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I. LOCATION

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

II. NAME

i.	Full name (original language)	ἡ σύνοδος ἡ τῶν μελανηφόρων (I.Délos 2075, l. 1)
ii.	Full name (transliterated)	he synodos he ton melanephoron

III. DATE

i.

Date(s)

124 / 123 BC

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

ii.

Name elements

Cultic:

melanephoroi

iii.

Descriptive terms

σύνοδος, synodos

V. SOURCES

i.	Source(s)	I.Délos 2075 (124/3 BC)
	Note	Roussel 1915-16: 138, no. 95 RICIS 202/0257 (with pl. 53) Trümper 2011: 77, no. 8
	Online Resources	I.Délos 2075
i.a.	Source type(s)	Epigraphic source(s)
i.b.	Document(s) typology & language/script	dedication of honorary statue
i.c.	Physical format(s)	square marble base, broken in two
ii.	Source(s) provenance	Sarapieion C

VII. ORGANIZATION

iv.

Officials

ἱερεύς, hiereus (I.Délos 2075, l. 2), named Demetrios, son of Hermesion, from Marathon; he was priest in the year when Eisigenes was archon (124/3 BC). It is not clear whether this was a priesthood specifically of the association, and it is difficult to say whether other honorary inscriptions set up for priests by melanephoroi (I.Délos 2076) or melanephoroi and therapeutai (I.Délos 2077; 2078; cf. 2081; note also 2039; 2079; 2080) concern the synodos as well. See also 'Comments'.

X. ACTIVITIES

iii.	Worship	The synodos dedicated a honorary statue to Sarapis, Isis, and Anoubis (I.Délos 2075, l. 4).
	Deities worshipped	Sarapis Isis Anoubis
iv.	Honours/Other activities	The synodos of melanephoroi set up a statue in honour of their benefactor (I.Délos 2075, ll. 1-2: εὐεργέτης, euergetes) Demetrios, son of Hermesion, from Marathon, who was priest (l. 2: ἱερεύς, hiereus) in the year when Eisigenes was archon (124/3 BC). The statue was dedicated to Sarapis, Isis, and Anoubis.

XII. NOTES

i.	Comments	Another inscription from Sarapieion C has been attributed to the synodos of melanephoroi (CAPInv. 925), but the restoration of the text (I.Délos 2082, l. 1: ἡ σύνο[δος ἡ τῶν μελανηφόρων?], he syno[dos he ton melanephoron?] is uncertain). From Sarapieion B comes an early attestation (e. ii BC ?) of a koinon of melanephoroi (CAPInv. 216), which might be the same association as the synodos of I.Délos 2075 (cf. Roussel and Launey in Délos 2075; Roussel 1915-16: 270-1; Trümper 2011: 77, no. 8; Baslez 2013: 239, n 60). The Delian epigraphic record also yields many attestations of melanephoroi which do not specifically refer to a synodos or koinon (e.g., I.Délos 2039; 2076-2081; 2083-2084), but which may directly or indirectly concern the same association(s). Note that information from these texts has not been taken into account in this inventory entry. For a discussion of the melanephoroi, see Baslez 1975.
ii.	Poland concordance	Poland B 180a
iii.	Bibliography	Baslez M.-F. (1975), ‘Une association isiaque: les Mélanéphores’, CE 50 : 297-303. Baslez, M.-F. (2013), ‘Les associations à Délos: depuis les débuts de l’indépendance (fin du IVe siècle) à la période de la colonie athénienne (milieu du IIe siècle)’, in P. Fröhlich and P. Hamon (eds.) Groupes et associations dans les cités grecques (IIIe siècle av. J.-C. - IIe siècle apr. J.-C.), Genève: 227-49. Roussel, P. (1915-16), Les cultes égyptiens à Délos du IIIe au Ier siècle av. J.-C. Paris. 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.

CAPInv. 903: he synodos he ton melanephoron