Stable URL: http://ancientassociations.ku.dk/assoc/2107Download as PDF

Author: Vincent Gabrielsen

CAPInv. 2107: to koinon to Paniastan

I. LOCATION

i. Geographical area Aegean Islands
ii. Region Rhodes
iii. Site Rhodos

II. NAME

i. Full name (original language) τὸ κοινόν τὸ Πανιαστᾶν (IG XII.1 155 b III, l. 75)
ii. Full name (transliterated) to koinon to Paniastan

III. DATE

i. Date(s) ii BC

IV. NAME AND TERMINOLOGY

ii. Name elements
Theophoric:Πανιασταί, Paniastai -From the god Pan: D. Morrelli, I culti in Rodi, Pisa,1959: 63, 167.
iii. Descriptive terms τὸ κοινόν, to koinon (IG XII.1 b III.75)
ἔρανος, eranos (ibid. b III.84)

V. SOURCES

i. Source(s) IG XII,1 155

Maiuri, NSER 46 A-B
Note The inclusion of Maiouri, NSER 46 is here justified with reference to the likelihood (not certainty) that τὸ κοινόν (to koinon) mentioned in B.2 is that of the Paniastai: Guarducci 1942: 23-24; Fraser 1977: 67 and n. 382, contra Hiller von Gaertringen 1900: 109, who identified the unnamed koinon with the Haliadai kai Haliastai, cf. Gabrielsen 1994: 150-54.
Online Resources IG XII,1 155

Maiuri, NSER 46

AGRW no. 1723
i.a. Source type(s) Epigraphic source(s)
i.b. Document(s) typology & language/script IG XII.1 155 is a compendious inscription--the characterisation 'funerary altar' (Jaccottet 2003, II: 260, no. 156 ['autel funeraire']) is incorrect. It consists: (I) partly of summaries of the honours awarded to Dionysodoros Alexandreus by (a) the Dionysiastai koinon (ibid. a II, ll. 40-51), (b) the Paniastai koinon (ibid. b III, ll. 74-84), (c) the Haliadai kai Haliastai koinon (ibid. c IV, ll. 105-115) and (d) an unnamed koinon (ibid. e IV, ll. 116-22); and (II) partly of the fully preserved decree of the Haliadai kai Haliastai koinon (ibid. d I, ll. 1-39, d II, ll. 52-73 and d III, ll. 85-104), which honours Dionysodoros Alexandreus. Since (c) mentions the award of honours (e.g. ateleia panton) that are absent from the decree, it must summarize the contents of a different (earlier?) honorific decree issued by the Haliadai kai Haliastai koinon.

Maiuri, NSER 46 A-B is an altar whose face A announces that it belongs to Dionysodoros from Alexandria, but whose face B attributes the ownership jointly to Dionysodoros and Iakchos (probably Dionysodoros' brother), both from Alexandria. The two individuals mentioned at the end of the inscription are probably members of the same family. See Guarducci 1942: 23; Gabrielsen 1994: 148.
i.c. Physical format(s) IG XII.1 155 is a sizeable, rectangular stele of greyish marble, now in the Museo del Seminario Patriarchale in Venice: description with photos in Guarducci 1942: 16-29, no. III. All four faces of the stele are inscribed. In their upper part, three of the faces are decorated with wreaths.

Maiuri, NSER 46 is a rectangular altar of Lartian marble with a cornice on its top. Face A carries a shorter inscription at its bottom part and is decorated with four wreaths, placed side-by-side and separated from each other by vertical bands. Its face B contains the longer inscription, while its top part is decorated with four smaller wreaths, which too are separated by vertical bands, photos in Maiuri, NSER pp. 55-56.
ii. Source(s) provenance IG XII.1 155: city of Rhodes (now in Venice).

Maiuri, NSER 46 is reported to be from the necropolis of the city of Rhodos.

VII. ORGANIZATION

iv. Officials Dionysodoros Alexandreus, the person honoured in IG XII. 1 155, had been President, ἀρχερανιστάς, archeranistas (i.e. Chief-eranistes) of the Paniastai for eighteen years. He had held the same position in the Haliadai kai Haliastai koinon for twenty-three years (ibid. c IV.107-8).
viii. Obligations From the fact that the association honoured distinguished members with tax exemption ἀτέλεια, ateleia, it can be inferred that it imposed on the membership obligations that came under the category of τἐλη, tele (taxes or dues).
ix. Privileges Distinguished members were thanked by the association with the award of the privilege of tax exemption, ἀτέλεια, ateleia. In our case, Dionysodoros had received twice the privilege of tax exemption from all taxes or dues: ἀτελείαις δυσὶ πάντων, ateleiais dysi panton (IG XII.1 155 b III.80-81).

If, as has been proposed, the koinon mentioned in Maiuri, NSER 46 B.2, is that of the Paniastai (see note to V above), then then privilege it awards there is called ἀτέλεια πάντων διὰ βίου, ateleiai panton dia biou (exemption from all taxes/dues for lifetime).

VIII. PROPERTY AND POSSESSIONS

ii. Realty IG XII. 1 155 b III.82 mentions the tomb complex (τόποι, topoi), i.e. the cemetery of the koinon, which presumably was situated in the necropolis of Rhodos.

The altar Maiuri, NSER 46 likely stood in the burial grounds owned by the Paniastai.

IX. MEMBERSHIP

ii. Gender Men
Women
Note In addition to Dionysodoros, Maiuri, NSER 46 mentions two men (Iakchos and Dionysios) and a woman (Ithake from Soli). It is just possible that they, too, were members of the association.
iii. Age Adults
iv. Status Dionysodoros was a foreigner from Alexandria in Egypt.

If the altar Maiuri, NSER 46 stood in the property of the Paniastai, and if it was shared also by the remaining persons mentioned there (Iakchos Alxandreus, Dionysios Alexandreus and Ithake Solis) then these, too, may be considered as members with the status of non-Rhodians.
v. Relations Dionysodoros and Iakchos were probably related as brothers, but it is not certain whether Iakchos was a member of the Paniastai.

Dionysios Alexandreus and Ithake Solis, who are also mentioned on the altar Maiuri, NSER 46, may too have been members of the same family as the two brothers; perhaps they were Dionysodoros' son and wife: Guarducci 1942: 23.

X. ACTIVITIES

ii. Meetings and events Regularly held meetings of the membership at the burial grounds of the koinon are indicated by he instruction given in IG XII.1 155 b III.81-82, to the effect that the honours be proclaimed at the association's tomb complex: καὶ ἀναγορεύσει τᾶν τιμᾶν ἐπὶ τῶν τόπων, kai anagoreusei tan timan epi ton topon. The specification to follow--εἰς τὸν ἀεὶ χρόνον, eis to aei chronon ('in perpetuity')--reveals that the ritual and the gatherings at which it occurred were expected to go on for ever.
iii. Worship The members of the association apparently worshiped the god Pan.
Deities worshipped the god Pan.
iv. Honours/Other activities IG XII.1 155 b III.74-84 gives, in summary form, the honours awarded to Dionysodoros Alexandreus by the Paniastai:

(i) he was crowned with an olive branch wreath (στεφανωθεὶς θαλλοῦ στεφάνωι, stephanotheis thallou stephanoi);

(ii) he was crowned with a gold wreath consisting of ten gold pieces (χρυσέωι στεφάνωι χρυσῶν δέκα, chryseoi stephanoi chryson deka)--adding that the award was on account of his arete (ἐπ᾽ ἀρετᾶι, ep' aretai);

(iii) he was crowned as 'the first' with a wreath of white poplar (στεφανωθεὶς πρᾶτος λευκαίας στεφάνωι (stephanotheis pratos leukaias stephanoi);

(iv) he was honoured with the title Benefactor (εὐεργεσίαι, euergesiai);

(v) he was granted twice exemption from all taxes/dues for lifetime (ἀτελείαις δυσὶ πάντων, ateleiais dysi panton);

(vi) proclamation of the honours in the koinon's tomb complex in perpetuity (ἀναγορεύσει τᾶν τιμᾶν ἐπὶ τῶν τόπων εἰς τὸν ἀεὶ χρόνον, anagoreusei tan timan epi ton topon eis ton aei chronon).

It should be noted that the meaning of πρᾶτος (pratos) in (iii) is probably similar to that carried by the word when it is used of prizes to victors in competitions: e.g. IG XII.1 841; SEG 39:762; Suppl.Epig.Rhodio 66; TitCam 110. In short, it expresses the fact that a person was crowned because he had come first/had won the first prize in a competition.

As a justification for the award of honours, the Paniastai mention the fact that during his eighteen-years long tenure as President (archeranistas), Dionysodoros had made the association great (ἐπαύξησε τὸν ἔρανον, epauxese ton eranon: IG XII.1 155 b III.84)

XII. NOTES

i. Comments It is generally agreed that Dionysodoros Alexandreus in IG XII.1 155 and in Maiuri, NSER 46, is one and the same person (see works cited below).

In IG XII.1 155 Dionydoros is honoured by the following three associations: the Haliadai kai Haliastai, the Dionysiastai and the Paniastai. Several specifics confirm that he was a member of all three associations.

The inscription on the altar Maiuri, NSER 46 B-A, lists honours awarded by three koina: (1) an unnamed one in B.2; (2) the Haliastai (which must be distinguished from the Haliadai kai Haliastai, Gabrielsen 1994: 1248-50); and (iii) the Dionysiastai.

If the unnamed koinon in B.2, which is mentioned first, is one of the three koina mentioned in IG XII.1 155, then Paniastai becomes the only possibility: this is the view of Guarducci (1942: 23-2) and Fraser (1977: 67 and n. 382). However, while that identification seems likely, we cannot exclude the possibility that the unnamed koinon is a different one from those attested in IG XII.1 155: see Gabrielsen 1994: 150-54.

A higher degree of certainty seems to be enjoyed by Fraser's identification of the unnamed koinon with the owner of the tomb complex within which the altar originally stood (ibid.). For as Fraser correctly points out, not only is that association the first to be mentioned on the altar, but its appearance as simply τὸ κοινόν can be most adequately explained, if the altar and its inscription stood within its precinct.

ii. Poland concordance 267a-b
iii. Bibliography Gabrielsen 1994: V. Gabrielsen, 'The Rhodian Associations honouring Dionysodoros from Alexandria', C&M 45 (1994): 137-160.

Guarducci 1942: M. Guarducci, 'Le iscrizioni di Venecia', Rivista dell'Istituto nazionale di archeologia e storia dell'Arte 9 (1942): 7-53.

Hiller von Gaertringen 1900: F. Hiller von Gaertringen (and S. Saridakis), 'Inschriften aus Rhodos', MDAI(A) 25 (1900): 108-109, no. 107.

Jaccotet 2003: A.-F. Jaccottet, Choisir Dionysos: Les associations dionysiaques, ou la face cachée du dionysisme. Akanthus crescens 6. 2 vols., Zürich 2003.

Morelli 1959: D. Morelli, I culti in Rodi, SCO 8, Pisa 1959.

XIII. EVALUATION

i. Private association Certain
Note The descriptive terms κοινόν (koinon) and ἔρανος (eranos) render it certain that the Paniastai was a private association.