A ST U DY O F T H E G R EEK P R I EST ESS By E L I SA B ETH SI N C LAI R H O L D ER M A N Berea College (Kentu cky) A ST U DY O F T H E G REEK P RI EST ESS A TH ESI S SUBMITTED TO TH E FACULT Y OF TH E DEP ARTMENT F I TER T RE CI E CE AND TH E RTS OF TH E O L A U , S N , A UNI VERSITY OF MI C HI GAN FOR TH E DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF P HI LOSOP H Y BY E L I SA B ET H SI N C LAI R H OL DERMAN B I B LI OGRAP HY k f A : Die P riesterinnen def Grie hen . Fran urt 18 2 2 . drian c , B k : De Graecorum Caerimoniis in uibus H omines Deorum vice un ebatur ac q f g . B i 1 88 . erl n, 3 ’ - d s u — B o hé Lecler : Histoire de l a Divination on I Anti ité . P 18 2 uc q q aris , 79 8 . B r hu um ak elwe i i h : Kla ras. Untef suc n en z Or sen . L z 1 u esc 88 . g e p g , 9 C : Das P iestertum bei den Hellenen Altertum a nd Ge e w r n art. B urtius , g erlin , 1 882 . P : Cults o the Gree tates x o 1 6— 0 k S . O 8 1 . arnell f f rd, 9 9 9 “ P arnell Sociological Hypo theses concerning th e P osition of Women in ” A i R li i h v Rel i ionswissenseha t. i t o in Arc i . L zi Vol . VI I nc en e g n, f g f e p g , ( 1904) F h : Die ul K tische K eus hheit im Al um . Gi 1 tert s 10. e rle c es en, 9 ’ Fou cart : Le P . s Grands M stéres d El . 1 00 y eusis aris , 9 F z : The Golden B h Lo o 1 1 1 ra er oug . nd n, 9 . H so : P role omena to the S tud o Greek Rel i ion . C b 1 arri n g y f g am ridge, 903 . Heimb r : G iwitz 1 8 od De Athen ie um S acerdotibus . nsi . le , 54 H l : D aria e L d ae S erdotib L i i e C i ue ac us . t o Flec e ler y q e pz g ; reprin fr m k . l u I I I 1 1 . S . 8 pp , XV , 9 H erb recht : De S aoerdotii a ud Graeeos Em tione Venditione B l n 1 8 p p , . er i , 85 . H : Lehrbuch def riechischen Anti uita ten I I Gottesdienstliche l ermann g q , , A ter ttimer F i u 1 8 6 . re b rg , 4 H i : M o R t i tio on A o G k TAP tt t A . B os o ew aj r es r c ns ccess ree Temples, t n , 1 909. H l P sterstaa M i 1 8 2 2 Kreus r : Der e lenen rie t. e a nz , i 1 888 . L h n uaestiones S a erdotal es . Kon e ma Q c gsberg , i 1 88 2 . M th : Les S a erdo es Athéniens . P ar a c c ar s , l m L 1 F este der tadt Athen im A ter u . 8 8 . Mo A. : S t mmsen eipzig , 9 ‘ u m Aus hl us Nilsson : Gr iechische F este von religibser B edeut ng it sc s def Attischen . L i i 1 06 . e pz g , 9 - P r s a nd Tem el im H ellenistischen Ae ten . L i B i Otto : ie ter p gyp e pzig erl n , — 0 1 905 1 9 8 . “ P h u i 1 0 . oh : s c e . R de y T b ng en, 9 7 fl B i 1 02 . om ann : Griechische Altertitme . Sch erl n , 9 “ ” h r li o in eue Ja rb. K N las . Alt S k : Die B i du de i hi h R s . eec l ng gr ec sc en e gi n , f L i i 1 u . P ad . 8 . e pz g , 99 M di o 1 01 . rm n : The Great Mother o the Gods . Showe a f a s n, 9 ‘ - f h L i i B li 1 10. l erbrauche de Grie en . Steng e : Opf c e pz g er n, 9 M ich 1 8 8 . e h h K ul al ter iimer . Stengel : Die Gri c ise en tus t un , 9 Gi 1 10. h oo sch i te m r hischen Kult. Wach ter : Rein eits r r f n i g iec essen, 9 “ 28 2297 CONTENTS I . I I Sex R b Di i i and M ist t . esem lance in v n ty in ran I I I I t t io of th e C o . n erpre at n ust m 1 DI Li of P i st an d P st AP P EN X . st r e esses rie s I NTRODUCTI ON Writers upon the subject of religious antiquities have long recog niz ed o G that , acc rding to reek custom , gods were usually served by priests while goddesses were attended by priestesses . The statement “ of Fairbanks is as complete as any : The choice of a priest must con o f f rm to conditions which di fered with each shrine . Ordinarily the o o o o g ds were served by men and the g ddesses by w men , but the Opp site not of A was rare , as at Tegea where a boy was priest thena , and at Thes ” ’ iae f H w m I chom ann s p where the priestess o eracles was a young o an . S words are to the same efiect : Einige P riesterthiim er wurden von Man v on F nern , andere rauen bekleidet , und bei manchen Tempeln gab es P riester und P riesterinnen neben einander . Ohne Zweifel beruhten die B hieriib er Griinden estimmungen auf bestimmten , die wir aber nach m z n i S . a uweisen icht tande sind Wenn sich auch annehmen l sst , dass R P riesterth um m annlich en G Mamm in der egel das der ottheiten von ern , das o der weiblichen von Weibern bekleidet worden sei, so litt d ch diese “ ' Regel manche Stengel says the same : I n v iel en Heilig tiim ern F P riesterth um P bekleidete eine rau das , an andern gab es riester P riesterthum und P riesterinnen neben einander . Nicht selten wurde das eines Gottes von einer Frau und umgekehrt einer Gottin v on einem Mann ”3 A . G verwaltet drian , in a treatise upon reek priestesses , barely touches o 4 upon the p int . I n Farnell has several times considered the subject . discussing the o o impress which the matriarchal system left up n ancient religi n , he o o 5 briefly t uches up n the priestesses of male and female divinities , and 6 o of also up n the male ministrants female divinities , illustrating each “ He : B ut Ro case by a few examples . then says in the Greek and man o o religi ns , the rule generally held , th ugh with many exceptions , that the ” i o 7 E od . g des red the priest , the g ddess the priestess lsewhere he has Handbook o Greek Reli i n 8 o . f g , p 7 2 m - h ann Li iu ie I I . 0 c o s s Gr ch Alte t fi . S p , . r h , , p 44 3 t t e h . K ul usal . 18 Gri c . , p 34 , 4 Die P rieste innen d e r er Gri chen . “ 5 Sociol og ical Hypoth eses con cerning th e P osition of Women in Ancien t ” R li ion A hie Reli i I I — e rc . onswiss. V . g , f g , pp 7 3 74 6 - 7 I bid . 8 I bid . , pp 7 7 7 . , p 79 . A STUDY OF THE GRE E K P RI E STE SS ’ ‘ F frequently made the same generalization . arnell has also suggested in o o 2 a cursory way s me possible explanati ns of the exceptions to the rule . The purpose of this treatise is to consider more full y the custom of oo having resemblance in sex between divinity and priesth d , and to show by detailed evidence to what extent such a custo m prevailed among the Greeks and upon what underlying principles it was based . “ 20 A a Cults o the Greek S ta tes I . : s ul e the Greek oddess wa s serv ed b f , , p 3 r , g y priestesses and worshipped with th e sa crifice of femal e v ictim s ; b ut in th e ritual of ” th ena a s of hrodite w e find not inf e uentl th e m al e v i tim and th e riest . A , Ap , r q y c p I ea kin f he riestess of P oseidon at Th e e : ta inl this is a bid .