AIUK41 no. 3 Ordinances of deme Skambonidai

Ordinances of deme Skambonidai

AIUK 4.1 (BM, Cult Provisions) no. 3 Date: ca. 475-450 BC

Face C

Ordinances (thesmia) of Skambonidai (Skambonidon).^[1] The demarch and the sacred officials (hieropoios) shall [sacrifice (dran)] (5) a full-grown victim (teleon) to Leos,^[2] allocation (?) (lechsin) of [the?] spits^[3] to each of the Skambonidai, and the metics^[4] shall have a share (lachen), in the agora of (10) Skambonidai; to (deities) or at (festival) they shall sacrifice (dran) [a full-grown victim? (teleon)] and distribute (nemen) . . . . . . . . . (15) . . . . . . ; at the Synoikia on the Acropolis^[5] a full-grown victim and sell the meat raw; at the Epizephyria^[6] (20) in the Pythion a [full-grown victim?] and sell the meat raw; at the - (?) in the same way (?) . . .

Face D

Not preserved

Face A

. . . . . . the end or contribution (telos) . . . distribute the meat until (5) sunset; but if they do not . . . audit- (euthun-) . . . . . . [sell] (10) in the agora; rent out or contract for (apomisthosai) . . . these . . . except for . . . ^[7] this (?); the skin is to belong to the demarch (15) . . . whatever sort of sacrifice is needed to be appropriate (harmottesthai), offer or to offer at the Dipolieia^[8] and the Panathenaia,^[9] (20) and distribute in the agora of Skambonidai; but as much as . . . a half chous . . .

Face B

. . . let it be declared, (or?) let it be announced: “and I will preserve (5) the common property (koina) of the Skambonidai and I will hand over (apodoso) what is proper (kathekon) (10) in the presence (para) of the auditor (euthunon)”; and they are to swear these things by the Three (15) Gods;^[10] whatever of the common property they do not hand over (apodidosin) in the presence (para) of the auditor before (pro) . . .

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Greek text

References:

AIUK 4.1 (BM, Cult Provisions) no. 3 (Translated text) (AIO) (AIUK)

IG I³ 244 (IG Online) (PHI)

GIBM I 1

Sokolowski, LSCG 10

Humphreys, Strangeness, 145-146

Wijma, Embracing the Immigrant, 104

CGRN 19 (CGRN)

OR 107

Russo, Ripartizioni, D94

Translation by: Stephen Lambert, Robin Osborne

AIO Images: 1 2 3

Images: Aleshire - (1)

Monument type: Thick stele or "post" inscribed on 4 sides

Inscription type: Decree (Deme Skambonidai)

Findspot: Agora (BM 1785,0527.2)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] This inscription was acquired in Athens in 1765-6 by Richard Chandler on behalf of the Society of Dilettanti, and donated by them to the British Museum along with other inscriptions in 1785. It is one of three early-5th century Attic inscriptions in the Museum which make provisions for religious cult. The others are IG I³ 232 and 246. It contains "ordinances" (thesmia, C1 – this Face acquired the designation "C" before it was recognised as the front) of the deme Skambonidai, which occupied the north-western sector of the city of Athens (on demes see RO 46). It was found in or close to the deme (in the floor of a house near the Hephaisteion), but we do not know where exactly it was originally set up - almost certainly in a religious sanctuary. It is particularly interesting as the best preserved deme "decree" datable (by its shape and letter forms) to the decades between the Persian Wars and ca. 450. Skambonidai, which belonged to the city trittys of the tribe Leontis, sent three men to sit on the Council of 500 in the 4th century BC (IG II³ 4, 53, 22-25, IG II³ 4, 25, 25-31, cf. IG II³ 1, 417, 31-34), suggesting that at the time of this inscription it probably had a population of adult male citizens in the very low hundreds. The dual emphasis on provision for sacrifices and accountability is also a feature of Lupu NGSL 1, the sacrificial calendar of Thorikos. In the history of Athenian democracy, the concept of accountability seems to have emerged before that of popular decision-taking (Ar. Pol. 2.1274a, 15-18, 3.1281b, 32-34, associated with Solon) and this document exemplifies this earlier concept. Contrast the heading, which uses a term from the root "thesm-" that was also used for the legislation of the archaic (7th-century BC) lawgiver, Draco (thesmoi) and has no implications as to the popular basis for the measure, with the heading of the earliest extant Assembly decree, IG I³ 1 (510-500 BC), which begins "The People decided" (edoxen toi demoi). Later deme decrees are more comparable with the Assembly decrees in this respect, e.g. IG I³ 254 (before 431 BC?), "The Ikarians decided", IG I³ 258 (ca. 420 BC), "The Plotheians decided". Like Thorikos, Skambonidai most likely existed as a community before Cleisthenes' creation of the demes (cf. n. 7 below); unlike other Attic sacrificial calendars, however (links to others at IG I³ 232 n. 1), there is an emphasis on religious observances with a focus outside the deme, and a marked lack of locally specific and agriculturally related offerings. This no doubt reflects the urban character of the deme, its proximity to the locations of city (and perhaps tribal) festivals, which are prominent in the inscription, and perhaps too a somewhat fluid population and group identity. On the tendency for intramural demes to be more closely integrated with polis institutions and structures, physical and metaphorical, than their rural conterparts, see Agora XVI 68, with notes. For a more detailed analysis of the inscription see AIUK 4.1 (BM, Cult Provisions) no. 3; for a video discussing it and the other two 5th-cent. Attic inscriptions in the BM which make cult provisions see the AIO Youtube channel. [2] Eponym of the tribe Leontis, to which Skambonidai belonged. His daughters were worshipped at the Leokoreion, which may have been located in the deme. [3] Most likely in the literal sense of obols = spits (of meat from the sacrifice) rather than currency (obol = sixth of a drachma). Cf. IG I³ 232, 88; 246, 33. [4] This is the earliest reference to "metics" ("co-residents"), a term usually referring to resident foreigners, though it can not be ruled out that its later meaning had not yet been established and that here, in a deme, it also includes resident citizens who were not members of the deme. Their first mention in an Assembly decree is in IG I³ 82, 23 (421/0 BC), also as recipients of sacrificial allocations. Metics (in the sense of resident foreigners) were concentrated in the city and the Piraeus and may have formed a significant proportion of the population of Skambonidai. Cf. the five metics of Skambonidai who appear as workers in the accounts of the building of the Erechtheion, IG I³ 476. [5] Ancient Athenian festival which was observed on the acropolis and celebrated the unification ("synoikism") of Attica by Theseus. Cf. SEG 52.48A, note 8. [6] This festival is otherwise unknown. The Pythion was located in south-eastern Athens in the area of the Olympieion and the Ilissos (outside Skambonidai, it seems). [7] If this word is correctly restored (komarch = "village chief") it will reflect the dual character of Skambonidai as a Cleisthenic deme and a "village" (komē) of pre-Cleisthenic origin, suggested also by its obscure name of patronymic form and the archaic festivals that feature in this inscription. Other demes are known to have had similar dual identities, e.g. the ancient Tetrakomia consisting of four komai which shared names, but not precisely the same membership, with the demes, Piraeus, Phaleron, Xypete and Thymaitadai, Lambert, Rationes stele 2A col. 1 F9. [8] Archaic festival of Zeus on the acropolis. Cf. IG I³ 232, n. 2; SEG 52.48b, n. 1; IG II³ 1, 551. [9] Most prominent of the festivals celebrating Athenian identity, it took place on and around the acropolis. For participation in it of subgroups of the polis cf. RO 37 l. 88; IG II³ 1, 447 l. 52; and colonies, IG I³ 14 ll. 3-4. [10] Zeus, Apollo and Demeter would be usual in this context.

Added: 20 Jan 2016
Updated: 26 Oct 2024
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