Eumenes I and his Soldiers Reconsidered

Matthew Paul Gonzales

The inscription OGIS 266, detailing an agreement between Eumenes I and a group of mercenaries, has been considered documentation of king Eumenes' reconciliation with mutinous mercenary troops, stationed on the Pergamene border. However, the communis opinio rests entirely upon inference. One searches in vain for unambiguous reference to revolt. The similar diction of OGIS 266 to other inscriptions of Hellenistic treaties is striking. In light of these comparanda, OGIS 266 need not constitute evidence for mercenary revolt from Eumenes. Rather, the inscription advertised to the Hellenistic world the ascendancy of a new Pergamene monarch.

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