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Last Updated on 09 Jul 2018

Author: Paschalis Paschidis

CAPInv. 759: hoi Gourasias [A]rtemid[os] synetheis tes pros tei Acherdoi

I. LOCATION

i. Geographical area Macedonia
ii. Region Mygdonia
iii. Site Thessalonike

II. NAME

i. Full name (original language) οἱ Γουρασίας [Ἀ]ρτέμιδ̣[ος] συνήθεις τῆς πρὸς τῇ Ἀχέρδῳ (IG X.2.1 Suppl. 1363, ll. 3-5)
ii. Full name (transliterated) hoi Gourasias [A]rtemid[os] synetheis tes pros tei Acherdoi

III. DATE

i. Date(s) i / ii AD

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

ii. Name elements
Geographical:The explanatory qualification of the deity worshiped (Artemis Gourasia) as ἡ πρὸς τῇ Ἀχέρδῳ, he pros tei Acherdoi ("the one towards Acherdos"), refers to the location of the sanctuary of the goddess, probably outside the civic centre of the Thessalonike, on the road towards Acherdos, probably a village or a location in the western territory of Thessalonike (Nigdelis 2006: 149).
Theophoric:The association is named after the deity worshiped (Artemis Gourasia).

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) IG X.2.1 Suppl. 1363 (l. i - e. ii AD)
Note Previous editions: SEG 56: 763
Online Resources IG X.2.1 Suppl. 1363
i.a. Source type(s) Epigraphic source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script A Greek funerary inscription
i.c. Physical format(s) Stele with (now lost) relief
ii. Source(s) provenance Thessalonike, western cemetery

VI. BUILT AND VISUAL SPACE

ii. References to buildings/objects The name of the association probably refers to a sanctuary of Artemis in the territory of Thessalonike (see IV.ii, above).

VII. ORGANIZATION

i. Founder(s) One of the possible interpretations of the cult epithet Γουρασία Gourasia -but not the more plausible one- is that the cult of Artemis was founded by a certain Γούρας Gouras (see Nigdelis 2006: 148, n. 145).
Gender Male
ii. Leadership The association is led by an ἀρχισυνάγωγος, archisynagogos, who is also (the number of missing letters in the end of l. 2 does not allow the restoration of a second name) termed [---]φύλαξ, [---]phylax (ll. 1-3). Possible restorations include [ἱερο]φύλαξ, [hiero]phylax (so An.Ép. 2006, 1277, tentatively), [γραμματο]φύλαξ, [grammato]phylax, [νομο]φύλαξ, [nomo]phylax, [ναο]φύλαξ, [nao]phylax, etc.
iii. Members The members of the association are termed συνήθεις, synetheis (l. 4).
iv. Officials A γραμματεύς, grammateus (ll. 6-7), and an ἐξεταστής, exetastes (l. 9), are attested. The formula ὑπὲρ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ Πρίσκας, hyper tes metros autou Priskas (ll. 7-8), immediately following the name of the grammateus probably means that the secretary Magnos served on behalf of (or for the sake of) his mother Priska (see An.Ép. 2006: no. 1277). Nigdelis 2006: 150-1 maintained that Priska was the mother of the deceased and that the phrase means that the monument was erected in order to alleviate Priska financially, but the phrase would then be syntactically rather awkward.
Eponymous officials The formula γραμματεύοντος, grammateuontos means that the name of the grammateus was used for dating purposes.
ix. Privileges The association paid for the funerary monument of a deceased member, who died abroad.

IX. MEMBERSHIP

ii. Gender Men
Women
Note All three officials and the deceased member are men, but women may have had the right to serve as officials as well (see VII.iv, above).
iv. Status The archisynagogos is the only person recorded with a Latin nomen, but all other names are of Latin origin as well.

XII. NOTES

i. Comments On Artemis Gourasia, see Nigdelis 2006: 148-9.
iii. Bibliography Nigdelis, P.M. (2006), Επιγραφικά Θεσσαλονίκεια. Συμβολή στην πολιτική και κοινωνική ιστορία της αρχαίας Θεσσαλονίκης. Thessaloniki: 147-51, no. 4.

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Certain
Note A distinct name, a set of officials with a leader and the collective term for the members are sufficient elements to qualify this group as a private association.