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Last Updated on 08 Mar 2017

Author: Alexandru Avram

CAPInv. 1156: neomeniastai Metros Theon Pon[tia]s

I. LOCATION

i. Geographical area Thrace
ii. Region Euxine Coast
iii. Site Dionysopolis

II. NAME

i. Full name (original language) νεομηνιασταὶ Μητρὸς Θεῶν Πον[τία]ς (SEG 60: 767)
ii. Full name (transliterated) neomeniastai Metros Theon Pon[tia]s

III. DATE

i. Date(s) 212 - 250 AD

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

ii. Name elements
Cultic:neomeniastai, celebrators of the new moon (the first day of the month).
Theophoric:Meter Theon Pon[tia]
iii. Descriptive terms κοινόν, koinon
Note koinon: SEG 60: 767, l. 6

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) Sharankov 2013: 55-7 (AD 212-250)
i.a. Source type(s) Epigraphic source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Catalogue (in Greek) of the members of the association.
i.c. Physical format(s) Pedimental marble stele with relief representing the goddess with two persons on each side.
ii. Source(s) provenance Dionysopolis, temple of the Pontic Mother of Gods (excavations).

VI. BUILT AND VISUAL SPACE

i. Archaeological remains The temple of the Pontic Mother of Gods, which is rather good preserved, has been completely excavated.
ii. References to buildings/objects The stele itself was supposed to be engraved with the names of the members.

VII. ORGANIZATION

ii. Leadership Silanos Anthropionos, according to Sharankov: 'president (l. 7; the title, possibly πατήρ pater "father", is not preserved, but his leading position is evident from the text)'.
iii. Members Sharankov writes: 'The list originally contained 72 names, to which 13 more were added later (engraved by three or four different hands)'.
Among the initial members were two philotimoi who carved the stele.
A special mention is required by Aurelios Hermes auletes, who is the same as Hermes heiairod[ou]los Metros theas Pontia[s] auletes in CAPInv. 1157.
iv. Officials Pythokles Atta ἱερεὺς τῆς θύνης, hiereus tes thynes (l. 7-8), i.e. θοίνης, thoines (‘priest of the feast’; cf. IGBulg I2 77 in CAPInv. 1153 and IGBulg I2 78 ter in CAPInv. 1469 from Odessos and IScM III 40-41 in CAPInv. 1158, I. Kallatis 66 in CAPInv. 1159 and I. Kallatis 68 in CAPInv. 1161).

IX. MEMBERSHIP

i. Number 72 + 13 (see VII.iii: Members)
ii. Gender Men
Note The attested names are male names.
iii. Age Children
Adults
Note Pythokles Atta, the ‘priest of the feast’, is mentioned with his son Theomnestos, who might have been a child at the moment the stele was engraved. Therefore, the presence of children is not to be ruled out.
iv. Status Theomnestos, son of Pythokles Atta, the ‘priest of the feast’, is “obviously identical with Aurelius Theomnestos, son of Pythokles, first archon of Dionysopolis in IGBulg I2 14” (Sharankov).

XII. NOTES

iii. Bibliography Lazarenko, I., et al. (2010), ‘The Temple of the Pontic Mother of Gods in Dionysopolis’, in E.K. Petropoulos and A.A. Maslennikov (eds.), Ancient Sacral Monuments in the Black Sea, Thessaloniki: 13-62 (SEG 60, 767).
Sharankov, N. (2013), ‘Inscriptions’, in I. Lazarenko et al. (eds.), The Temple of the Pontic Mother of Gods in Dionysopolis, Varna.

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Certain
Note The terminology employed points to a private association.