Hefzibah inscription, transcript of correspondence in Greek between Antiochus III (223–187 BCE) and Ptolemy son of Thraseas

Throughout the Seleucid Empire, correspondence between the king and his subordinates was publicized on stone monuments like this one, which were set up in public places. This monument is inscribed with an exchange of five letters. Ptolemy son of Thraseas, governor and high priest of Syria-Phoinikē, asks King Antiochus III to forbid his soldiers from forcibly taking quarter in local homes and pressing the population into service. The king responds by ordering his subordinates to restrain and punish all offenders.