The Athenian Calendar of Sacrifices: a New Rf Agment from the Athenian Agora
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Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Classical Studies: Faculty Publications and Other Works Faculty Publications 2007 The Athenian Calendar of Sacrifices: A New rF agment from the Athenian Agora Laura Gawlinski Loyola University Chicago, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/classicalstudies_facpubs Part of the Classics Commons Recommended Citation Gawlinski, L. "The Athenian Calendar of Sacrifices: A New rF agment from the Athenian Agora." Hesperia 76, 2012. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Publications at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Classical Studies: Faculty Publications and Other Works by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. © The American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 2007. HESPERIA 76 (2OO7) THE ATHENIAN Pages 37S5 CALENDAR OF SACRIFICES A New Fragment from the Athenian Agora abstract a b.c. Presented here is the editioprinceps of newfragment of the late-5th-century Athenian calendar of sacrifices. The fragment, Agora 17577, was discovered during excavations conducted in the Athenian Agora by the American School of Classical Studies. Inscribed on both faces (Face A: 403-399 b.c., Face B: 410-404 b.c.), it is associated with, but does not join, the group of fragments of Athenian legal inscriptions often referred to as the Law Code of Nikomachos. The text provides important additional evidence for the form of the calendar and the manner of its publication, and casts new light on broader issues of Athenian cult and topography. b.c. a In the late 5th century monumental change occurred in the presen tation of Athenian law, when the Athenians decided that it was time to scrutinize and reinscribe the laws of Solon.1 This work was commissioned b.c. in two stages, first from 410 to 404 under the democracy, and then to again from 403 399 b.c., after the fall of the Thirty and the restoration of the democracy. Although the Athenians continued to attribute their are laws to Solon, in modern scholarship the results of the republication as so usually referred to the "Law Code of Nikomachos," named for the one to on editor (anagrapheus) Nikomachos, of the officials chosen work was the project, who accused by Lysias of mishandling the publication.2 Included in the new code was a calendar of sacrifices. The purpose of was to such calendars record the deities and their intended offerings, the to at 1.1 would first like thank John patiently read multiple drafts and of Classical Studies Athens entitled recommen Camp, director of the Agora Excava fered useful insights. The "New Studies inGreek Epigraphy." for me to sacred law dations of the I am for the comments of the tions, introducing anonymous Hesperia grateful me to and giving the opportunity referees also greatly improved this participants. this are 2. 30. an publish fragment. Thanks also work. Stephen Lambert kindly shared Lys. For examination of due to other of the an of on see more members Agora advance copy his work the this speech, Todd 1996. For staff who aided in the of with me. An version on in see completion calendar earlier the code general, Dow 1960 was in this article: Craig Mauzy, Jan Jordan, of this paper presented 2003 (with bibliography through 1959), Dow at a and Sylvie Dumont. John Camp, colloquium organized by James 1961, Fingarette 1971, Clinton 1982, Kevin Clinton, andMolly Richardson Sickinger at theAmerican School of Robertson 1990, and Lambert 2002. ? The American School of Classical Studies at Athens 38 LAURA GAWL1NSK1 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H Figure 1.Agora I 7577, preserved MHmij^^^^^^^^B s*dewith bandsof anathyrosis. FaceA (Ionic) left,Face B (Attic) ^l^^^^^? Photo l^^^^^^^m right. courtesyAmerican School of Classical Studies at ^^^^^KJr Athens, Agora ^^B^^ Excavations to price be paid by the city for these offerings and other incidentals, and on was occur. the date which each sacrifice to This particular calendar is to was generally agreed have been displayed in the Athenian Agora, and most likely housed in the Stoa Basileios. At least part of the calendar was on a inscribed series of stelai provided with anathyrosis and joined by clamps to a form continuous wall. Both faces of these stelai originally carried the list of sacrifices inscribed between 410 and 404 in the Attic script; Face A, 3.1 follow Lambert's (2002) however, was later erased and then reinscribed between 403 and 399 in titling of Faces A (Ionic) and B (Attic), a the newly adopted Ionic script.3 The 13 known fragments of the calendar, sequence that reflects the original, in various states of have been reexamined in a new preservation, recently pre-erasure order of inscribing. Certain Lambert.4 study by Stephen features, in particular the decorative was that Face A was The most recent addition to this group of fragments discovered fascia, suggest always on intended to be the face and June 29,1993, during the American excavations in the Athenian Agora. primary was the first to be inscribed with the Found built into a Late Roman drain in section Br to the north of the mod calendar in the Attic For ern line elevation 51.96 it about 5 m to the west alphabet. railway (1/4-4/7, m), lay discussion of the erasure and the order of its location in the Stoa Basileios. see proposed original of inscribing, Dow 1961, pp. 63 The fragment, Agora I 7577 (p.H. 0.33, p.W. 0.135, Th. 0.116 m), is 65, 70-72; Lambert 2002, p. 355. inscribed on white "Pentelic" marble. On one side it is treated with two 4. Lambert 2002, with additional bibliography and full discussion of bands of anathyrosis, that it another stele 1). It is showing adjoined (Fig. the features of the calendar. broken on all other in a of general sides, resulting piece irregular triangular shape, to I refer the fragments throughout and has water and traces of mortar from its reuse in the drain. The damage by Lambert's numbering; the pres bottom of Face A Ionic is broken and the ent no. 5 B (the face) off, preserved height fragment is (L5). Face of m L3 contains text of of Face B (the Attic face) is 0.07 greater than that of Face A. Despite fragment (I 727) trierarchic law, not sacrificial calendar, this difference in the preserved height of the two faces, approximately the and is not included in this discussion. same number of lines are on each face. legible For that text, see IG V 236a. For the to the half of Face A has left much of the surface Damage upper quite relationship of IG F 236b on which friable. The and bottom are battered and a shallow has see right edge gouge only Face B is preserved, Lambert obliterated some letters in the center. The lower half is encrusted with a 2004a, no. 2, pp. 182-183. THE ATHENIAN CALENDAR OF SACRIFICES 39 ana thin, dark coating of mortar, which is also found between the bands of thyrosis. The encrustation generally does not affect the reading of the stone, cause even more to and its removal would probably damage the surface.5 worn The thin band of anathyrosis adjacent to this face is extraordinarily worn smooth. Face B is especially at the upper left, leaving only the lower some right portion of the surface legible. The left edge is battered, making of to the numerals difficult read. The preserved portion is very clear, however, no or wear. with large, deeply cut letters and significant encrustation as a Several features of the inscription mark it fragment of the late on one 5th-century law code. First, it is opisthographic, inscribed face in on the Attic alphabet and the other in the Ionic. Second, the Ionic face preserves part of an inscribed horizontal line, a feature also found on the Ionic face of other fragments of the calendar, where it appears either at the a or top of the stone, to separate the text from heading above, lower down, to distinguish different portions of the text.6 Finally, the preserved side is one treated with two bands of anathyrosis (Fig. 1). That it has two bands, to adjacent each of the faces, is significant, since of the other four fragments next to with anathyrosis, two have it only the Ionic face.7 On the present are next fragment the bands of different widths, that to the Ionic face being vs. thinner (0.021 0.035 m). This difference in width cannot be explained 5.1 thank conservators Agora Julie the fact that the Ionic face had been for the Unruh and Karen Abend for reexamin by previously erased, however, stone. of the erasure was estimated Dow to be 1 mm in the case ing the depth by only 6. with an in of L3 I The of the two bands cannot Other fragments fragment (Agora 727).8 projection scribed horizontal line on the Ionic are even be measured exactly, but they approximately and the stone lies face are LI (IG ll2 1357 a [EM 8001 on flat when placed the preserved side. This feature is in marked contrast and L2 I and L3 6721]), (Agora 4310), on to fragment L3, which the band of anathyrosis next to the Ionic face (Agora I 727). further than that next to the Attic face.9 with 7. Other fragments anathyrosis projects are LI (IG 1121357 a [EM 8001 and The existing fragments of the calendar have previously been divided, on 6721]; both faces), L2 (Agora I 4310; the basis of thickness and lettering styles, into two groups, described Ionic face L3 I both as as only), (Agora 727; separate walls by Dow and "stele-series" by Lambert.10 The thickness faces), and L8 1251; (Agora probably of the here (11.6 cm) seems to indicate that it should Ionic face fragment published only).