AIO 593 Sacrificial calendar of Erchia

Sacrificial calendar of Erchia

AIO 593 Date: Ca. 375-350 BC

Gods

The Greater Demarchy (dēmarchia hē mezōn)^[1]

Α Metageitnion, on the twelfth, for Apollo Lykeios, in the city, (5) a sheep, no taking away (ou phora), 12 dr.; - on the twentieth (dekatei proterai), for Hera Thelchinia, on the hill (em pagōi) at Erchia, a lamb (arna), (10) all black, no taking away (ou phora), 7 dr.; - Boedromion, on the twenty-seventh (tetradi phthinontos), for the Nymphs, (15) on the hill at Erchia, a sheep, 10 dr.; - Pyanopsion, on the fourteenth, for the heroines (20) in the hollow (en aulōni) at Erchia, a sheep, no taking away (ou phora), for the priestess the skin, 10 dr.; - Gamelion, on the seventh, (25) for Kourotrophos, in the Delphinion at Erchia, a piglet, 3 dr.; - for Apollo Delphinios, at Erchia, (30) a sheep, 12 dr.; - on the eighth, for Apollo Apotropaios, at Erchia (35) towards Paiania, a goat, 12 dr.; - Anthesterion, at the Diasia, in the city (en astei) at Agrai, (40) for Zeus Meilichios, a sheep, wineless (nēphalios) up until (the roasting of) the innards, 12 dr.; - Elaphebolion, (45) on the sixteenth, for Semele, at the same altar,^[2] a goat, to be handed over to the women, (50) for the priestess the skin, no taking away (ou phora), 10 dr.; - Thargelion, on the fourth, for Leto, at the (55) Pythion at Erchia, a goat, 10 dr.; - Skirophorion, on the third, for Kourotrophos, (60) on the acropolis (em polei) at Erchia, a piglet, 3 dr.; - for Athena Polias, on the acropolis at Erchia, a sheep (65) instead of a bovine (antibous), 10 dr.; total [111 dr.]

Β Metageitnion, on the twelfth, at the Eleusinion in the city, for Demeter, (5) a sheep, 10 dr.; - on the sixteenth, for Kourotrophos, in Hekate’s (sanctuary) at Erchia, a piglet, (10) 3 dr.; - for Artemis Hekate, at Erchia, a goat, 10 dr.; - Boedromion, (15) on the fourth, for Basile, at Erchia, a ewe-lamb (amnē), white, burnt whole (holokautos), wineless (nēphalios), (20) 7 dr.; - on the twenty-seventh (tetradi phthinontos), on the hill at Erchia, for Acheloos, (25) a sheep, 12 dr.; - Gamelion on the ninth, at the Erosouria (?), on the acropolis (30) at Erchia, for Athena, a ewe-lamb, 7 dr.; - on the twenty- seventh (tetradi phthinontos), for Kourotrophos, in (35) Hera’s (sanctuary) at Erchia, a piglet, 3 dr.; - for Hera, at Erchia, a sheep, for the priestess the skin, 10 dr.; (40) - Mounichion, on the fourth, for the Herakleidai, a sheep, at Erchia, 12 dr., no taking away (ou phora);^[3] (45) - Thargelion on the fourth, for Apollo Pythios, at Erchia, a goat, to be handed over (50) to the Pythaistai, 12 dr.; - for Apollo Paion, on the hill at Erchia, a sheep, 12 dr.; (55) - Skirophorion, on the third, for Aglauros, on the acropolis at Erchia, a sheep, 10 dr., no taking away (ou phora);^[3] (60) - total 108 dr.

Γ Hekatombaion, on the twenty- first (dekatei husterai), for Kourotrophos, at (5) Sotidai at Erchia, a piglet, no taking away (ou phora), 3 dr.; - for Artemis at Sotidai at Erchia, (10) a goat, no taking away (ou phora), the skin to be consecrated, 10 dr.; - Metageitnion, on the twelfth, (15) for Zeus Polieus, on the acropolis in the city, a sheep, no taking away (ou phora), 12 dr.; - on the twenty-fifth (hektei phthinontos), (20) for Zeus Epopetes, on the hill at Erchia, a piglet, burnt whole (holokautos), wineless (nēphalios), (25) 3 dr.; - Boedromion, on the twenty-seventh (tetradi phthinontos), for Alochos, on the hill (30) at Erchia, a sheep, 10 dr.; - Gamelion, on the eighth, for Apollo Apotropaios, (35) at Erchia, a goat, to be handed over to the Pythaistai, 12 dr.; - on the twenty-seventh (tetradi phthinontos), for Zeus (40) Teleios, in Hera’s (sanctuary) at Erchia, a sheep, 12 dr.; - Anthesterion, on the second, (45) for Dionysos, at Erchia, a kid (eriphos), very young (proptorthi(os)), 5 dr.; - Mounichion, on the twentieth (dekatei proterai), (50) for Leukaspis, at Erchia, a sheep, wineless (nēphalios), no taking away (ou phora), 12 dr.; - Thargelion, (55) on the fourth, for Zeus, on the hill at Erchia, a sheep, 12 dr.; - Skirophorion, (60) on the third, for Zeus Polieus, on the acropolis at Erchia, a sheep, no taking away (ou phora), 12 dr.; (65) - on the sixteenth, . . .

Δ Hekatombaion, on the twenty- first (dekatei husterai), for Kourotrophos, on (5) the peak (epi to akro) at Erchia, a piglet, no taking away (ou phora), 3 dr.; - for Artemis on the peak at Erchia, (10) a goat, no taking away (ou phora), the skin to be consecrated, 10 dr.; - Metageitnion, on the twelfth; (15) for Athena Polias, on the acropolis in the city, a sheep, 10 dr.; - Boedromion, on the fifth, (20) for Epops, at Erchia, a piglet, burnt whole (holokautos), wineless (nēphali(os)), 3 dr.; - on the twenty-seventh (tetradi phthinontos), (25) for Hermes, on the hill at Erchia, a sheep, 12 dr.; - Gamelion, on the twenty-seventh (tetradi phthinontos) (30) for Poseidon, in Hera’s (sanctuary) at Erchia, a sheep, 12 dr.; - Elaphebolion, on the sixteenth, (35) for Dionysos, at Erchia, a goat, to be handed over to the women, no taking away (ou phora), for the priestess (40) the skin, 12 dr.; - Mounichion, on the twenty-first (dekatei husterai), for the Tritopatreis, at Erchia, (45) a sheep, wineless (nēphalios), no taking away (ou phora), 12 dr.; - Thargelion, on the fourth, for the Anakes, (50) at Erchia, a sheep, 12 dr.; - on the nineteenth, for Menedeios, at Erchia, (55) a sheep, no taking away, 12 dr.; - Skirophorion, on the third, for Poseidon, on the acropolis (60) at Erchia, a sheep, 12 dr.; total 110 dr.

Ε Metageitnion, on the nine- teenth, for the heroines at (5) the rush-bed (epi schoinōi) at Erchia, a sheep, no taking away (ou phora), for the priestess the skin, 10 dr.; - Boedromion, (10) on the fifth, at Erchia, for Epops, a piglet, burnt whole (holokautos), wineless (nēphalios), (15) 3 dr.; - on the twenty-seventh (tetradi phthinontos), for Earth (Gēi), on the hill at Erchia, a sheep, (20) pregnant, no taking away (ou phora), 10 dr.; - Posideon, on the sixteenth, for Zeus, on the (25) rock or rocky place (em petrēi) at Erchia, a sheep, no taking away (ou phora), 12 dr.; - for Zeus Horios, at Erchia, a piglet, (30) no taking away (ou phora), 3 dr.; - Gamelion, on the seventh, for Apollo Lykeios, (35) at Erchia, a sheep, to be handed over to the Pythaistai, 12 dr., no taking away (ou phora);^[3] - on the eighth, (40) for Apollo Nymphegetes, at Erchia, a goat, 12 dr.; - for the Nymphs, on (45) the same altar, a goat, 10 dr.; - Thargelion, on the fourth, for Hermes, (50) in the agora at Erchia, a ram, let the herald make the sacrifice to him (55) and receive the perquisites (gera) just like the demarch, 10 dr.; - on the sixteenth, (60) for Zeus Epakrios, on Hymettos, a lamb (arēn), wineless (nēphalios), no taking away (ou phora), [7 dr.]; - Skirophorion, . . .

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Greek text

References:

AIO 593 (Translated text) (AIO)

SEG 52.138

SEG 50.167

SEG 21.541 (PHI)

SEG 66.131

SEG 22.131 (PHI)

Sokolowski, LSCG 18

Lambert, Two Notes, no. 2

Takeuchi, Ten Notes, 90-91 no. 4 (A 20)

Papazarkadas, Sacred and Public Land, 145-46

CGRN 52 (CGRN)

Humphreys, Kinship, 867-75

Csapo and Wilson II, 6-7

Russo, Ripartizioni, D37

Translation by: Stephen Lambert, Feyo Schuddeboom

Monument type: Stele

Inscription type: Sacrificial Calendar

Findspot: Attica (Spata) (EM 13163)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] This is the sacrificial calendar of the medium-sized Attic deme of the inland trittys of Aigeis, Erchia, which sent 6 men to sit on the Council of 500 in the fourth century BC (IG II³ 4, 76, 4-10, but Agora XV 42, 112-119, lists 6 followed by a vacant line, and Traill, Demos, 1986, 127 with n. 15, supposed the quota fluctuated between 6 and 7), and therefore probably had of the order of 400 adult male members at that period. It is the only inscription produced by the deme Erchia; for two other decrees found in the same area, but not perhaps relating to this deme see IG I³ 247 and IG II² 1213. For a recent discussion of the deme see Humphreys, Kinship, 867-75. On demes in general see RO 46, with notes.

This is one of a number of extant Attic sacrificial calendars. For links to other examples see IG I³ 232 with n. 1. For a helpful commentary see CGRN 52. Rather than cover the same ground on AIO, we limit our notes below largely to supplementary points. The calendar is divided into five columns of offerings the cost of which is approximately equal (ca. 110 dr. per column, ca. 550 dr. overall). This presumably reflects the division of the costs of the programme among five individuals or (more likely in the 4th cent. democracy) groups of contributors, or perhaps some more complex arrangement (e.g. parcels of loans of capital in equal amounts, cf. the arrangements for Rhamnous implied by I Rhamnous 182, or as Papazarkadas suggests, parcels of land leases). The reference at E52-58 to the herald receiving the perquisites "just like the demarch" seems to imply that the demarch presides over (most?) of the other sacrifices listed (but note that some involved priestesses). The significance of the heading, "Greater Demarchy", however, is obscure. In addition to the possibilities noted by CGRN, R. Parker, ap. D. Whitehead, AncW 14, 1986, 57-64, attractively supported the idea (for which see also J. D. Mikalson, "Religion in the Attic Demes", AJP 98, 1977, 424-35), that "demarchy" might refer to the period of office of a demarch, i.e. one year, and this one was "greater" in that it contained more sacrifices than the "lesser demarchy", with which it alternated in sequence. For this type of arrangement cf. e.g. the sacrificial calendar of the Marathonian Tetrapolis, SEG 50.168.

Lambert, ZPE 130, 2000, 75-80, discussed the calendar in the context of other evidence for Erchian topography, cults and institutions, including Isai. 12 (which relates to an appeal against the deme on a decision on membership, perhaps in the context of the general deme scrutiny of 346/5 BC; for another case arising from this scrutiny cf. Dem. 57 with SEG 2.7, Halimous); the sacrifice to Zeus Epakrios on Hymettos (E59-64), notable for being extra-territorial to the deme, and discussed in the context of other evidence for this cult; and the sacrifices at Γ4-5 and 8-9 "in Sotidai", which he interpreted as a village (kome) within the deme Erchia analogous to the village Petalidai in Aphidna (cf. Lambert, Rationes F7B, 24). He also noted other possible evidence for a Trikomia (association of three villages) in this region, IG I³ 247 and IG II² 1213. On the calendar in the context of discussion of the deme Erchia see also G. Steinhauer, in K. Tsouni et al. (eds.), Mesogaia, 2001, 92-93 (SEG 50.167); Humphreys, Kinship. Lambert, ZPE 139, 2002, 75-82, discussed the linked set of offerings to Zeus Epopetes on 25 Metageitnion (Γ 19-25), Basile on 4 Boedromion (B 14-20), and Epops on 5 Boedromion (Δ 18-23, Ε 9-15) in the context of other evidence for the Genesia and related rites. [2] This sacrifice for Semele on 16 Elaphebolion is specified to be conducted at the same altar as a sacrifice for Dionysos on the same day: Δ 33-36. As noted by Csapo and Wilson, 6, these two sacrifices were doubtless linked to the City Dionysia, which finished on 15 Elaphebolion. They also note that there is no listing in the calendar identifiable as relating to the Rural Dionysia in Posideon and register scepticism about the theory of Humphreys, Strangeness, 180, that the offering to Zeus on Posideon 16, Ε 22-27, might have related to that festival. On the Rural Dionysia see IG II³ 4, 498, with notes. [3] "No taking away" in these three places is a later addition.

Textual Note. AIO's text follows that of CGRN with the minor adjustments from autopsy noted by Lambert, ZPE 130, 2000, 75-80 at nn. 31 and 33 (affecting inter alia the paragraphi, inscribed lines running out into the margin used to mark off the different sacrifices).

Added: 10 May 2014
Updated: 16 Oct 2024
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ID: AIO_593