On the cult of Eros in the North Pontic Region
Keywords:
ancient Greek religion, North Pontic Region, Tauric Chersonese, Greek epigraphy, cult of Eros, cult of Zeus, epiclesisAbstract
This paper deals with the publication of a fragmentary inscription discovered during the 1990 excavations by I. A. Antonova of the 19th curtain wall of Tauric Chersonese. According to the proposed reconstruction, the monument is a dedication to Eros and represents the first indisputable written evidence of the cult of Eros in the North Pontic (North Black Sea) region. The text reads as follows: “[So-and-so, son of so-and-so,] fulfilling the duties of a king, being a priest, [for the salvation of the city?] dedicated to Eros Hetaireios”. The dedication was made by a citizen who held the eponymous office of basileus and was also a priest of Parthenos, the supreme goddess of Tauric Chersonese. The rare cult epiclesis Ἑταιρεῖος (“Hetaireios” or “Friendly”) mentioned in the inscription was not previously attested in connection with Eros in the ancient tradition. The functions of Eros Hetaireios as a deity-guarantor of civic solidarity were in demand during the political crisis of the late 4th and early 3rd centuries BC, which was reflected in the civic oath of the Chersonesites (IOSPE I2 401). One of the main motives of this document is the need to maintain ὁμόνοια (“unanimity”), that is, civic solidarity and internal unity of the polis.Downloads
References
Макаров 2001 — Макаров И. А. Из эпиграфики Северного Причерноморья // Вестник древней истории. 2001. № 1. С. 175–178.
Пичикян 1976 — Пичикян И. Р. Античная ордерная архитектура Северного Причерноморья первых веков нашей эры // Вестник древней истории. 1976. № 4 (138). С. 88–108.
Пичикян 1984 — Пичикян И. Р. Малая Азия — Северное Причерноморье: Античные традиции и влияния. М.: Наука, 1984.
Скржинская 2007 — Скржинская М. В. Образ Эрота в представлении греческого населения Боспора, Херсонеса и Ольвии // Российская археология. 2007. № 2. С. 16–24.
Makarov 2014 — Makarov I. A. Towards an interpretation of the civic oath of the Chersonesites (IOSPE I2 401) // Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia. Vol. 20. No. 1. P. 1–38.
Parker 1996 — Parker R. Athenian religion: A history. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996.
Saprykin 2001 — Saprykin S. Y. Aphrodite with two Erotes from Tauric Chersonese // Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia. Vol. 7. No. 1–2. 2001. P. 99–122.
Schachter 1981 — Schachter А. Cults of Boiotia. [Vol.] 1: Acheloos to Hera. London: Univ. of London; Institute of Classical Studies, 1981.
Stolba 2005 — Stolba V. F. Hellenistic Chersonesos: Towards establishing a local chronology // Chronologies of the Black Sea area in the period c. 400–100 B. C. / Ed. by V. F. Stolba, Hannestad. Aarhus: Aarhus Univ. Press, 2005. P. 153–177.
Thériault 1996 — Thériault G. Le culte d’Homonoia dans les cités grecques. Lyon: Maison de l’Orient méditerranéen; Québec: Les Éditions du Sphinx, 1996.
