It is likely that one of Antigenes' most important duties as admiral 'for the protection of the islands' was to protect the islanders from attacks by pirates; see C.Constantakopoulou, "Aegean Interactions: Delos and its Networks in the Third Century", pp.150-151 ( Google Books ). In other inscriptions, Ptolemaic officials are recording as providing defence against pirates (see for instance inscription 47), but by the time of this inscription the Rhodians had clearly taken on that role, at least in the region around Delos.
It was resolved by the council [and the people], as proposed by . . . son of Hierombrotos; [since Antigenes], who was appointed by the people [ of Rhodes ] to be admiral for the protection of the [islands and] for the safety of the Greeks, and the trierarchs Timaphanes and Dionnos and Hegesandros of Rhodes, are acting as good men towards the temple and the city of Delos, and concerning the protection of the Greeks; therefore it is resolved by the people 10 that Antigenes son of Theoros, Timaphanes son of Anaxipolis, Dionnos son of Polydoros and Hegesandros son of Boulanax shall have the status of proxenoi and benefactors of the temple and the city of Delos, both for themselves and for their descendants; and they shall have freedom from all taxes in Delos, and privileged seating at games, and the right to own land and buildings, and access to the council and people second only to sacred matters; and they shall have [the other privileges] that are held by other proxenoi and benefactors 20 of the temple and the city of Delos. The council shall inscribe this decree in the council-house, and the hieropoioi shall inscribe it in the temple.
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