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Last Updated on 27 Feb 2017

Author: Damiana Baldassarra

CAPInv. 1113: U-WGR-004

I. LOCATION

i. Geographical area Western Greece with the Ionian Islands
ii. Region Akarnania
iii. Site Thyrreion

II. NAME

i. Association with unknown name U-WGR-004

III. DATE

i. Date(s) s. ii BC

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) IG IX 12 2, 250 (second half II BC)
Online Resources IG IX 12 2, 250
i.a. Source type(s) Epigraphic source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Greek dedication (?) with mention of sacrifice personnel.
i.c. Physical format(s) Central part of a white limestone stele.
ii. Source(s) provenance Saw and copied by P. Frazer (ante 1957) in the house of L. Tsanakas at Agios Vasilios (now in the Museum of Thyrion, inv. nr. 182); P. Fraser took squeeze and photo, now at the Archive of Inscriptiones Graecae, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften.

VII. ORGANIZATION

iii. Members Three [συμβ]ι̣ωταί, symbiotai (companions? See below Comments) are listed (IG IX 12 2, 250, ll. 2-5) after an uncountable list of politai (magistrates? Member of an association?) (IG IX 12 2, 250, l. 1). At the end are listed some παῖδες, paides (Ibid., ll. 15-18), sons of symbiotai. See below Comments.
v. Other staff Sacrifice personnel: [μ]άντις, mantis (soothsayer) (Ibid., ll. 6-7); αὐλητάς, l. αὐλητής auletes (flute-player) (Ibid., ll. 8-9); μάγειρος, mageiros (cook) (Ibid., l. 10); διάκονος diakonos (attendant) (Ibid., l. 11); ἱεροθύτας, l. ἱεροθύτης hierothytes (sacrificing priest) (Ibid., l. 12); ἱεροφόρος, hierophoros (bearer of holy vessels) (Ibid., ll. 13-14).

IX. MEMBERSHIP

ii. Gender Men
Note The attested members are men.
iii. Age Children
Adults
Note Children: παῖδες, paides
Adults: [συμβ]ι̣ωταί, symbiotai

X. ACTIVITIES

iii. Worship The nature of the dedication and the mention of personnel for sacrifices suggest worship by the group.

XII. NOTES

i. Comments The stone is missing the top. Therefore the inscription starts ex abrupto and only preserves one line (the final part of a patronymic) before the word [συμβ]ι̣ωταί, symbiotai (IG IX 12, 2, 250, l. 1): it probably consists of the final part of a list of name of politai (magistrates? members of an association?), whose clear number is undefined; see CAPInv 1008, CAPInv. 1114. It could be possible that before the name(s) there was a dedication to a specific divinity. Thereafter three [συμβ]ι̣ωταί, symbiotai, are mentioned (Ibid. ll. 2-5) and then the sacrifice personnel (Ibid. ll. 6-15); finally four παῖδες, paides are listed, that is to say the sons of the symbiotai (Ibid. ll. 15-18). See a similar list from Astakos (IG IX 12 2, 434), where συνέσται, synestai ('those who eat together with') and their paides are mentioned. The word συμβιωτής, symbiotes, means 'one who lives with, companion, partner': it could concern meetings rather than associations. So it is possible that this word here means 'dining companions' because of the presence of the sacrifice personnel. See also CAPInv 1008, CAPInv. 1114.
iii. Bibliography Baldassarra D. (2010), 'Le liste cultuali della Grecia nord-occidentale: tipologie, protagonisti e fenomenologia rituale', in C. Antonetti (eds.), Lo spazio ionico e le comunità della Grecia nord-occidentale. Territorio, società, istituzioni, Pisa: 354-355; 361-362; 368-368.
Baldassarra D., Ruggeri A. (2010), 'Intorno al sacrificio: aozos e hierophoros', in C. Antonetti (eds.), Lo spazio ionico e le comunità della Grecia nord-occidentale. Territorio, società, istituzioni, Pisa: 379-384.
J. Winand (1990), Les Hiérothytes. Recherche istitutionelle (Mémoires de la Classe des Lettres, Collection in 8o, 2. serie, fasc. 4), Bruxelles: 199-200, X. 2.

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Possible
Note Due to the lack of further information it is not possible to reach firmer conclusions on the nature of the group, which remains a possible private association.