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I. LOCATION

i.	Geographical area	Aegean Islands
ii.	Region	Lesbos
iii.	Site	Mytilene region: area of Hiera

II. NAME

i.	Full name (original language)	οἱ ἐν τῷ τόπῳ μύσται (Charitonidis, Ἐπιγραφαί: no. 115, ll. 2-3)
ii.	Full name (transliterated)	hoi en toi topoi mystai

III. DATE

i.

Date(s)

Imp.

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

ii.

Name elements

Cultic:	mystai
Topographical:	en toi topoi

V. SOURCES

i.	Source(s)	Charitonidis, Ἐπιγραφαί: no. 115 (Imp.: SEG 45.1093)
	Note	see also: IG XII.8 643 with SEG 45.1093 Chaniotis 1997: 13-14, no. 3 Jaccottet 2003, vol. 2: no. 12 (erroneously ascribed to ancient Peparethos; see below: 'Comments').
	Online Resources	IG XII.8 643 AGRW 260
i.a.	Source type(s)	Epigraphic source(s)
i.b.	Document(s) typology & language/script	Dedication of a hieron and a space or area (topos) to Dionysos and to initiates. Greek.
i.c.	Physical format(s)	block of marble, inscribed on smoothened surface (photo in Daux 1965: 863, fig. 3; also in Charitonidis, Ἐπιγραφαί: Pl. 33a)
ii.	Source(s) provenance	found built into the wall of the church of Panagia tou Psyrra, Kourkouta, near Skopelos (area of Gera, ancient Hiera)

VI. BUILT AND VISUAL SPACE

ii.

References to buildings/objects

ἱερὸν, hieron (Charitonidis, Ἐπιγραφαί: no. 115, l. 4)
τόπος, topos (Charitonidis, Ἐπιγραφαί: no. 115, l. 5; cf. l. 3)

VIII. PROPERTY AND POSSESSIONS

ii.

Realty

It is not certain that the mystai formed a private association (see below: 'Evaluation'), but if they did, the dedication of the hieron suggests that they came to have a sanctuary or shrine of their own. Cf. Jaccottet 2003: vol. 2, p. 44, no. 12.

IX. MEMBERSHIP

ii.	Gender	Men
	Note	The dedicant, if himself one of the mystai, is male.

X. ACTIVITIES

iii.	Worship	The mystai must be initiates of Dionysos, considering that the hieron is dedicated both to them and to this deity.
	Deities worshipped	Dionysos

XII. NOTES

i.	Comments	The inscription was initially wrongly ascribed to ancient Peparethos (IG XII.8 643; cf. Jaccottet 2003: vol. 2, p. 44, no. 12) due to confusion between the modern name of that island (Skopelos) and the homonymous village of Skopelos on Lesbos, in the area of Gera (ancient Hiera). Daux 1965: 862-3; Charitonidis, Ἐπιγραφαί: no. 115; Chaniotis 1997: 13-14, no. 3; cf. SEG 45.1093. Jaccottet (2003: vol. 2, p. 44, no. 12) suggests a date of ii-i BC, with question mark. Following SEG 45.1093 and Chaniotis (13-14, no. 3), the text should in fact be placed in the Imperial period (cf. letter forms and name Gaius Coelius Pankarpos).
iii.	Bibliography	Chaniotis, A. (1997), ‘New inscriptions from old books: inscriptions of Aigion, Delphi and Lesbos copied by Nicholas Biddle and Stavros Taxis’, Tekmeria 3: 7-21. Charitonidis, S. (1968), ‘Αι Επιγραφαί της Λέσβου,’ Συμπλήρωμα, Athens. Daux, G. (1965), 'Chronique des fouilles et decouvertes archeologiques en Grece en 1964*, BCH 89: 683-1007. Jaccottet, A.-F. (2003), Choisir Dionysos: les associations dionysiaques, ou, La face cachee du dionysisme. Zurich.

XIII. EVALUATION

i.	Private association	Possible
	Note	While this group has been referred to as a 'cult association' (SEG 45.1093; cf. Chaniotis 1997: 13-14, no. 3) and has been included in Jaccottet's collection of testimonies on Dionysiac associations (Jaccottet 2003: no. 12), it is not entirely clear from the evidence whether 'the initiates in the place' (hoi en toi topoi mystai) indeed formed an association in the sense of a durable private organization. The dedication of a space or area (topos) and a sanctuary (hieron) to the initiates may support this idea, but could alternatively concern a wider group of local worshippers initiated into the cult of Dionysos. No term for association is used, nor do we have a specific name for the group.

CAPInv. 147: hoi en toi topoi mystai