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Last Updated on 14 Mar 2017

Author: Alexandru Avram

CAPInv. 1323: eispoietoi adelphoi sebomenoi Theon Hypsiston

I. LOCATION

i. Geographical area Black Sea Region
ii. Region North coast of the Black Sea
iii. Site Tanais

II. NAME

i. Full name (original language) εἰσποιητοὶ ἀδελφοὶ σεβόμενοι Θεὸν Ὕψιστον (CIRB 1281, 1283, 1285)
ii. Full name (transliterated) eispoietoi adelphoi sebomenoi Theon Hypsiston

III. DATE

i. Date(s) 211 - 230 AD

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

ii. Name elements
Cultic:sebomenoi Theon Hypsiston
Kinship-related:eispoietoi adelphoi
Theophoric:Theos Hypsistos

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) IGRR I 918 = CIRB 1281 (AD 211-227 or 233-235: king Rhescouporis II or III).
IGRR I 920 = CIRB 1283 (AD 228).
IGRR I 919 = CIRB 1285 (AD 225-227).
CIRB 1286 (c. AD 220-230).
Possibly also CIRB 1292 (c. AD 210-230).
Online Resources CIRB 1281 and AGRW ID 7912
CIRB 1283 and AGRW ID 1842
CIRB 1285 and AGRW ID 7937
CIRB 1286 and AGRW ID 7943
CIRB 1292
i.a. Source type(s) Epigraphic source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Greek dedications to Θεὸς Ὕψιστος, Theos Hypsistos.
i.c. Physical format(s) CIRB 1281: 24 joining pieces of a marble stele. The right part is lacking. Relief representing two eagles holding a wreath in their beaks.
CIRB 1283: 68 joining pieces of a marble stele.
CIRB 1285: 23 joining pieces of a marble stele + 2 joining pieces to be placed at the bottom. Relief representing two eagles holding a wreath in their beaks.
CIRB 1286: 15 joining pieces of a marble stele + 3 not joining pieces belonging to the bottom of the stele. The beginning of the text is lacking.
CIRB 1292: small fragment of a marble stele.
ii. Source(s) provenance Village of Nedvigovka, near Tanais (CIRB 1281, 1283, 1285 and 1292).
Tanais (CIRB 1286).

VII. ORGANIZATION

ii. Leadership One πρεσβύτερος, presbyteros, (an anonymous one) in CIRB 1285, l. 9; four πρεσβύτεροι, presbyteroi, (M[ - - ] M[ - - ], Nigosas Herakl[eid]ou, Ariston Menestratou and Kallig[ene]s Myronos) in CIRB 1283, ll. 8-10; at least six πρεσβύτεροι, presbyteroi, (Attias Ne[ - - ], Euschemon Menophilou, Pharno[xa]rthos Taureou, Herakl[eid]es Pappou, Strat[oneiko]s Mokko[u] and Herox[enos] Basilei[dou]) in CIRB 1286, ll. 5-11.
In CIRB 1292 the word πρεσβύτερον, presbyteron (acc.) is restored.

IX. MEMBERSHIP

i. Number More than 23. The lists of members (in addition to the leader) give names with patronymics (some of them broken or completely lacking): 22 in CIRB 1281, ll. 10-21; 19 in CIRB 1283, ll. 11-19; at least 13 in CIRB 1285, ll. 10-16.
ii. Gender Men
Note The attested names are male names.
iii. Age Elders
Note See the references to πρεσβύτεροι, presbyteroi, as leader of the association (VII.ii).

XII. NOTES

i. Comments The prosopography shows that several ἀδελφοί, adelphoi, are also mentioned as θιασεῖται, θιασῶται, thias(e)itai, thiasotai, in the records produced by the association described in CAPInv. 1324, which is in honour of Theos Hypsistos too (list with references in Zavojkina 2012: 125-6; unfortunately not complete). The most spectacular cases are those of Sozomenos Styranou and Phourtas Agathou, θιασῶται, thiasotai, in AD 228, month of Loos (CIRB 1282, ll. 32 and 26 respectively), and only a month later (Gorpiaios) εἰσποιητοὶ ἀδελφοί, eispoietoi adelphoi (CIRB 1283, ll. 11 and 18 respectively). Ustinova 1999: 186 argues that 'it is curious that nobody has ever appeared first as an eispoietos adelphos, and later as a thiasotes but this is contradicted by the evidence (see Zavojkina 2012: 125-6, where for several persons membership among the adelphoi obviously precedes membership among the thiasotai. Nevertheless, Ustinova 1999: 186-7 might be right when she asks: 'Perhaps the status of an eispoietos adelphos was considered more desirable, and their collegia a sort of élite?' On the other hand, it is noteworthy that πρεσβύτεροι, presbyteroi, are mentioned exclusively in our inscriptions concerning the εἰσποιητοὶ ἀδελφοί, eispoietoi adelphoi. It is, therefore, to assume that the εἰσποιητοὶ ἀδελφοί, eispoietoi adelphoi, were themselves πρεσβύτεροι, presbyteroi. As thiasotai they still remained members of their initial association but they also were promoted (age condition?) to members of the 'élite' association of εἰσποιητοὶ ἀδελφοί, eispoietoi adelphoi.
ii. Poland concordance Poland B 134 (CIRB 1281)
Poland B 135 (CIRB 1285)
Poland B 136 (CIRB 1283)
Poland B 140 (CIRB 1286)
Poland B 143 (CIRB 1292)
iii. Bibliography Harland, P.A. (2014), Greco-Roman Associations: Text, Translations, and Commentaries, II. North Coast of the Black Sea, Asia Minor. Berlin, Boston: 32-9 no. 96.
Jajlenko, V.P. (2010): Tysjacheletnij Bosporskij Rejkh [A Thousand Year Bosporan Reich (sic)]. Moscow: 590-5.
Ustinova, Yu. (1991), 'The Thiasoi of Theos Hypsistos in Tanais', HR 31. no. 2: 150-80.
Ustinova, Yu. (1999), The Supreme Gods of the Bosporan Kingdom. Celestial Aphrodite and the Most High God. Leiden, Boston, Cologne: 185-7.
Zavojkina, N.V. (2012), Bosporskie fiasy: mezhdu polisom i monarkhiej [Bosporan Thiasoi: Between Polis and Monarchy]. Moscow: 120-29.

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Certain
Note The terminology employed suggests a private association.