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Last Updated on 03 Jul 2019

Author: Annelies Cazemier

CAPInv. 890: hoi Hermaistai

I. LOCATION

i. Geographical area Aegean Islands
ii. Region Delos
iii. Site Delos

II. NAME

i. Full name (original language) οἱ Ἑρμαισταὶ (I.Délos 1731, l. 6 and other sources)
ii. Full name (transliterated) hoi Hermaistai

III. DATE

i. Date(s) 150 - 56 BC

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

i. Name in other forms οἱ Ἑρμαιισ[ταὶ], hoi Hermaiis[tai] (I.Délos 1734, l. 1)
magistreis Mirquri (I.Délos 1753, l. 13; cf. 1731, l. 3; 1732, l. 3; 1733, l. 7)
magistreis / magistres / magistrei (I.Délos 1735, l. 5; 1754, l. 7 (together with Apolloniastai and Posidoniastai); cf. 1731, l. 3; 1732, l. 3; 1733, l. 7; note also 1756, l. 14; 1759, l. 2)
mag(istreis) (I.Délos 1736, l. 1; cf. 1742, l. 2; 1743, l. 1)
The Greek texts refer to Hermaistai / Hermaiistai, using a theophoric name, but the parallel Latin texts use the term magistreis, suggesting officials more specifically.
ii. Name elements
Theophoric:Hermes

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) Hermaistai:
I.Délos 1731 (ca.140 BC)
I.Délos 1732 (150-125 BC)
I.Délos 1733 (ca. 125 BC)
I.Délos 1734 (ca. 125 BC)
I.Délos 1735 (ca. 100 BC)
I.Délos 1736 (ca. 100 BC)
I.Délos 1737 (57/6 BC)
SEG 23.514 (ca. 125 BC)

connected to the Hermaistai (without direct mention):
I.Délos 1738-1750

Hermaistai, Apolloniastai, Poseidoniastai:
I.Délos 1753 (113 BC)
I.Délos 1754 (l. ii BC)
I.Délos 1755 (ca. 100 BC)
I.Délos 1757 (97 BC)
I.Délos 1758 (74 BC)

possibly connected to the Hermaistai:
I.Délos 1756 (ca. 100 BC)
I.Délos 1759 (not dated)
Note Waltzing 1895-1900: vol. 3, p. 66, no. 181 (= I.Délos 1732)
Durrbach, Choix 86 (= I.Délos 1731)
Durrbach, Choix 96 (= I.Délos 1733)
Durrbach, Choix 116 (= I.Délos 1753)
Durrbach, Choix 144 (= I.Délos 1757)
Durrbach, Choix 146b (= I.Délos 1742)
Durrbach, Choix 157 (= I.Délos 1758)
Durrbach, Choix 164 (= I.Délos 1737)
AGRW 232 (= I.Délos 1733) (incl. English translation)
AGRW 237 (= I.Délos 1758) (incl. English translation)
Trümper 2011: 78, no. 22
Online Resources I.Délos 1731
I.Délos 1732
I.Délos 1733
I.Délos 1734
I.Délos 1735
I.Délos 1736
I.Délos 1737
SEG 23.514

I.Délos 1738
I.Délos 1739
I.Délos 1740
I.Délos 1741
I.Délos 1742
I.Délos 1743
I.Délos 1744
I.Délos 1745
I.Délos 1746
I.Délos 1747
I.Délos 1748
I.Délos 1749
I.Délos 1750


I.Délos 1753
I.Délos 1754
I.Délos 1755
I.Délos 1757
I.Délos 1758

I.Délos 1756
I.Délos 1759
i.a. Source type(s) Epigraphic source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script dedications by the Hermaistai (I.Délos 1731-1737; cf. 1738-1750), some of which bilingual (Greek and Latin) (I.Délos 1731; 1732; 1733; 1735; 1736; cf. 1737, which only provides a date in Latin; note also 1738-1739; 1750); further dedications together with the Apolloniastai and Poseidoniastai (I.Délos 1753-1755; 1757-1758; cf. 1756; 1759), some of which bilingual (Greek and Latin) (I.Délos 1753; 1754)
ii. Source(s) provenance Many of the dedications of the Hermaistai (I.Délos 1732-1734; cf. 1738-1740; 1745; 1748-1749) were found at the 'Agora des Compétaliastes' (Guide de Délos 2). Some of their dedications (I.Délos 1735-1736; cf. 1742) were found in the area of the 'Agora des Italiens' (Guide de Délos 52). The 'Agora des Italiens' is also were the Hermaistai set up joint dedications with the Apolloniastai and Poseidoniastai to Herakles and the Italians (I.Délos 1757) and to Apollo and the Italians (I.Délos 1758), and it is the find spot of a fragmentary Latin text referring to magistreis (I.Délos 1756). The joint dedication to Herakles / Hercoles (I.Délos 1753) was found in the area of the 'Agora de Théophrastos' (Guide de Délos 49) near the south-west corner of the so-called 'Salle Hypostyle' (Guide de Délos 50), site of a sanctuary of Poseidon (cf. Bruneau 1970: 259; Hasenohr 2002: 73). The joint dedication to Zeus Ourios / Iuppiter Sequndanus (I.Délos 1754) was found re-used in a modern wall, also near the 'Salle Hypostyle'.

1731: no doubt near the 'Agora des Competaliastes'
1737: north of the 'Agora de Theophrastos'
1741: in the wall of a house south of the 'Agora Tetragone'
1743: found on Tenos, in the wall of a modern house
1744; 1746 and 1747 were found in the pavement by the entrance to the portico of Philip (cf. Jouguet 1899: 59-61, no. 5, 7 and 8)
1750: found in a wall of the baths of the 'Agora Tetragone'

VI. BUILT AND VISUAL SPACE

ii. References to buildings/objects τὸν ναὸν, ton naon (I.Delos 1731, l. b 3; 1737, l. 5; cf. 1745, l. 2)
donu(m) (I.Delos 1732, l. 3)
τὰς πα[στάδας], tas pa[stadas] (I.Delos 1734, l. 2)
τὴν [στοὰν], ten [stoan] / porticum (I.Delos 1735, l. 2a)
laconicum (I.Delos 1736)
τὰ ἀγάλματα, ta agalmata ((I.Delos 1737, l. 6)
τὸν Ἡρακλῆν, ton Heraklen (I.Delos 1757, l. 3; cf. 1746)
τὸν τρύφακτον, ton tryphakton (SEG 23.514, l. 16)

τὴν Μαίαν, ten Maian / Maiam (I.Delos 1744; 1750, l. 5)
τὸν βωμόν, ton bomon / aaram (I.Delos 1744; 1750, l. 6)
τοὺς θεοὺς, tous theous (I.Delos 1745)
τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν, ten Athenan (I.Delos 1747)
τὸν περίβολον, ton peribolon (I.Delos 1748)
τ[ὸν Ἑρμῆν?], t[on Hermen?] (I.Delos 1749)

IX. MEMBERSHIP

i. Number The names of at several Hermaistai are known, but it is difficult to say how many there were at any
given time. Dedications of Hermaistai tend to list the names of six magistreis (I.Délos 1732; 1733; cf. 1731; 1735; only two magistreis in I.Délos 1736), but the overall association is likely to have been larger than that.
ii. Gender Men
Note The Hermaistai listed in the sources are all men.
iv. Status The Hermaistai listed in the sources all have Roman names, and several of them are known members of the Italian community on Delos.

X. ACTIVITIES

iii. Worship The Hermaistai made dedications to Hermes (I.Délos 1737), Hermes (Mircurius / Mirqurius) and Maia (I.Délos 1731; 1732; 1733; SEG 23.514), and to the Italians (I.Délos 1736). Together with the Apolloniastai and Poseidoniastai they made dedications to Apollo and the Italians (I.Délos 1758), Herakles / Hercoles (I.Délos 1753), Herakles and the Italians (I.Délos 1757), and Zeus Ourios / Iuppiter Sequndanus (I.Délos 1754).
Deities worshipped Hermes / Mircurius / Mirqurius
Maia
Apollo
Herakles / Hercoles
Zeus Ourios / Iuppiter Sequndanus

XI. INTERACTION

i. Local interaction The Hermaistai made dedications together with the Apolloniastai (CAPInv. 889) and Poseidoniastai (CAPInv. 891) (I.Délos 1753-1754; 1757-1758; cf. 1755). One of these dedications was made to Herakles and the Italians (I.Délos 1757) and another to Apollo and the Italians (I.Délos 1758). There is also a dedication of two individual Hermaistai to the Italians (I.Délos 1736).

XII. NOTES

ii. Poland concordance Poland B 164 a (= I.Délos 1732)
Poland B 164 b (= I.Délos 1731)
Poland B 164 c (= I.Délos 1735)
Poland B 164 *d (= I.Délos 1733)

Poland B 164 *e (= I.Délos 1739)
Poland B 164 *f (= I.Délos 1744)
Poland B 164 *g (= I.Délos 1745)
Poland B 164 *h (= I.Délos 1746)
Poland B 164 *i (= I.Délos 1747)
Poland B 164 *k (= I.Délos 1748)

Poland B 164 l (= I.Délos 1755)
Poland B 165 a (= I.Délos 1758)
Poland B 165 b (= I.Délos 1757)

Poland B 164 o (= I.Délos 1756α)
Poland B 164 q (= I.Délos 1759)
iii. Bibliography Bruneau, P. (1970), Recherches sur les cultes de Délos à l’époque hellénistique et à l’époque impériale. Paris.
Hasenohr, C. (2002), ‘Les collèges de magistri et la communauté italienne de Délos’, in C. Müller and C.
Hasenohr (eds.), Les Italiens dans le monde grec, IIe siècle av. J.-C. - Ier siècle ap. J.-C.: circulation,
activités, intégration, Paris, 67-76.
Hasenohr, C. (2008), ‘Mercure a Delos’, in A. Bouet (ed.) D'Orient et d'Occident: melanges offerts a
Pierre Aupert. Bordeaux: 27-38.
Jouguet, P. (1899), ‘Fouille du port de Délos,’ BCH 23, 56-85.
Salviat, F. (1963), 'Dedicace d'un ΤΡΥΦΡΑΚΤΟΣ par les Hermaistes deliens', BCH 87: 252-64.
Trümper, M. (2011), ‘Where the non-Delians met in Delos: the meeting-places of foreign associations
and ethnic communities in late Hellenistic Delos’, in O.M. van Nijf and R. Alston (eds.) Political culture
in the Greek city after the classical age, Leuven: 49-100.

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Certain
Note The descriptive term and the wellknown character and activity of this association guarantees its private status.