Stable URL: http://ancientassociations.ku.dk/assoc/1666Download as PDF
Last Updated on 21 Jun 2019

Author: Stella Skaltsa

CAPInv. 1666: hiera synodos

I. LOCATION

i. Geographical area Unlocated
ii. Region Mysia or Etruria? (see below I.iii and XII.i)
iii. Site Pergamon or Florence/ Rome?

The provenance of the inscription is unknown. The text has been included under the Inscriptiones locorum incertorum of the CIG. However, scholars tended to attribute the inscription to Pergamon on account of the mention of Dionysos Kathegemon. The provenance of the stone has been questioned by Merklebach (1985), arguing that the inscription was originally set up somewhere in Italy. The stone is in Florence. See also below XII.i

II. NAME

i. Full name (original language) ἱερὰ σύνοδος (SEG 35: 1040/1732 l. 9)
ii. Full name (transliterated) hiera synodos

III. DATE

i. Date(s) 198 - 209 AD

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

ii. Name elements
Cultic:hiera
iii. Descriptive terms synodos

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) SEG 35: 1040/1732 (198-209 AD)
Note Ed. pr.
CIG 6829

See also
IGRR IV, 468
Lüders 1873: no. 103.
MDAI(A) 27, 1902: 182
Online Resources SEG 35: 1040/1732
i.a. Source type(s) Epigraphic source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script Dedication set up by the philosopher L. Septimius Trypho for soterias kai neikes kai aionias diamones of the emperors, the imperial house and the hieras synodou (ll. 1-8).

Greek
i.c. Physical format(s) No information is provided.
ii. Source(s) provenance Unknown (see I.iii)

VII. ORGANIZATION

iv. Officials ἱερεύς, hiereus (l. 9)
λογιστεύων, logisteuon (l. 15)
ἄρχων, archon (ll. 16, 20-21)
γραμματεύς, grammateus (ll. 18, 22)
νομοδίκτης, nomodiktes (ll. 19, 24)

L. Septimius Tryphon was priest of Dionysos twice (ll. 9-10).

The logistes (curator in Latin) was responsible for the finances of the association. This official is otherwise not attested in a synodos of the Dionysiac technitai (Merklebach 1985: 138)
Eponymous officials epi archontos (ll. 16, 20-21):
L. Septimius Tryphon promised to restitute the statue of Dionysos when archon was Bentidios son of Sotas, pythaulos periodoneikeis paradoxos (ll. 16-17), while his promise was fulfilled when archon was Aur. Agcharenos Phaidros, Ephesions, komodos periodoneikes, Kapetoleioneikes paradoxos (ll. 20-22).

IX. MEMBERSHIP

ii. Gender Men
Note All officials are men.
iv. Status The officials of the associations are designated by their professional activities and achievements, all denoting victors at dramatic contests.
- Benditos son of Sotas pythaulos, periodoneikes paradoxos
- Aulus son of Oineus, tragodos paradoxos
- Aur. Agcharenos Phaidros, Ephesios, komodos periodoneikes, Kapetolioneikes paradoxos
- Menekrates son of Assyrios, Sylleos, komodos periodoneikes paradoxos
- Tib. Klaudios Alexandros, Laodikeus, tragodos kai poietes paradoxos

Not all members bear the tria nominee, indicative of Roman citizenship. From the eight members attested in the text, four of them hold Roman citizenship: L. Septimius Tryphon, M. Ouolyssios Perikles, Aur. Agcharenos Phaidros and Tib. Klaud. Alexandros.
All attested members are of various places, including Alexandria, Ephesos, Sylleion in Pamphylia and Laodikeia.
One of them was victor at the contests of Capitolia in Rome, while three of them were periodoneikes (victors at the Panhellenic contests).

Aelius Agathemeros, kitharodos paradoxos, (ll. 18-19) is also attested in an inscription from Smyrna (P. Aelius Agathemeros Ephesios kai Smyrnaios kai Pergamenos, I.Smyrna 659 ll. 22-24).

X. ACTIVITIES

iii. Worship The priest of Dionysos, L. Septimius Tryphon was also archiereus of Dionysos Kathegemon for life (ll. 10-11) and archiereus for life of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Sebastos the Neos Dionysos (= Caracalla) (ll.11-12).
Deities worshipped Dionysos
Dionysos Kathegemon
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Sebastos the Neos Dionysos (= Caracalla)
iv. Honours/Other activities The priest of the association restored the statue of Dionysos, ton Dionyson anakosmesas, at his own expenses after he promised to do so (ll. 14, 20).

XI. INTERACTION

i. Local interaction The priest of the association was also the hereditary priest of Dionysos Kathegemon and archipriest for life of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Sebastos the New Dionysos.
ii. Interaction abroad The inscription is set up for the safety, victory and eternal distribution of the emperors and the imperial house.

XII. NOTES

i. Comments The hiera synodos has been identified with the synodos of the Dionysiac technitai (Lüders 1873: no. 101; von Prott 1902: 182; Merkelbach 1985: 137). The three officials attested in the text, the archon, the grammateus and the nomodeiktes are well-attested officials of the Dionysiac technitai (Merkelbach 1985: 137).

In light of Dionysos Kathegemeon (patron god of Pergamon), the stone has been attributed to Pergamon (von Prott 1902: 182). Merkelbach (1985: 137), however, argued that the inscription does not need to originate from Asia Minor but may have been set up either in the headquarters of the association in Rome or somewhere else in the vicinity of Florence where the stone is said to come from.
iii. Bibliography Lüders, O. (1873), Die dionysischen Künstler. Berlin.
Merkelbach, R. (1985), 'Eine Inschrift des Weltverbandes der dionysischen Technika (CIG 6829)', ZPE 58: 136-8.
von Prott, H. (1902), 'Dionysos Kathegemon', MDAI(A) 27: 161-88.

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Certain
Note Although the name of the association at first glance may seem too generic (hiera synodos), the professional affiliation of members (technitai), the fact that the priest of the synodos is at the same time the priest of Dionysos Kathegemon and archipriest of the imperial cult renders the identification of the hiera synodos with the Dionysian technitai indisputable.