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Last Updated on 27 Feb 2017

Author: Damiana Baldassarra

CAPInv. 1108: U-WGR-003

I. LOCATION

i. Geographical area Western Greece with the Ionian Islands
ii. Region Akarnania
iii. Site Thyrreion

II. NAME

i. Association with unknown name U-WGR-003

III. DATE

i. Date(s) s. ii - s. i BC

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) IG IX 12 2, 248 (II-I BC)
Online Resources IG IX 12 2, 248
i.a. Source type(s) Epigraphic source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Greek dedication (?) with mention of sacrifice personnel.
i.c. Physical format(s) Two joining fragments of a white limestone stele. Nowadays both the joining fragments are broken on the right hand-side: however it is possible to restore the text thanks to the editio prior (Cousin 1886, 175-178, nr. 2). The editor princeps could entirely read the two fragments (a, b).
ii. Source(s) provenance Saw and copied by G. Cousin (ante 1886) in the house of T. Mantzavino at Agios Vasilios; at the end of 19th century it was copied by P. Sursos (see Preuner 1902); G. Klaffenbach (1933-34) saw the two fragments in the house of L. Tsanakas at Agios Vasilios (now in the Museum of Thyrion, inv. nr. 312-312a): by that time they were damaged on the right hand-side; squeeze and photo at the Archive of Inscriptiones Graecae, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften.

VII. ORGANIZATION

iii. Members Five συμβιωτα[ί], symbiotai (companions? see below Comments) (IG IX 12 2, 248, a, ll. 6-10, b, l. 11) are listed after the politai (magistrates? member of an association?). At the end are listed some παῖδες paides (Ibid., b, ll. 16-20), the sons of symbiotai.
v. Other staff Sacrifice personnel: μάντις mantis (soothsayer) (IG IX 12 2, 248, b, l. 12); αὐλητάς auletes (flute-player) (Ibid., b, l. 13); μάγειρος mageiros (cook) (Ibid., b, l. 14); διάκονος diakonos (attendant) (Ibid., b, l. 15).

IX. MEMBERSHIP

ii. Gender Men
Note The attested members are men.
iii. Age Children
Adults
Note Childen: παῖδες, paides
Adults: συμβιωταί, symbiotai

X. ACTIVITIES

iii. Worship The nature of the dedication and the mention of sacrifice personnel suggest worship by the group.

XII. NOTES

i. Comments The stone is missing the top. Therefore the inscription starts ex abrupto mentioning a list of 5 politai (magistrates? members of an association? IG IX 12 2, 248, a, ll. 1-5), whose clear number is undefined. It could be possible that before the five names (Ibid. a, ll. 1-5) there was a dedication to a specific divinity; 5 symbiotai are mentioned after the list of five names (Ibid., a, ll. 6-10, b, l. 11) and then the sacrifice personnel (Ibid., b. ll. 12-15); finally paides are mentioned , that is to say the sons of the symbiotai (Ibid., b. ll. 16-20); see a similar list from Astakos (IG IX 12 2, 434) where are mentioned συνέσται synestai ('those who eat together') and their paides. The word συμβιωτής, symbiotes, means 'one who lives with, companion, partner': it could concern meetings rather than associations. So it is possible that this word here means 'dining companions' because of the presence of the sacrifice personnel. See also CAPInv 1113, CAPInv. 1114.
ii. Poland concordance Poland B 1076.
iii. Bibliography Baldassarra D. (2010), 'Le liste cultuali della Grecia nord-occidentale: tipologie, protagonisti e fenomenologia rituale', in C. Antonetti (eds.), Lo spazio ionico e le comunità della Grecia nnord-occidentale. Territorio, società, istituzioni, Pisa: 355, 361-362, 368-369.
Cousin G. (1886), 'Inscriptions d'Acarnanie et d'Étolie', BCH 10: 175-78, nr. 2
Oberhummer E. (1877), Akarnanien, Ambrakia, Amphilochien, Leukas im Altertum, München: 271, nr. 9
Preuner E. (1902), 'Inschriften aus Akarnanien', AM 27: 335

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Possible
Note Due to lack of further evidence, there is not certain proof that the group was a private association.