A New Inscription Attesting to Associations from the Necropolis of Rhodes. With an Appendix by Nicos Christodoulides

Vincent Gabrielsen

doi:10.15661/tyche.2017.032.03

Abstract

The present paper presents and comments on the text of an inscription from the eastern necropolis of Rhodes. In addition to attesting to five hitherto unknown private associations (koina), the inscription makes known three new toponyms, one of which might belong to an administrative unit known as ktoina. Moreover, it is argued that the new text probably provides evidence for the celebration on Rhodes of the festival Dalia.   Keywords Greek epigraphy; Hellenistic Rhodes; private associations; Rhodian toponyms; festivals; fereigners; networks

Highlights

Wissenschaftlicher Beirat Angelos Chaniotis, Denis Feissel, Jörg Fündling, Nikolaos Gonis, Klaus Hallof, Anne Kolb, Michael Peachin
One might initially be reluctant to identify our Pheidianax with the admiral’s father, because the latter was active in a much earlier period than the date we propose for our inscription; identification of him with Anaxibios’ son, or with
L. 4: Ἀσκλαπιαστᾶν Βουκοπιδᾶν τῶν ἐν Αἰγι[λ?]είαιor Αἰγη[λ?]είαι.̣ The element Asklapiastai has been commented on above. It is combined with the element Βουκοπιδᾶν to describe this group as Boukopidai. This description hints at a possible connection between the association and the activities recorded by a series of rock-cut inscriptions from Lindos, the so-called Boukopia-inscriptions, found at a location beneath the Lindian acropolis formerly known as Vigli.[21]

Summary

On Rhodian gold crowns

Well attested in Rhodes.[7] Asklapiastai was a quite popular name element among Rhodian koina. In several instances it occurs in composite names.[8] The second element in the name of our association (τῶν ἐν Σαλάκωι) resembles the associational names mentioned in, for instance, Tit.Cam. 84 (Rhodos, after 167 BC): Ἀσκλαπιαστᾶν τῶν ἐν Καμίρωι, Ἑρμαιστᾶν τῶν ἐν Καμίρωι, Σαραπιαστᾶν τῶν ἐν Καμίρωι, Κουραιστᾶν τῶν ἐν Κυτήλωι, Τρικτοίνων τῶν ἐν Λέλωι.[9] Such a qualification The name of the place at which the Asklapiastai of our inscription were based, was until now unattested in ancient Rhodes. Chr. Papachristodoulou (eds.), Χάρις χαίρε, Μελέτες στη μνήμη της Χάρης Κάντζια, vol II, Athens 2014, 31–46.

13 For the general practice

Male name

79 Cult of Apollo Dalios on Cos

48. Poseidania

Concluding remarks