Like other Greek cities in remote locations, Istros was constantly at risk of attack by local tribes. Zalmodegikos, who is mentioned in this inscription, is otherwise unknown, but his name appears to be Thracian; see S.Andrews, "Greek cities on the western coast of the Black Sea", page 79 ( PDF ).
Two helpful lists of Hellenistic inscriptions from the western coast of the Black Sea have been compiled by Ligia Ruscu: "-Personal- external relations of the Western Pontic cities in pre-Roman period" ( academia.edu ) and "The places of display of public documents in the Western Pontic cities" ( academia.edu ).
It was resolved by the council and the people, when Theokritos was epimenios, as proposed by Pythoteles son of Archelochos; since Diodoros son of Thrasykles, Prokritos son of Pherekles and Klearchos son of Aristomachos, who were appointed as envoys to Zalmodegikos concerning the hostages, travelled through the enemy territory, and by enduring every danger and showing all zeal 10 they brought back the hostages, who numbered more than sixty, and persuaded him to give back the revenues to the people; therefore it is resolved by the council and the people to register them and their descendants as benefactors of the people, and and they and their descendants shall be crowned in all the theatres with a golden crown for their valour and their goodwill towards the people, so that others too may act honourably concerning the city, knowing 20 that the people honours good men. The leaders shall inscribe this decree on two [steles], and place one in the agora in front of the stoa, and the other in front of the altar of Zeus Polieus.
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