Stable URL: http://ancientassociations.ku.dk/assoc/1204Download as PDF
Last Updated on 13 Mar 2017

Author: Alexandru Avram

CAPInv. 1204: Pasous hieros thiasos

I. LOCATION

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

II. NAME

i. Full name (original language) Πασοῦς ἱερὸς θίασ[ος] (I.Tomis 120, l. 6)
ii. Full name (transliterated) Pasous hieros thiasos

III. DATE

i. Date(s) i BC

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

i. Name in other forms θίασος, thiasos (l. 1)
ii. Name elements
Personal:Pasous: of Paso.
Other:hiero

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) I.Tomis 120 (i BC).
Note Other publications: AGRW 80; Jaccottet II no. 62
Online Resources I.Tomis 120 and AGRW ID 3720
i.a. Source type(s) Epigraphic source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Greek versified dedication of a statue to (Dionysos) πυρίβρομος, pyribromos (i.e. 'roaring with fire'), in the name of the Πασοῦς ἱερὸς θίασ[ος] 'sacred thiasos of Paso'.
i.c. Physical format(s) Marble architrave.
ii. Source(s) provenance Tomis

VI. BUILT AND VISUAL SPACE

i. Archaeological remains It is possible that the architrave belonged to a cult building connected with the worship of Dionysos.
ii. References to buildings/objects Statue of the god (marble or bronze?) made by Hermagenes (l. 5) and consacrated by an anonymous son of Parmis (ll. 3-4) to (Dionysos) pyribromos.

VII. ORGANIZATION

i. Founder(s) Paso (l. 6: Πασοῦς ἱερὸν θίασ[ον], Pasous hieron thias[on]).
Gender Female
ii. Leadership Possibly [ - - ] Parmidos: the son of Parmis was the owner of a workshop (l. 2), where the statue was made by Hermagenes, one of his workers (slave, freedman or free worker?). Parmis' son dedicated the statue on the occasion of his accession to the priesthood (cf. l. 3: [μ]υστικὸν ἐμ βακχοῖσι λαχὼν στέφος, [m]ystikon em bakchoisi lachon stephos, 'taking by casting of lots the mystic crown among bacchants'). As bearer of the 'mystic crown' he was probably the leader of the thiasos.
Known practice of appointment By lot: [μ]υστικὸν ἐμ βακχοῖσι λαχὼν στέφος, [m]ystikon em bakchoisi lachon stephos (l. 3), 'taking by casting of lots the mystic crown among bacchants'

IX. MEMBERSHIP

ii. Gender Men
Women
Note Certainly also women because the founder of the thiasos was a woman (see VII.i). However, only two male members are known: [ - - ] Parmidos, who dedicated the statue of the god (ll. 3-4; see above), and Hermagenes, who made this cult object (l. 5).

X. ACTIVITIES

iii. Worship Practice of an 'archaic initiation' (ἀρχαίη ... τ[ελετή], archaie ... t[elete], certain restoration). Given the dedication of a statue to Dionysus (poetically called πυρίβρομος, pyribromos; see V.i.b), worship by the group may be supposed.
Deities worshipped Dionysos

XII. NOTES

ii. Poland concordance Poland B 106
iii. Bibliography Dana, M. (2011), Culture et mobilité dans le Pont-Euxin. Approche régionale de la vie culturelle des cités grecques. Paris, Bordeaux: 79-80.
Jaccottet, A.-F. (2003), Choisir Dionysos: Les associations dionysiaques ou la face cachée du dionysisme. Zurich. I: 92, 132; II, 129-30 no. 62.

XIII. EVALUATION

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