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I. LOCATION

i.	Geographical area	Aegean Islands
ii.	Region	Rhodes
iii.	Site	City of Rhodos

II. NAME

i.	Full name (original language)	συνθύται Ῥοδιασταὶ ἐπιδαμιασταί
ii.	Full name (transliterated)	Synthytai Rhodiastai Epidamiastai

III. DATE

i.

Date(s)

i BC

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

ii.

Name elements

Cultic:	synthytai (fellow sacrificers). P. Foucart, the ed.pr. of IG XII. 1 157, maintained that Rhodiastai referred to worshippers of the goddess Rhodos: P. Foucart, 'Inscriptions attiques et inscriptions de Rhodes', BCH 13 (1889) 365. His view is followed by van Gelder 1900, 356, and Morelli 1959, 67, 172. A somewhat different and more plausible view is forwarded by Poland: see 'Topographical' below.
Ethnic:	Like the 'ethnic' Rhodios/Rhodia, the element Rhodiastai indicates an especially close attachment to Rhodes, perhaps even to the city of Rhodos (in which case it could also be classified as 'topographical'). However, unlike the former, Rhodiastai does not seem to carry a juridical/constitutional significance and is unattested in connection with a personal name.
Status-related:	epidamiastai refers to a group of persons of foreign origin who had been awarded the special status of epidamia in Rhodes: see H. van Gelder, Geschichte der alten Rhodier (The Hague, 1900) 230-31; F. Hiller von Gaertringen, 'Rhodos', RE Suppl. V (1931) 766-67: G. Pugliese Carratelli, Sullo stato di cittandinanza in Rodi', in: Studi in onore di V. Arangio-Ruiz nel XLV anno del suo insegnamento, vol. 4 (Naples, 1953) 485-87.
Topographical:	Poland put forth the plausible view that with the ending -istai the locality concerned (Rhodiastai, Lindiastai, etc.) becomes personified and obtains a godlike nature: Poland 1909, 225, cf. 63.

V. SOURCES

i.	Source(s)	IG XII. 1 157, ll. 5-6.
	Online Resources	IG XII.1 157
i.a.	Source type(s)	Epigraphic source(s)
i.b.	Document(s) typology & language/script	Dedicatory-honorary. Greek.
i.c.	Physical format(s)	Round altar of white marble.
ii.	Source(s) provenance	Discovered in a hypogeum outside the city of Rhodes. See also P.M. Fraser, Rhodian Funerary Monuments (Oxford, 1977), p. 3.

VII. ORGANIZATION

iii.

Members

Since he possessed the status of epidamia, and since the name of the association contains the element epidamiastai, it is almost certain that Philokrates from Ilion, the person to whom this altar belonged, was a member of the association.

IX. MEMBERSHIP

iv.

Status

Philokrates of Ilion, the person to whom this altar belonged, was a foreigner in possession of epidamia in Rhodes. In the same inscription, Philokrates is honoured by three other associations (see below). Very probably, he was the founder of one of these, the Matioi ktoinetai eranistai Philokrateioi ( Μάτιοι κτοινέται ἐρανισταὶ Φιλοκράτειοι). See V. Gabrielsen, The Naval Aristocracy of Hellenistic Rhodes, (Aarhus, 1997) 152-53.
Attempts to establish the identity of Philokrates (see Hiller von Gaertringen's note to IG XII.1 157) have been challenged: V. Gabrielsen, 'The Status of Rhodioi in Hellenistic Rhodes', C&M 43 (1992) 48 n.9.

X. ACTIVITIES

iv.

Honours/Other activities

The Synthytai Rhodiastai Epidamiastai had honoured Philokrates from Ilion, who was in possession of epidamia in Rhodes. The honours awarded to him are not specified. The association is recorded with other private bodies that had honoured Philokrates:the Isiastai eranistai koinon (ὑπὸ Ἰσιαστᾶν ἐρανιστᾶν κοινοῦ), the Hermaistai Thesmophoriastai (ὑπὸ Ἑρμαϊστᾶν Θεσμοφοριαστᾶν) and the Matioi ktoinetai eranistai Philokrateioi (ὑπὸ Ματίων κτοινετᾶν ἐρανιστᾶν Φιλοκρατείων). He was also honoured by the citizens of Kamiros (ὑπὸ Καμιρέων).

XI. INTERACTION

i.	Local interaction	The association, which was probably based in the city of Rhodos, is seen to honour an individual together with the citizens of Kamiros.
ii.	Interaction abroad	Any connection between the association and the city of Ilion, the place of origin of Philokrates, must be indirect and conjectural.

XII. NOTES

i.	Comments	No connection can be established between this association and συνθυτᾶν[-], mentioned in MDAI(A) 25 (1900) 19, no. 108, l. 8.
ii.	Poland concordance	B 268
iii.	Bibliography	P. Fraser, Rhodian Funerary Monuments (Oxford, 1977). F. Hiller von Gaertringen, 'Rhodos', RE Suppl. V (1931) 766-67. G. Pugliese Carratelli, Sullo stato di cittandinanza in Rodi', in: Studi in onore di V. Arangio-Ruiz nel XLV anno del suo insegnamento, vol. 4 (Naples, 1953) 485-87. H. van Gelder. Geschichte der alten Rhodier (The Hague, 1900) 230-31.

XIII. EVALUATION

i.	Private association	Certain
	Note	The element synthytai in the name of this association, together with the indication of the element epidamiastai that the membership included non-Rhodians, renders it certain that it was a private association.

CAPInv. 1816: Synthytai Rhodiastai Epidamiastai