Arch. Uulgarica " 199R 2 52 - 5(, Sofia ZEUS BENNJOS: A FEW MORE NOTES
MAYA VASSILEVA
Dedications 10 Zeus Bennios. considered as a that is otherwise not attested (Haspcls 1971 , Phrygian deity. have been published and dis No 18; !?ahin 1978,78 1; Drew-Dear/ Naour 1990, cussed since the 1st century (Ramsay 1884.258 1960-1961). hence: {Jevve"'clv. Some authors 259, No II ; Ramsayl887. 5 11 - 512. No 97). His find a similar verb in a New-Ph rygian text: /11:1' cult was spread along the Upper Tembris valley VEl', explaining it as an imperat ive (Haas 1966, in Western Phrygia, and some recent finds tes Nos 83, 125, 150). tify to his presence in Bithynia as well (!?ahin Br.vl'Ioc;IBeVlo c; is a personal name, fou nd in 1978,771-790; :;;a hin 1986. 135. note 37). three epitaphs in Greek. considered as secon Twelve inscriptions read: Ali BC.VI'icp, (Ram dary. derived from the d ivi ne epithet (Calder say 1884, No 11; Ramsay 1887, No 95; Buckler 1956, Nos 2 14, 2733 - from Eastern Phrygia; el at. 1928, No 241; Drew-Bear 1976: No 11; Mitchell 1982. No 293; Zgusta 1964. § 161). It $ahin 1978, 774-778; ~ahin 1986, 135 , note has recentl y becn listed among the fcw certa in 37; Orew-Bcar/Naour 1990, Nos 13- 19; Le nati ve Phrygian names (lnnocen tc 1997.37). vick ct a I. 1988, No 49), while the rest of the Earlier parallels from the Ol d· Phrygian texts (the total number of the inscriptions in material can be suggested 10 111...: above record. po in t being llTOlJlld 20) contain other forms, Zeus' ep ithet has already bee n compared sim ilar 10 the cpil ht! t, which provoked a long phonet ica lly with ·the first pa rt of the 01<1 lived discussion. The inscriptions are dated in Ph ryg ian Bell(l g ol/() .~, thought of as a COIll Roman Imperial time, e.g. from the 1st to the pound personal name (Brixhe/Le.ietllle 1984, 3rt! cent ury AD, 1/(; \11'11(:' ;mel flcI'l'u h;l\'c been G-116; Lejeune 1969, 294; Bri~hl! 1994, 175 : l)l()sl ortcn reviewed: t he la tter was inter baloll/OpeJl 1985. 197 198). preted as the Ph rygian form of the ep ithet of A~ it wa s seen, th e Illcalling oj" /1/:111'0; was Zc u~ in dative. A rccenl work on the divi m( ies compared 10 thai or I)O[J/III~. assl lIlwd \0 he of or Rnman Phrygia (Drcw-Bear/Naour 1990, Asianic/Phrygi an origin du e to ,I fr ,Ig1l1l!1l1 by 1952- 19 92) ha s re -examined the \vho le rc IIlpponax (1l lpponax frg 30 (671).1); M:ISSlll) cord and has systemized the data, offering fur 196 2,124; Clwntra ille I 96l'S, 21) 5, ;l nd must re ther arguments in favour thaI ~ ~ VVt:l is the da cent ly Lu bolsky 1997, 124 - 125, who thinks tive form of B£vvo o:; (Drcw-Bear/Naour 1990, Ihat no s:lIisf:lctory etymology or or igin can 1989 ·- 19 90). /Jil'l'O'; is used in relat ion to a be suggested for the word). The IU!lcr oc toponYll1/deme or 10 another deity (13uckler et curred in Inscriptions from Serdic Phrygian in scription is being much discussed. It is worth noting that the name Boorr6gllo<; Although some scholars insist on interpreLing from the above inscription is common in the re~ the New·Phrygian word as a designation of a gion of Byzantium, whence in the metropolis tomb or ofa pari of a grave monumeL (Brixhe and in Mesambria Pontica, as well as in the 1990,93- 94), the context of the whole usage commercially related cities (Levick et al. 1993, record is a stronger argument. If the meaning 71; Masson 1994, 139; Mihailov 1970, Nos 324, "religious assembly/association" for duma 330ter, 284~285; 290-291). This could be an~ /oofjpo~ is further confirmed, then the occur other reference for the Constantinople chora, rence of a divine epithet, re lated to an asso whose ethnocultural context has already been dis ~ ciation, in the Roman times would be a sur cussed (on 1994,70, 101 ,105, 179,208,222). vival of a much earlier praciice. As it has already been shown, the evidence Tbe independent use of pevvo~, as well as on Zeus Bennios and the other inscriptions in it s mentioning together with other divinities point are confined to the territory of Phrygia and with toponyms, pursued the authors of the and to the areas where Phrygian cultural pres above hypothesis to suggest that the verb ence was attested. The cult of Zeus Bron would designate the activities of the associa ton/Brontaios was attested practically in the tion (Drew-13ear/Naour 1990, 1991). At the same area - predominantly in Northwestern present state of the evidence, however, the Phrygia ( Doryleion/Eski~ehir), but in Bithy toponyms would probably point to cuH cen nia and along the southern coast of the PrO tres. Unlike other scholars who previously pontis as well (Drew-BearlNaour 1990, 1992 thought of /JeJlJleirw and {Jel'Jl6.PXIJC; as mem 1995, notes 308- 309. 316). Two dedications bers ofa clllt assoc iation of Zeus Bennios ($a were di scovered at the site identified as Mo hin 1978. 777), the above view derives both dra, mentioned by Strabo in Hellespontine th e activities and the epithet from the word for Phrygia (Strabo 12.3.7). The toponym might association. This means that there would have be discerned in the compound title mo been cult associations ofother deities as well, drovanak found in an Old-Phrygian inscrip as could be perceived by the pcvvor:; of J10r:; tion hewn on a rock-cut throne at the top of /JpovTfiwro; and of JI(')(; Ka},o,Ku.yaOfoc;. the plateau of the "Midas City" - "Vanak of A recently republished and reinterpreted Modra/Modroi" (Brixhe/Lejeune 1984, M-04; inscription renders the form ERMA BENNE! Neumann 1986, 52, against this toponym in (Levick et al. 1993, No 222, 69- 7 I), that pro the compound title: Brixhe 1997,47, note 19). voked n vivid discussion as well. The editors Thracian-Phrygian cultural belonging ha s of MAMA X consider it as an argument against long being ascribed to this cult (Cook 1925, (he meaning of Ptvvo';, as a cult association, 838). A.B. Cook's view about the Orphic na and suggest a cult image in the shape of a ture of the divinity, wh ich he related to Za herm. The Phrygian cult and religious prac greus, is usually neglected by modern schol tice is cOllsisitent with such a hypothesis, as ars. Whatever the discussion, a survival of an the stone/pillar/rock cult setting is well at uranian deity, of the Weather/Storm God-type tested. The reading of the inscription, how~ (popular in Anatolian land) could have ap· ever, poses some difficulties as there is a peared under this Greek epithet. It is instruc sma ll space between EPMA and BENNE! tive to note that two recently published dedi and a word di vision could be assumed here as cations, again from Western Phrygia, attested wel l. It is also very unlikely to offer a dedica .1tl BpovrwVTl Ke Eaovabfw and LJli Eaova tion both to Zeus and a herm. Accepting it as Moo - a variant of Sabazios (Frei 1988, Nos 'Ep/uipt vvf l, CI. Brixhe proposes the founder 9N, ION, 19- 20, 22- 24). E"u",,",. E"ou"(· of the association or of the cult to be seen in 10';, £aoa(OI; seem to be forms reserved for ' EpJIQ. (Brixhc 1995. No 479,513). Whatever the inscriptions from Phrygia, though badly the discussion , the evocation of the name of documented data for Thrace exist as well Hermes might be suggestive. (Eisele 1909, 233, 236; Johnso n 1984, 1585). It 53 Maya /lassileva should al so be reminded that Silenoi were other deities, it s original meaning was related called EalJdbw by the Macedonians (Hesychius to the followers of the Great Mother-Goddess. s.v., and Hdl. 7. 138 about the "Gardens ofMi Bearing in mind the ethni c and cultural be· das" in Macedonia, where Silenus was caught. longing of the area, the local cult background comments by <(lon 1994,68). mentioned above, as well as the rel igious con Though the conc lu sio ns o n the re-exam servatism, a parallel with other " Barbarian" in ed epi graphi c data cast doubt on the similar words fo r particular rites, mentioned by the nature of Zeus Bennios and Zeus Branton ancien! authors, could be discussed. (Drew-Bear! Naou r 1990, 1999, nole 338), A Greek li terary tradition of Hellenistic whom some authors are incl ined to see both origin provides "Barbarian" words related to as " Fruchtbarkeitsgott" (Sahin 1978, 786 the worship ofBacchos. The evidence is again 790), the spread of their cults coincides and confin ed to the Thracian·Phrygian cllilllral marks the area oflhe Balkan-Anatolian inter zone. The commentator of Aristophanes actions. Similarity in cult might be supposed states that Dionysos and Sabazios was one and as a bemJOs of Zeus Bronton existed. the same deity, and explains the name of Allhough lhe cult of Dionysos in Roman Sabazios as coming from oapd'£lI'. "celebrat Phrygia is generally assigned to the Greek in ing, worshipping the God", as the Barbarians flue nce, JlUOT(J.1 of Dionysos have al ready used to say, while his Greek followers used bee n compared to the terms Bevvelral and evd'elv for the same aClivity (Scho!. Aristoph. Bpovraioraf (Drew-BearlNaour 1990, 1946. Birds 874- S75 Dubner; the context created by 1948, note 135). The spread of his cult coin this evidence and tbe considerations below do cides with the territory, where dedications to not quite agree with C. Brixhe's view: Brixhe local Mothers arc found, while Zeus Bennios 1987, 113- 138). The commentary contains a seems to share a common cul t with the Mother quotation from the Helleni stic author fro m Steunene (a gui Id ofErclJ l''lvof offered a dedi Herakle ia Pontica Amphilheos, the variants in cation to Zeus Bennios: Drew-Bear/Naour the manu sc ript s of whose fragment read: 1990, No 18, 1983-1986). The above notes aapd'elv G Ku.{Jd'elv V (Amphifheos (?)On could suggest the cult and religious context, in Herakleia II (... F la, b Jacoby), the same Ifll which the meaning and the significance of dition in Suid.s.v. Eapd"oc; and Etym.Mag {J~vvo<; and BcvvtO, could possibly be better in nuum, s.v. Eapd,fOC;). The texts have been ex terpreted. II can point to a Dionysiac!Sabasian amined nnd discussed in detail to propose that rituality lhat had an earlier indigenous back the rituality of a mystery cult in tilt!- Balkan ground in Phrygia. Anatoli an area had given birth to the "Barbar As the word Pivvo, is of non-Greek origin, ian" correspondences of the Hellenic flaK it probably denoted native realia for the Hel X.!!vw (Hellenized itself probably on Anato lenic-speak.ing population (Brixhe 1993,342), lian! Phrygian land), respectively cNil;eH' :ou especially in cult practice. The only evidence on pat;uv nnd KapdC.!!lv (¢Ion 1994. 59- 70, the riles performed to Zeus Bennios is to be 97- 101, 177- ISO) . As a working hypothesis found in the inscription from Ahmet ler, Pl.vvOc;!pl!vveul!lv could be situated in a similar Bithynia. 2 10 AD .: an altar with liyaA~a was context. If further evidence confirms the above dedicated to the god. an ox was sacrificed and hypothesis about {1t.vvevclv. should it be consid other fragrant substances and wine were offer ered that the ritual acitivity and the local verb red. as well as a copper vessel (Sahin 19 78 775 designating it gave the name of the association 77S). The interpretation of the word as an as and the epithet of Zeus Gennios? sociat ion is quite convincing from hi storical Recent studies usually do not mention the and cultural point of view. However, there parallels with the town Btv(,')a in Thrace. must have been something special about thi s with the Thracian tribe of BevI'(liol, Bevvrimol association to produce a verb. As it was dem and the strategy Bel'VIKtl (Plin. NH 4.40; onstrated, though oouJWC; can be assigned to Steph. Byz. 162.17; Ptol. 3.1 1.6, there is a phyle 54 Zeus Bennios: A few more nOles B€",l'a in Ephesos as well: Steph.Byz. 163.3). Etudes rtunies par Raul Louis. Etudes anciennes 4. while others assign these just to a phonetical co· Travaux et memoires. Nancy. 113-138. incidence (Drew·Bear/Naour 1990, 1960, note Brixhe. C.lLejeun e, M . 19114 . Corpus des 190). The names were listed by Delschew (Del inscriptions pa1eo· ph rygiennes. I- II. Pari s. Buck/er. W.H.I Calder. II'.M.I Cox. C. W.M. 1928. schew 1976, 51). They also evidence the va ri Asia Minor , 1924 V: MonumenlS from the Upper ants .1' .... / ...... The data on a common Palaeo-Bal· Tembri s vallcy. - Journal of Roman Studies 1R, 21-40. kan and Anatolian onomastic layer have already Colder. It'.M. (ed.) Monumenta Asiae Minoris been di scussed (most recently: .SIHaKlteBa 1994, Antiqua. Vo t. VII . Monuments from Eastern Phrygia. 53- 54). The locatio n ofthe above toponyms and Manchcster University Press, 1956. ethnonyms could ha ve marked the zone of in· Chan/raine. P. 1968. Dictionnaire ctymologiquc de teractions betwecn Western Asia Minor and la langue grecquc. Paris. Southeastern Thrace. The revealing of common Cook. A.B. 1925. Zeus. II I: II 2. Cambridge. cultural rcalia connected with these names De/Jchew, D. 1976'2 . Die thrakisehen Sprachrcste. Wien. could contribute to a further research orthe Bal Drew-Bear. Th . 1976 . Local Cults in Graeco·Roman kan-Anatolian interrelations in Antiquity. Phrygia. - Greek, Roman and Byzantine SLUdi es 17, Greek epigraphic data of Roman Imperial li 247-268. PI. 7- 10. me from Phrygia, 13ithynia, Mysia and Paph Drew·BearlNaour 1990. Divinites de Phrygic. _ lagonia could demonstrate survivals of earlier Auftieg und Niedergang dcr rll misehen Welt II 18 .3, cultural phenomena concerning cult and relig· 1907- 2044. ion. The example ofZeus Bennios, still scarcely Eisele. T. 1909. Sabazios. - In: W. H. Roscher (ed.) documented, di splays a non·Greek epithet and Lexikon der griechischen und romi schen Mythologie. vol. 4. Leipzig. 232- 264. reolia that probably had an earlier indigenous Fr~j. P. 1988. Phrygische Toponyme. - Epigraphica background. An.tolica 11 ,9-32. Gerov. B. 1989. Inse rit iones La ti nae in Bulgaria repertae. Serdieae. BIBLIOGRAPHY Haas. O. 1966. Die phrygishen Sprachdenkma1er. Solla. bal()lI . Jl.C.lOpeJl, 8.3. 1988 . $131.11( $p~lnliicI(HX Ilospels. C.H.E. 197 1.The Hi ghlands of Phrygia. llllJLnllCeH XIlI( HCTOpl1'l eClHii HeTO'lIlHI(. I. - BeCTlUil Siles and Monuments. I . PrinceLon. JLp enlleii IICTOJHIH, No 1. 173- 200. Innoce n/~, L. 1997. Questioni di ono masLica "frigia". MlJss on. o. 1962. Les fragments du pol:tc Hipponax. ee, ..e rl1arOl1uaTa $opMa O:lllill'lana lldillOCTTa lUI pelll! Paris. rH03uaTa aCOUHa ll ltli. 3a na ce nO)!IIH TUU llYMa oua'lt, Mi"lJilolJ, G. 1970. Inscri pliones G raccac in B ulga lIaUllp1l0 lleiieTB HJlTa Ha penH I"HO:lIIOTO 0611lCCTUO Cli I5c r ia rcpcrtac. 12. Serdic3c. mn:IIIH C oupCJll: nC lI3 cnc ml~)H Jta. MihaJlo v. G. 1966. I nscr iptioncs Graccac In 1-\acTollw aT8 CT8THII uaco..aa IIlIHMallHCTO Kl.M KOII Bulgaria rcpcrlac. 4. Scrdicac. TCKCTa, II loilTO e 3aCUIIJleTC Jl CTBy n8 11 Kyn1"bT Ita 3eBe Mitchell. S. 1982. Rcgional Epigraphic Catalogucs GClmoc H " OiiTO 6H Mon.l1 AI II H 11.061111)1(11 n.o X8PUIITC o f Asia Minor II. The Ankara D istrict. T hc Inscriptions PH CT UKIHC 118 06lllCCTOOTO OT IIcrOIiH nO'! IITIlTCnll . Pal o f Noflh Galatia. BAR International Serics 135. Oxford. fl pOCTpa UCIIHCTO Ha Kyn T3 e1. lIn:I)11I C To na lUI 3CIIC Neutnann , G. 1986 . Modrovanak. - Epi grap hica GpOIITO H/ 6pOIl Ta HOC, '!IIIITO OPljHI'ICC!(il , TpaKO-(jJpU Anatoliell 8, 52. I'HilcK8 C'b WII OCT 0"fl18 Hlla e I1 ["1 Cl( nOllOlKCIHL \I Jl Wrcp:rfY Ramsay, W.M. 1887.Thc Cities and Bishoprics o f paTa . H II !( OJIK O lIollnny6J1 I1KYll311 11 IlU!lnI1Ca, OTIlOLlO OT Phrygia, ParIllo - Journal of Hellenic Studies 8, 461 - 519. 3an311na (J) PHI" H)!, npCllOCT38l1T cnHTC TtI 11 3 3cnc II IHI Ratn~·ay. W.M . 1884. Scpulchral Customs in Ancient 3CllC 6CItHOC, KO II TO ca lIapH811T 118 JlM CTO na C1l6a) II !1. Phrygill. - Journal of Hellcnic Studies 5, 24 1- 262. 3ana:IC IIIITe lIa:lIIU II III( 1111 '1 J1CH 08C lIa KOJIC I"H )!n CC Cpflll Sah(n, S. 1986. Studicn Ubcr die Problcmc der histo 1I)! lIaT C MHCTIITe lIa AHO IIII C Or CUO)! CTpallll. KyJrn..r 11 3 rl sche Gcographie dcs nordwcstlishen K leinasiens 1. AIIOIIIlC B pHMCKa (J)P" J' I!II C'L nna lUl. TcpllTO pn UJ1 11 0 C Kyn Strllbon XII 3.7 p. 543. - Epigraphica Anatolica 7,1 35, TOBCTC !la MHO)l(CCTijO MCCTIIII Gortmll-MaiiKII. J(O HTO nll 125- 152. 311T Cl UJ;! nO-CTapa 4)Pllflliicla TpaIlHI.\I!)! fla aflOIlIlMfloc·r H Sah(lI, S. 1978. Zeus Bcnnios. In: Stlldicn zur Rcligion lIa10llaBauc c enHTe"H. npernCJrI.T 11 1\ cmlrp.ullCKHII MaTC lind Kultur Klcill!lsicns. Festschrift fUr K.D~rncr ZUIfi 65. PIIM nasa oclIOOa llHJI 11a ce tlpCJ\nOnoJt:H ea633 I1 Clla/]mo Gcbur.l lag alll 28. Fcbruar 1976.11 . Lcidcn. 77 1-790. Imeosa 06peJlIIOcr 38 OOJl aCTHTC. H KOIlTQ ca 3aClIH1ICTCJl V(lJ.f ilev{I. M . 1995. T h rac ian-Phrygian cultural C"nlY llaml II 3CRC GCI/HOC . If 3CRC 6pOIlTon. zone: T he Daskyicion cvidcnce. - Orphcus 5, 27-34. I) nO -HO AIiTe 1f3CnCIl.OaIl ItJl 06I1K!!OOtnO lie cc CtlO.\I C Zguslo, I• . 1964. Klcinasiatischc Personncnnamen. HallaT napa,lCl1l1TC C I'pan.a DC lia Ii TpalnHl, C TpaJ(lIile!(o TO nl1tMC OeliaH H CTpaTcnlliTa 6 CI HIIC, nOCTllIICIHI OT Prag. nC'IeA CpC.n TpaKl1iiclllTC t3HKOliH OCTa1"bUH. I-IUlfCTIIIIU . JEOC GEII\10C: OlliE H}lKonKO 6EnE"lKKH caMO npC UH1CIt Jl lfItI"BHCT II 'ICIt altan ll3 61l MOI·l .n JIll H1IICI1" Rp1.3KaTa HM C AY MIITC 01" 'p"ra 113 flt~ " f>;. 110 C MOUR B{lCu.1elJo ornC/llla CXO.!lIl HII 6annIl0-a llaT0J1HiicJ(1I KOIITCKCT. l e 31l eac.uCIlH.II HC Ollila Ila ec It l nyc KaT. (Pe3IOMC) DeH'IJ(o TO lia tlanal'a CIlIt!! napanCA C nUttlllln err 311 nOCIICWCIIHlI lIa 3CBC 6cHMoe, Tpa.lIHltHOHH O npHc TtI'III HT C 11 300ptl Ja ., lap"apCI 56