each sector, 30 and when the expected income from all the contributors will be completely paid. With respect to all the plots of land for horsemen possessed by the Alkeidai, which the city has sold, this (?) sale shall be fully valid for the purchasers. The treasurers shall hand over to the treasurers who succeed them in office a list of the plots of land for horsemen which have been guaranteed by trustworthy guarantors. In accordance with this decree the following shall be inscribed on a stone stele: the names of the purchasers of the plots of land for horsemen, the sectors in which they have made their purchase, the number of fifty-plethra lots purchased, the guarantors, the price at which they were purchased, and the date of their payment to the Kerdōion, so that the purchase remains valid for all time. The treasurers shall sell the plots within a period of ten days from the last day of the month.
[B] God; with good fortune. Anyone who purchases the old plots of land for horsemen, each for whatever he purchases, 40 shall appoint a trustworthy guarantor, whom the treasurers shall approve. If he does not appoint a guarantor, or if he subsequently finds a plot which is sold at a lower price, he shall be forced to pay double the price in accordance with the law of the treasurers. After he has appointed the guarantor, he shall use the land for horsemen in accordance with the decree of the city, and when the sheep-pasturage has been finished, he shall pay the ten staters as a fee for the entire duration. If any of the land for horsemen, which has been sold in the taga of the Agathokleadai, is among those plots which are built on or any others which are not appropriate to be sold, the sale shall be invalid. Anyone who purchases land for horsemen and has appointed his guarantor shall pay the price of the sale and the herald's fee within ten days without making any unreasonable dispute. If he does not make the payment, the land for horsemen shall be sold and both he and his guarantor shall be compelled to pay double the price, in accordance with the law of the treasurers. He shall appoint a guarantor 50 to pay the amount of the sale and of the ten staters for the whole duration. With respect to the plots of land for horsemen which are planted with vegetables, or which contain a house, their holders shall also appoint a guarantor for the payment of the ten-stater fee for the whole duration. Any citizen who wishes to have these plots of land for horsemen may make the purchase in any tribe he wishes and for the number of plots he wishes, and he shall make use of them as he wishes.
[C] God. When Melantas son of Pheidippus and Eurypylos son of Aleuas were treasurers; plots of land for horsemen which have been sold:
{ The list of plots, prices and names continues in a similar way for another 40 lines. }
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