Adapted from the translation by A.Chaniotis, "Mobility of Persons during the Hellenistic Wars", page 496 ( PDF ). Inscriptions provide ample evidence of the widespread impact of piracy in the Aegean Sea, especially during the 3rd century B.C. See, for instance: Syll_454, Syll_535, SEG_44.949, THI_47, THI_48 and THI_50.
It was resolved by the council and the people; Soterides, son of Pheidias of Kosyllos was president; as proposed by Philoxenos, son of Philothemis of Alsos. Since during the night pirates landed in our territory, and girls and married women and other persons, both free and slaves, were captured - a total of more than thirty persons; and the pirates destroyed the ships in the harbour and captured the ship of Dorieus, with which they sailed off carrying away both the persons and the rest of the booty; when this occurred Hegesippos and Antipappos, the sons of Hegesistratos, who were among the captives, jointly persuaded the leader of the pirates, Sokleidas, who was sailing along with them, to release the free persons, also some of the freedmen and the slaves, while they offered themselves as hostages, and showed great concern that none of the female or male citizens should be carried off as booty and be sold, nor suffer torture or hardship and that no free person should perish. Thanks to these men the captives were saved and returned home without suffering harm. Therefore it is resolved by the people to crown Hegesippos and Antipappos, each with a wreath of olive branches, on account of their virtue and the honourable conduct with which they acted towards the citizens who were made captive. This decree shall be proclaimed at the Dionysia in the contest of the tragedians; the herald shall proclaim that "the people crowns Hegesippos and Antipappos on account of their vitue and their honourable conduct towards those who were captured with them." This decree shall be inscribed on a stele and placed in the temple of Athena Polias; Hegesistratos shall take care of the inscription.
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