After visiting some cities in Sicily, a delegation of theoroi from Kos continued up the west coast of Italy. Naples and Elea were on good terms with the Romans in the third century B.C., and were able to function as autonomous city states.
The visit to Naples in particular is sometimes quoted as an example of how the Greeks asked states to recognise the asylia of a place, even if they were so distant that they were very unlikely either to infringe or to protect its inviolability; see for instance K.J. Rigsby, "Asylia: territorial inviolability in the Hellenistic world", p. 18 ( Google Books ).
Decrees which the theoroi, Epidaurios son of Nikarchos and Philophron son of Dardanos, brought back.
[A] Decree of the Neapolitans, sealed with the figure of a man. Since the chief theoros Epidaurios son of Nikarchos and the theoroi, Philophron son of Dardanos and Simias son of Timasiphon, on arriving from the city of Kos have renewed the kinship and goodwill which the city of Kos continues to have towards the city of Neapolis and they have announced the sacrifice and games for Asklepios, and they have asked us to acknowledge that the temple of Asklepios should be inviolable; therefore with good fortune it was resolved by the archons and the council {synklētos} and the people to recognise the kinship and goodwill of the city of Kos,and to support the sacrifice and games for Asklepios; 10 and that the temple shall be inviolable; and to grant three minas for the sacrifice to Asklepios; and to invite the theoroi to receive gifts of hospitality.
[B] Decree of the Eleatans, sealed with the figure of a woman. It was resolved by the archons and the people of Elea: since the chief theoros Epidaurios son of Nikarchos and the theoroi, Philophron son of Dardanos and Simias son of Timasiphon, on arriving from the city of Kos have announced [the sacrifice and games for] Asklepios, [and they have asked us to acknowledge that the temple] of Asklepios should be inviolable . . . . . .
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