Religion and Reconciliation in Greek Cities: The Sacred Laws of Selinus and Cyrene (American Classical Studies)

427 Pages·2010·1.89 MB·English

by  Noel Robertson

Religion and Reconciliation
in Greek Cities
AMERICAN PHILOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
american classical studies
volume 54
SeriesEditor
KathrynJ.Gutzwiller
StudiesinClassicalHistoryandSociety
MeyerReinhold
SextusEmpiricus
TheTransmissionandRecoveryofPyrrhonism
LucianoFloridi
TheAugustanSuccession
AnHistoricalCommentaryonCassiusDio’sRomanHistoryBooks
55 56(9B.C. A.D.14)
PeterMichaelSwan
GreekMythographyintheRomanWorld
AlanCameron
VirgilRecomposed
TheMythologicalandSecularCentosinAntiquity
ScottMcGill
RepresentingAgrippina
ConstructionsofFemalePowerintheEarlyRomanEmpire
JudithGinsburg
FiguringGenreinRomanSatire
CatherineKeane
Homer’sCosmicFabrication
ChoiceandDesignintheIliad
BruceHeiden
Hyperides
FuneralOration
JudsonHerrman
ReligionandReconciliationinGreekCities
TheSacredLawsofSelinusandCyrene
NoelRobertson
Religion and
Reconciliation
in Greek Cities
The Sacred Laws of Selinus and Cyrene
NOEL ROBERTSON
1
2010
3
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Robertson,Noel.
ReligionandreconciliationinGreekcities:thesacredlawsofSelinus
andCyrene/NoelRobertson.
p. cm. (AmericanPhilologicalAssociationAmericanclassicalstudies;v.54)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindexes.
ISBN978-0-19-539400-9
1. Selinus (Extinct city) Religious life and customs. 2. Rites and ceremonies Italy Selinus (Extinct
city) 3. Religiouslawandlegislation Italy Selinus(Extinctcity) 4. Religiouscalendars Italy Selinus
(Extinctcity) 5. Inscriptions,Greek Italy Selinus(Extinctcity) 6. Cyrene(Extinctcity) Religiouslife
andcustoms. 7. Ritesandceremonies Libya Cyrene(Extinctcity) 8. Religiouslawandlegislation
Libya Cyrene (Extinct city) 9. Religious calendars Libya Cyrene (Extinct city) 10. Inscriptions,
Greek Libya Cyrene(Extinctcity) 11. Religiouscalendars Greekreligion. I. Title.
BL793.S46R632009
292.08 dc22 2009002662
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
onacid-freepaper
For
E. L. R.
E. A. R.
S. A. R.
L. I. R.
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Preface
This book is an interpretation of two unusual documents of Greek religion,
which though of obvious importance have baffled understanding until now.
Both are ‘‘sacred laws’’ calling for certain rites to be performed; they would
normally be of interest to specialists alone. But in both, the variety of items
and the strangeness of some are unparalleled. It is because old customs
have been selected, and new occasions have been devised, so as to satisfy
and reconcile the unequal members of a traditional society, the few and
the many who are so often set against each other. Both documents are
tantamounttoareligiousreform,otherwisehardlyseeninGreekcities.
There have been three successive versions, differing considerably in the
material included. The original version was much improved by expert criti-
cism. Robert Parker at a busy time probed and queried much of it. An
authoritativereaderfortheAPAMonographCommitteesuppliedasearching
philological critique. Kathryn Gutzwiller, chair of the committee, tactfully
and patiently guided both revisions. After this long process, the book is
dedicated to four family members in gratitude for their unfailing interest
andforbearance.
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Contents
Abbreviations,xi
Introduction,3
PartI. AtSelinus,RulesthroughouttheYear
1. TheLeadTablet,15
2. DisplayingtheTablet,31
3. AHouseholdOffering,41
4. TheKotytiaandtheOlympicTruce,53
5. TheSolsticeFestivalatOlympia,69
6. ZeusEumeneˆsandtheEumenides,85
7. TheSemnaiTheai,105
8. ZeusMilichiosinSpring,129
9. BeforetheHarvest,143
10. TritopatreisFoulandPure,155
11. TritopatreisasWindGods,167
12. ZeusMilichiosinSummer,185