Stable URL: http://ancientassociations.ku.dk/assoc/1119Download as PDF
Last Updated on 13 Mar 2017

Author: Alexandru Avram

CAPInv. 1119: U-THR-025

I. LOCATION

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

II. NAME

i. Association with unknown name U-THR-025

III. DATE

i. Date(s) 241 - 244 AD

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) IGBulg I2 22 bis (AD 241-244)
Online Resources IGBulg I2 22 bis and AGRW ID 14344
i.a. Source type(s) Epigraphic source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Greek dedication of the association to emperor Gordian III and Sabinia Tranquillina.
i.c. Physical format(s) Three joining fragments of a marble stele but the text remains fragmentary (the right upper part and the whole bottom are lacking).

VII. ORGANIZATION

ii. Leadership Unnamed ἱ[ερεύς], hiereus (ἡ περὶ τὸν ἱ[ερέα - - ], he peri ton hi[erea - - ] (l. 5). Since the feminine article ἡ, he, surely refers to the disappeared name of the association (e.g. ἡ [συνόδος], he [synodos]), we can infer that the hiereus was its leader and not its founder.
iii. Members Some broken names are preserved.
iv. Officials One ἀ̣ρ̣χιγάλλος, archigallos (l. 17).
Two γραμμ[ατεῖς], gramm[ateis] (ll. 19 and 21).
One could add with caution an ἄρχ̣[ι - - ], arch[i - ] (l. 22). Nothing to say about the isolated πατέρα, patera (acc., l. 7), whether it is meant in a religious sense or simply somebody's father?

IX. MEMBERSHIP

ii. Gender Men
Note The attested members are men.
iii. Age Adults

XII. NOTES

i. Comments The mention of an ἀ̣ρ̣χιγάλλος, archigallos (l. 17) invited more scholars to suppose a Dionysiac association (Jaccottet 2003: II.110 does however not include this inscription in her corpus, “ne trouvant aucun indice de l'appartenance de ce texte, d'ailleurs fort lacunaire, à la sphère dionysiaque”). But Cybele is also a good, if not better candidate (see especially the archigallos from Pessinus). Moreover, the recent discovery of the temple of the ‘Pontic Mother of Gods’ at Dionysopolis and of two inscriptions referring both to associations connected with this cult (CAPInv. 1156 and CAPInv. 1157) makes likely the supposition that we have to do with a cult association of worshippers of the Pontic Mother of Gods.
iii. Bibliography Jaccottet, A.-F. (2003), Choisir Dionysos. Les associations dionysiaques ou la face cachée du dionysisme. 2 vols. Zurich.

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Certain
Note The terminology of the officials (especially he peri ton hi[erea - - ], l. 5) points to a private association.