IGII2 1199 Honours for the religious officials of Hebe at Aixone

Honours for the religious officials of Hebe at Aixone

IG II² 1199 Date: 320/19 BC

Philaios son of Chremes proposed: since the religious officials (hieropoioi) allotted for the sanctuary of Hebe^[1] took care justly and with love of honour (philotimōs) of the sacrifice for Hebe (5) and the other gods to whom they must sacrifice, and have submitted a reckoning (logon) and accounts (euthunas), to crown each of them with a foliage crown, Anticharmos son of Nauson and Nearchos son of Chairigenes, (10) Theodotos son of Aischron, Aristokles son of Kalliphon for their justice and love of honour towards their demesmen; and this decree shall be inscribed on a stone stele and set up in the sanctuary (15) of Hebe by the demarch in office after the archonship of Neaichmos (320/19); and to praise also the superintendents (sōphronistas)^[2] and crown with a foliage crown each of them, Kimon, Megalexis or Metalexis,^[3] (20) Pythodoros son of Pytheas and the herald Charikles for their love of honour concerning the all-night festival (pannuchida); and to praise also the priest of the Herakleidai, Kallias, and the priestess of Hebe and (25) Alkmene, and the archon Kallisthenes son of Nauson^[4] and to crown each of them for their piety and love of honour (philotimias) concerning the gods; and to inscribe this decree on a stone stele (30) and stand it in the sanctuary of Hebe.

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References:

IG II² 1199 (Translated text) (PHI)

SEG 32.143 (date)

Translation by: Feyo Schuddeboom

Monument type: Stele

Inscription type: Decree (Deme Aixone)

Original location: Aixone (Sanctuary of Hebe)

Findspot: Aixone (EM 7725)

Transliterations on Places on

[1] The sanctuary of Hebe was the main sanctuary of the deme Aixone (cf. SEG 54.214). The gods worshipped at this sanctuary were all associated with Herakles: the inscription mentions his wife, Hebe; his mother, Alkmene; and his children, the Herakleidai. Their worship in Attica is well attested; for example, we know that Hebe had an altar near that of Herakles at the Kynosarges in Athens (Paus. 1.19.3); Alkmene, too, had an altar there (loc. cit.) and is also found in the sacrificial calendar of Thorikos (Lupu, NGSL 1, l. 37); the Herakleidai appear in the sacrificial calendars of Thorikos (Lupu, NGSL 1, l. 36) and Erchia (SEG 21.541, col. 2, l. 42), and on an eschara (sacrificial table) found at Porto Rafti (IG II² 4977). The local importance of the sanctuary of Hebe is further demonstrated by the fact that official deme inscriptions were set up there (e.g. a deme lease, IG II² 2492, found together with the present inscription). [2] Evidently a local institution of three superintendents (sophronistai) responsible for overseeing the ephebes who participated in the all-night festival of Hebe. The ephebes' involvement is especially appropriate, since Hebe is the goddess of youth and the word ephebe is actually derived from Greek ep- (upon) + hēbē (youth). For the sophronistes as superintendent of a tribal contingent of ephebes see RO 89. [3] The otherwise unattested name Megalexis is perhaps an error for Metalexis. Either way, one would have expected to find a patronymic here (Kimon son of Metalexis). See D. Whitehead, The Demes of Attica (1986) 419-420, no. 92. [4] Kallisthenes was not an eponymous official but a cult archon of the type we encounter, for example, in the decree of the Salaminioi, RO 37 l. 47.

Added: 10 Jan 2017
Updated: 23 Mar 2017
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