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Last Updated on 01 Dec 2018

Author: Mario C.D. Paganini

CAPInv. 654: he tou Dios Hypsistou synodos

I. LOCATION

i. Geographical area Egypt
ii. Nome Arsinoites (00)
iii. Site Philadelpheia

II. NAME

i. Full name (original language) ἡ τοῦ Διὸς Ὑψίστου σύνοδος (P.Lond. VII 2193, l. 4)
ii. Full name (transliterated) he tou Dios Hypsistou synodos

III. DATE

i. Date(s) 69 (?) - 58 (?) BC

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

ii. Name elements
Theophoric:Zeus hypsistos
iii. Descriptive terms σύνοδος, synodos
κοινόν, koinon
φράτρα, phratra
Note Synodos: P.Lond. VII 2193, l. 4
Koinon: P.Lond. VII 2193, l. 11
Phratra: P.Lond. VII 2193, l. 14

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) P.Lond. VII 2193 (69-58 BC?)
Note Other editions: SB V 7835; AGRW 295. Corrections to some readings in the text by Brashear 1993: 33-34 (recorded in BL X).
Online Resources P.Lond. VII 2193
TM 2462
AGRW ID 2922
i.a. Source type(s) Papyrological source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Greek rules of the association.
i.c. Physical format(s) Papyrus.

VI. BUILT AND VISUAL SPACE

ii. References to buildings/objects The association met in the temple of Zeus (ll. 8-9: ἐν τῶι τοῦ Διὸς | ἱερ̣ῶ̣ι, en toi tou Dios hieroi) at least once a month, where they had a communal hall (l. 9: ἐν ἀνδ[ρῶνι] κοινῶι, en androni koinoi) reserved for their banquets and celebrations.

VII. ORGANIZATION

ii. Leadership Petesouchos, son of Teephbennis, was ἡγούμενος, hegoumenos (ll. 6, 10-11, 14). The leader of the association is in charge for one year (l. 7: εἰς ἐ[ν]ι̣α̣υ̣τὸν [ἀπὸ τοῦ] προ̣[γ]ε̣γ̣[ρ]αμένου μηινὸς καὶ ἡμέρας, eis eniauton apo tou progegrammenou menos kai hemeras).
iii. Members The members were called οἱ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Διὸς Ὑψίστου συνόδου, hoi ek tes tou Dios Hypsistou synodou (l. 4) and συνείσφοροι, syneisphoroi (ll. 7-8).
iv. Officials The president of the association had a ὑπηρέτης, hyperetes (l. 11).
vi. Laws and rules The rules of the association, preserved in the text, are called νόμος, nomos (l. 4).
vii. Judicial system If the members did not respect the rules of the association, fines were exacted from them (ll. 21: εἰσενεγκεῖν ἕκαστος αὐτῶ̣ν̣ ..., eisenenkein hekastos auton...). The fragmentary state of the passage does not allow a clearer understanding of the procedure.
viii. Obligations From the term συνείσφοροι, syneisphoroi (ll. 7-8), it is possible to infer that members had to pay regular fees; συμβολαί, synbolai and other contributions are also mentioned in l. 20. The members had to obey the president and his assistant, they had to be present at meetings, assemblies, and outings as called upon by the president, they could not form factions within the association, nor leave the association for another one nor resign during the year of the validity of the membership, they had to behave during drinking-parties without abusing, or chatter, or accuse each other, without bringing disorder to the celebrations, nor hasting to their seats, nor rushing from one seat to another. Payments in case of special occasions (such as the birth of a child to a member) were also present (ll. 22-23): the fragmentary state of the passage, however, does not allow to have further particulars (on this procedure, cf. P.Mich. V 243, ll. 5-6).

VIII. PROPERTY AND POSSESSIONS

iii. Income The association enjoyed fees paid by members (on the basis of the term συνείσφοροι, syneisphoroi, ll. 7-8). Συμβολαί, synbolai and other contributions are also mentioned in l. 20.

IX. MEMBERSHIP

ii. Gender Men
Note It seems that the members of the association were all men, given the fact that the leader chosen by the association is said to be τοῦ τόπου καὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν | ἄξιος, tou topou kai ton andron axios (ll. 6-7).

X. ACTIVITIES

i. Assemblies συναγωγαί, synagogai (l. 12): the president of the association called the assemblies.
ii. Meetings and events The association met at least once a month for a πόσις, posis, organised by the president for the paying members, when they held a banquet and made libations on behalf of Zeus and the King (ll. 7-10). Meetings are referred to as σύλλογοι (l. 12) and were called by the president. The members of the association were also involved in outings and trips (l. 12: ἀποδημίαι, apodemiai), as well as in συμπόσια, synposia (ll. 15,16, 18).
iii. Worship The association met for banquets and libations on behalf of Zeus and the King: σ̣π̣έν̣δοντ̣ες εὐχέσθωισαν καὶ τἄλλα τὰ νο|μιζ̣ό[μεν]α ὑπὲρ τε τ[ο]ῦ θ̣εο(ῦ) κ̣αὶ κυρίο(υ) βασ̣ιλ̣έ̣ω̣ς̣, spendontes euchesthosan kai talla ta nomizomena hyper te tou theou kai kyriou basileos (ll. 9-10).
Deities worshipped Zeus
King

XII. NOTES

iii. Bibliography Brashear, W. M (1993), Vereine im griechisch-römischen Ägypten. Konstanz.

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Certain
Note The terminology used (synodos, koinon, phratra), the internal organisation, the officials, the dealings in which the group was involved, and the typology of the text make it certain that we have here a private association.