Tomos, le héros fondateur de Tomis
Tomos, the founding hero of Tomis

Summary/Abstract: The author discusses two epigrams from Tomis where this city is calledἄστυ Τόμοιο , i.e. ‘Tomos’ city’. A third epigram of unknown origin (Dobrudja) can beadded because at the end of v. 4 a likely restoration suggested here is ἐς ἄστυ Τ[όμου] .Finally, another inscription mentions a heroon restored under Hadrian on the occasion ofthe re-establishment of the ‘liberty’ of the city. This heroon must have been consacratedto the same hero Tomos. This hero is also represented on local coins starting with thereign of Antoninus Pius. From all this evidence we can, thus, infer that the legendconcerning the foundation of Tomis by a hero called Tomos, from whom the name of thecity would have been derived, became under Hadrian or at latest under Antoninus Piusthe standard foundation story, which explains its use in local poetry. This new storyreplaced an elder tradition and ‘etymological’ explanation concerning the name of Tomismentioned in Ovid’s Tristia (3.9.5-10 and 33-34).

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