Sarapis, Isis and the Lagid dynastic continuity. About two Ptolemaic dedications of Halicarnassus and Kaunos

This paper discusses two Ptolemaic dedications from the middle of the 3rd century from Halicarnassus and Kaunos in Caria, in which Serapis and Isis are mentioned alongside the Lagid royal couple. The comparison of these texts allows one to pinpoint the diachronic developments in Ptolemaic royal propaganda and the choices of the donors with regard to the representation of the dynasty, its inner unity, and its relation to the divine sphere. The re-examination of the stones, the phrases used and the historical context of these dedications further allows the dates of the two texts to be determined with greater precision. For the inscription from Halicarnassus, the dating under Ptolemy II can be narrowed down to the end of his reign. The text from Kaunos, on the other hand, must be dated to the reign of Ptolemy III or his successor Ptolemy IV on paleographic and contextual grounds.