Cult associations in the post-classical polis Julietta Steinhauer This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 30.05.2012 1. Candidate’s declarations: I, Julietta Steinhauer, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 80,000 words in length, has been written by me, that it is the record of work carried out by me and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for a higher degree. I was admitted as a research student in [month, year] and as a candidate for the degree of Ph.D. in March 2008; the higher study for which this is a record was carried out in the University of St Andrews between 2008 and 2012. Date 10.05.12 signature of candidate 2. Supervisor’s declaration: I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of Ph.D. in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree. Date 11th May 2012 signature of supervisor 3. Permission for electronic publication: (to be signed by both candidate and supervisor) In submitting this thesis to the University of St Andrews we understand that we are giving permission for it to be made available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library for the time being in force, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby. We also understand that the title and the abstract will be published, and that a copy of the work may be made and supplied to any bona fide library or research worker, that my thesis will be electronically accessible for personal or research use unless exempt by award of an embargo as requested below, and that the library has the right to migrate my thesis into new electronic forms as required to ensure continued access to the thesis. We have obtained any third-party copyright permissions that may be required in order to allow such access and migration, or have requested the appropriate embargo below. The following is an agreed request by candidate and supervisor regarding the electronic publication of this thesis: Access to all of printed copy but embargo of all of electronic publication of thesis for a period of three years on the following ground: that publication would preclude future publication; Date 11th May 2012 signature of candidate signature of supervisor A supporting statement for a request for an embargo must be included with the submission of the draft copy of the thesis. Where part of a thesis is to be embargoed, please specify the part and the reasons. As part of the co-tutelle treaty which binds me to the regulations of the University of Erfurt I must publish the as a book in printed form within a year. I therefore request an embargo so as not to prejudice finding a publisher. Abstract This thesis investigates the emergence, spread and characteristics of voluntary associations in the Greek cities of the Aegean world in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. It is based on archaeological and epigraphic evidence and contains two case studies on Athens and Delos and three thematic chapters. The first chapter provides an introduction and definition of the subject matter, material, methods and state of research and the leading questions. The second chapter is a case study in which the evidence referring to voluntary associations in post-classical Athens is analysed. Chapter three comprises another case-study, investigating the evidence from Delos. Chapter four investigates the people involved in voluntary associations from founders to benefactors and ordinary members. I compare the evidence from various places and cults, focusing on the origins of people and their choice of deity. The fifth chapter discusses the location of buildings within cities, the kinds of building and facilities used by voluntary associations, and possible patterns in the structure of buildings. In chapter six I analyse the relationship between voluntary associations and civic institutions in the cities of Athens, Delos and Rhodes. Chapter seven provides a conclusion of the thesis. The concept of the voluntary association offered worshippers in Greek poleis an opportunity to establish a religious identity that was characterised by new social spaces, new rituals and new approaches to older rituals that had previously not been provided by the polis religion. The successful establishment of a voluntary association was secured by various factors, yet one main concept seems pre-eminent: by using the pre-existing terminology and categories of civic institutions of each polis for their own purposes, voluntary associations of worshippers paved a way of communicating with both the civic authorities and individual inhabitants. In doing so, they also signalled openness to their environment, an aspect of particular importance to those worshippers who had immigrated to a new city. 2 Zusammenfassung Diese Dissertation untersucht Erscheinen, Verbreitung und spezifische Charakteristika von religiösen Vereinen in den griechischen Städten der Ägäis anhand archäologischer und epigraphischer Zeugnisse von der hellenistischen Zeit bis zum Beginn des 3 Jh. n. Chr. Das erste Kapitel bietet eine Einleitung, einen kurzen Forschungsüberblick, Definition der Terminologie, Vorstellung des Quellenmaterials, die Fragestellung und die wichtigsten Hypothesen. Im zweiten Kapitel wird das für das Thema relevante Material aus Athen, bestehend aus den Inschriften und archäologischen Hinterlassenschaften, in Form einer Fallstudie behandelt. Ähnlich gestaltet sich Kapitel drei, doch ist diese Fallstudie der Insel Delos und deren epigraphischen und archäologischen Funden gewidmet. In Kapitel vier werden die Personen untersucht, die als Gründer, als einfache Mitglieder, als Priester oder anderweitig Beschäftigte in den Inschriften erscheinen. Im Vordergrund stehen hier die Herkunft der einzelnen Personen verbunden mit der Wahl der typischen Gottheit. Kapitel fünf ist einzig den architektonischen Hinterlassenschaften gewidmet, die als Treffpunkte religiöser Vereine verstanden werden. Diese werden hier nach typischen Erkennungsmerkmalen sowie möglichen regionalen und überregionalen Mustern untersucht. Das Verhältnis religiöser Vereine zu den politischen und religiösen Institutionen ihrer jeweiligen beheimateten Stadt wird an den Beispielen der drei Städte Athen, Delos und Rhodos in Kapitel sechs analysiert. In Kapitel sieben, der Schlussbetrachtung werden die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse der Dissertation noch einmal zusammengefasst und interpretiert. Das Konzept des religiösen Vereins bot den Bewohnern in den griechischen poleis der Ägäis die Möglichkeit, eine religiöse Identität zu entwickeln. Diese Identität war von neuen sozialen Räumen, neuen Ritualen und neuen Konzepten alter Rituale charakterisiert, die zuvor im Rahmen der polis Religion nicht verfügbar waren. Die erfolgreiche Einrichtung eines solchen Vereins war von verschiedenen Faktoren abhängig. Dennoch, so scheint es, gab es einen Weg, der insbesondere zum Erfolg religiöser Vereine beitrug. Und zwar scheint es, als sei es die Verwendung der bereits existierenden Terminologie von öffentlichen Einrichtungen der jeweiligen polis gewesen, die maßgeblich dafür verantwortlich war. Auf diese Weise konnten die Gründer der Vereine sowohl mit den ansässigen Autoritäten als auch mit den einzelnen Bewohnern der Städte ihr neues Konzept problemlos kommunizieren. Außerdem signalisierten sie auf diese Weise eine gewisse Offenheit gegenüber ihrer Umgebung; ein Faktor der insbesondere für diejenigen wichtig war, die in eine griechische 3 polis immigrierten und die Gottheit ihres Heimatortes mit sich brachten und in Form eines religiösen Vereins zu etablieren suchten. 4 Contents Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................................... 7 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 10 1.2 Terminology ................................................................................................................................ 11 1.3 History of scholarship ................................................................................................................. 14 1.4 Materials, methods, structure ...................................................................................................... 18 1.5 Leading ideas .............................................................................................................................. 21 2. Athens – a case study ........................................................................................................................ 23 2.1 Early evidence ............................................................................................................................. 26 2.2 The fourth century BC ................................................................................................................ 26 2.3 The third century ......................................................................................................................... 31 2.4 The second century ..................................................................................................................... 39 2.5 The first century BC .................................................................................................................... 42 2.6 Early