Cult of Demeter and Kore

THE CULT OF DIONYSOS IN ASIA MINOR
IN THE ROMAN IMPERIAL AGE

Making his presence, which can be traced long before the Archaic Age, deeply felt mainly in Hellas, Asia Minor and then in Rome throughout the ancient world, Dionysos, depending on the place and time, appears before us sometimes as a god of grape-wine, sometimes as a god of theatre and acting arts and sometimes as a religious power shaped according to the local needs, however, he has generally been a god of nature representing the fertility and abundance. According to the inscriptions, Dionysos was mentioned with many epithetons in Asia Minor of the Roman Imperial Age, and that he was a god of nature bringing abundance-fertility and his many other features can be observed by these epithetons. Depending on the long stated customs, the cult of Dionysos in Asia Minor survived throughout the Roman Imperial Age (especially in the II-III. Century A.D. with festivals, cult associations and structuring, artists (musicians, players, dancers) that served his cult. According to the written records, festivals such as Dionysia, Lēnaia, Anthestēria, Trietēris organized in the name of Dionysos were celebrated. Dance, music and play competitions were made in these festivals maintained by the rich citizens or directors and not commonly known cult rituals were performed. Besides the associations of synodos artists called by different names in different times in the large cities of the west, cult associations broad in scope such as thiasos, speira or cult member groups with large audience in various names were active both in worshipping and these festivals. In order to achieve this, undoubtedly, both artist associations and cult associations had to have a well organized governing structure. Names were given to the cult members according to the task taken. These members also had to pay a membership fee in order to be a member or to continue to be one. Actually, these fees were as important as the epimeletes in the mainta-nance of these associations. In addition, they were supported both mate-rially and spiritually by the Roman emperors or provincial governors. Although the paganic religious activities in the lands of Asia Minor under the control of Rome were left to the free will of the cities, they would not be strong without the respect shown for the cults of the emperors, emperor and the Roman goddess (Dea Roma). The worshipping of Dionysos could only develop with the close relations with the emperors and the Roman Empire. Correspondingly, supporting a paganic cult significant for the people, the Roman Empire gained the sympathy of the people and also kept them loyal to Rome. The deification of the Roman emperors began with General Marcus Antonius, who was wellcomed as “New Dionysos” on his arrival to Ephesos, and continued in the Roman Imperial Age. During this period the associations in Anazarbos, Ankyra, Ephesos, Teōs, Aphrodisias and Sardeis characterised Emperor Hadrianus, Commodus and Caracalla by this epitheton. Thus, they deified them by considering them equal with Dionysos. Dionysos also had common worship with imperial or Dea Roma cult besides the common paganic worship of Zeus and Dēmētēr. Like all other paganic religions, the cult of Dionysos broke down with the strengthening Christianity with which it had opposite doctrines and finally with the acceptance of Christianity as the official religion of the state. However, many features of the Dionysos cult continued to exist in Asia Minor both in Christian features and local cultures and traditions. Today it still continues this effect.

Arkaik Çağ’dan çok daha eskilere götürebildiğimiz varlığını, coğrafi olarak başta Hellas, Küçükasya ve sonraları Roma olmak üzere tüm Antik Çağ coğrafyasında etkin bir şekilde hissettiren Dionysos, yer ve zaman farkına bağlı olarak, bazı yerlerde üzüm-şarap tanrısı, bazılarında tiyatro ve sahne sanatlarının tanrısı, bazılarında ise yerel ihtiyaçlar doğrultusunda şekillendirilmiş dinsel bir güç olarak karşımıza çıkmıştır. Ama genel olarak bereket ve bolluğu temsil eden bir doğa tanrısı kimliğine sahip olmuştur. Yazıtlardan anlaşıldığına göre Roma İmparatorluk Çağı Küçükasyası’ nda birçok epitheton ile anılan Dionysos’un, bolluk-bereket getiren bir doğa tanrısı olduğu ve diğer başka özellikleri gene bu epitheton’larından anlaşılmaktadır. Küçükasya’daki Dionysos kültü Roma İmparatorluk Çağı boyunca (bilhassa M.S. II-III. yüzyılarda), öncesinden gelen bir geleneğe bağlı olarak şenlikleri, kült dernekleri ve yapılanması, kültüne hizmet eden sanatçıları (müzisyenler, oyuncular, dansçılar) ile varlığını sürdürmüştür. Yazılı belgelerden bu dönemde büyük ve zengin kentlerde hâlâ Dionysia, Lēnaia, Anthestēria, Trietēris gibi Dionysos adına tertiplenen şenliklerin kutlandığını; masrafları, epimeletes olarak bildiğimiz kentin zengin vatandaşları ya da yöneticileri tarafından karşılanan bu şenliklerde külte ilişkin dans, müzik ve oyun yarışmaların yapıldığını ve herkesçe bilinmeyen kült ritüellerinin uygulandığını öğrenmekteyiz. Bilhassa batı kesimlerdeki büyük kentlerdeki, farklı dönemlerde farklı isimlerle anılan synodos sanatçı derneklerinin yanında thiasos, speira gibi daha geniş kapsamlı kült dernekleri ya da en yaygını mystai olan çeşitli adlar altında toplanan geniş kitleli kült üye grupları hem tapınımda, hem de bu şenliklerde aktif olmuşlardır. Şüphesiz ki bunu gerçekleştirebilmek adına gerek sanatçı dernekleri gerekse kült dernekleri, iyi organize olmuş bir idari yapılanmaya sahip olmak durumundaydı. Bu derneklerde üstlendikleri görevlere göre adlandırılan kült üyelerinin, üye olabilmeleri veya üyeliklerini sürdü-rebilmeleri için ödemek zorunda oldukları aidatlar da vardı. Esasen bu derneklerin finansmanının karşılanmasında bu aidatlar, en az epimeletes’ ler kadar önemliydi. Ayrıca Roma imparatorlarının ya da eyalet yöneticilerinin hem manevi hem de maddi desteğini alıyorlardı. Zira bu dönemde Roma egemenliği altında bulunan Küçükasya topraklarındaki pagan dinsel yaşam her ne kadar kentlerin özgür iradesine bırakılmışsa da, imparatorlara, imparator ve Roma Tanrıçası (Dea Roma) kültüne gösterilen saygı olmaksızın güçlü kalamazdı. Küçükasya Dionysos tapınımı da, tamamıyla imparatorlar ve Roma İmparatorluğu ile kurulan güçlü bağlar sayesinde gelişebilmiştir. Bununla paralel olarak da Roma İmparatorluğu, halk için önemli olan pagan bir kültü destekleyerek, hem halkın sempatisini kazanmakta, hem de böylece onların Roma’ya olan bağlılığını sürdürmek amacını gütmekteydi. General Marcus Antonius’un Ephesos’a gelişinde “Yeni Dionysos” olarak karşılanmasıyla başlayan Romalı devlet adamlarını tanrılaştırma geleneği, Roma İmparatorluk Çağı’nda da sürmüş; bu dönemde özellikle Anazarbos, Ankyra, Ephesos, Teōs, Aphrodisias ve Sardeis’teki dernekler, İmparator Hadrianus, Commodus ve Caracalla’yı bu sıfatla nitelendirmişler, böylece onları Dionysos ile bir tutarak tanrılaştırmışlardır. İmparatorluk veya Dea Roma kültü ile ortak tapınımı da görülen Dionysos’un Zeus ve Dēmētēr gibi pagan tanrı-tanrıçalarla da ortak tapınımı söz konusudur. Diğer pagan dinler gibi Dionysos kültünün yıkımı da, öğretilerinin birbirine tamamen ters düştüğü Hıristiyanlık dininin güçlenmesiyle ve nihayetinde M.S. 391’de imparatorluğun resmî dini olmasıyla gerçekleşmiştir. Ancak Dionysos kültünün birçok unsuru, Küçükasya topraklarında, gerek Hıristiyanlık unsurlarında gerekse halk kültür ve geleneklerinde yaşamaya devam etmiştir. Bugün de bu etkisini göstermeye devam etmektedir."

SEG 60-1998. Religion. Dionysos: his cult in Asia Minor, Imperial period:
On the basis of archaeological, numismatic, and (mainly) epigraphic attestations, B.Öztürk,Roma imparatorluk çağı Küçükasaysı’nda Dionysos kültü (Istanbul 2010), studies the cult ofΔιόνυσος in Roman Asia Minor. After general remarks about the god, he presents a geographically arranged catalogue of the relevant inscriptions with brief comments (ph. of some texts). On 196-209, Ö. provides a register with explanations of the most important terms found in the inscriptions, and on 210/211 a list of epithets.

Impressive about the finds from ancient Erochos (mod. Polydrosso) in Phokis is the broad time-span they represent. Artistic production ranges from subtle bronze-work to terracotta figurines of rich typology and iconography. Located not far from Delphi, and likewise in the folds of Mt Parnassos, the shrine at Erochos predated the establishment of the Amphiktyony. Yet, apparently for political reasons, another sanctuary of Demeter, at Anthele, served as the alternative venue for the Amphiktyons' convention, to emphasize the Thessalian predominance among member-states of the council. Spatial arrangement and architectural layout are addressed in this paper, next to an evaluation of the sanctuary's proximity to the Great Isthmus Corridor. We explore aspects of cult, to identify the divinities worshipped at Erochos and their relation to the cult of Kephissos river, evident from the architectural remains by the river springs, close nearby. We then investigate whether this could have been the Thesmophorion (sanctuary of Demeter Lawgiver) referred to by Pausanias. In parallel, we examine epigraphic evidence while trying to explain the scarce reference to this site in ancient sources and its longevity as a religious centre, despite the (likely) assimilation of the settlement of Erochos by the neighbouring Lilaea. By employing a number of comparanda, some conclusions can be reached regarding the local pantheon and the nature of the sanctuary at Erochos, deeply rooted in the landscape, as well as its pilgrims of different origins reflected in the recovered votive offerings. A further aim of our study is to set this sanctuary against milestones in regional history, such as the devastation of Lilaea by Philip.

This international workshop aims to address the nexus of coin use and ritual practice in a diachronic approach that will cover the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. Discussions include both the religious agency of coins as objects and the human involvement in the mental and practical process of symbolically charging and selecting, depositing, and finally curating coins in a sacred context. Archaeologists, numismatists, and anthropologists will present their research and thus actively contribute to this timely topic.

Transkripsjon av skoleeksamen i ANT1104-Antikkens religion og mytologi, høst 2018, ved NTNU. Besvarelsen ble vurdert til karakteren A.

Eksamen foregikk den 21. desember 2018.

Skrivefeil i originaldokumentet er bevart, jeg tar forbehold om skrivefeil påført under transkripsjonen også.

On January 29, 2016 a Greek Hellenistic terracotta polycrome head representing Hades has been repatriated to Sicily from United States of America. In 2013 the J.P. Getty Museum announced the ‘voluntary’ return of the sculpture, after having verified its illicit provenance.
In the Getty collection since 1985, the terracotta head was stolen in the late Seventies from Morgantina, the archaeological site in Sicily famous all over the world because of other important returns of stolen goods from USA: the archaic acroliths in Tempelsman collection (2009), the silver treasure in the collection of MET in NY (2010) and the ‘Getty Aphrodite’ (2011).
The Getty Hades head was related to Morgantina after a research published in 2007 about some Greek terracotta votives in Aidone Archaeological Museum, where a little blue painted curl of Hades beard in the Getty collection was housed. So this blue curl in Aidone allowed to claim the repatriation of the head from USA.
My presentation will focus on Hades’head history, from the theft to the return to Italy, considering that at the moment this event is in the spotlight of international press and scientific community.

In Enheduanna’s hymns, Inanna’s title is Lady of All the Me. The Me, translated as ‘godly powers’ or ‘cosmic offices’ also suggests the “delicate balancing of order and disorder.” (QH: 29.) (QH: 19-38; IQ: 11-27; TOD.)

As the holder of the law, Inanna is a prototype of other law keepers and resources including: “the Tao in Chinese philosophy, the Dharma in Indian, Sophia in the Wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible, and the Gnostic Christian tradition,” plus Egyptian Maat of truth and justice who not only rebirths the gods, but “breathes life into the beginning of life.” (MG: 260-63.) Along with the cultivation of grain, Greek goddess Demeter also was known as the law–giver (Thesmophoros). (RC: 233.)

In my undergraduate thesis I explored the possibility that Ancient Greek fertility cults ritualized certain ethnobotanical practices that might today have been called "abortion," but at the time, would have been thought of in a very different way. A lack of very hard evidence leaves these suggestions speculative at best, however we know from modern comparative anthropological studies that every culture has some method or another of dealing with pregnancies that do not end in a living birth, and the near silence on this matter in the historical record and modern scholarship has left this a question worth asking.

In zes hoofdstukken en twee aanhangsels bespreekt Jan N. Bremmer inwijding in antieke mysteriën. In het eerste hoofdstuk en appendix 1 worden de Eleusinische Mysteriën besproken. Eleusis was een plaats in Attica, gelegen op ongeveer twintig kilometer ten noordwesten van Athene en deel uitmakend van de Atheense staat. Mythische overleveringen vertellen van oorlogen tussen Athene en Eleusis, die werden gevoerd ten tijde van koning Erechtheus en Theseus. Het heiligdom van Eleusis is een van de zeer zeldzame gewijde plaatsen, waarvan men met vrij grote zekerheid mag aannemen dat er reeds in de Myceense tijd erediensten werden gehouden. Niets bewijst echter dat in de Myceense tijd soortgelijke erediensten werden gehouden als in de Archaïsche en Klassieke tijd. Uit de documentatie die wij bezitten, blijkt dat de erediensten in Eleusis deel uitmaakten van de Atheense feestkalender. De vieringen van deze feesten waren zowel gebaseerd op het feit dat Eleusis deel uitmaakte van de Atheense staat, als op het feit dat deze plaats zich wezenlijk van Athene onderscheidde. De mysteriecultus van de graangodin Demeter ging uit van de gedachte dat een gelukzalig voortbestaan na de dood mogelijk was, althans voor ingewijden. Verder geven zij aan dat deze mysteriën zich richtten rond de mythe van Perséphoné, de dochter van Demeter (voorheen Korè), die eenderde deel van het jaar bij Hades in de onderwereld moest verblijven en tweederde deel op aarde. Haar oprijzen uit de onderwereld symboliseerde het ontkiemen van de korenhalm uit de stervende graankorrel. De cultus mogelijk dateert mogelijk uit het 2e millennium v.Chr. Zo als eerder opgemerkt vonden deze Eleusinische Mysteriën plaats in de maand Boèdromion. Het grote feest vond plaats in de herfst en het kleine feest (de terugkeer) in de lente. In de maand Boèdromion werden door Atheense jongelingen bepaalde 'heilige voorwerpen' (hiera) van Eleusis naar Athene gebracht. Nadat allerlei rituele handelingen waren verricht, trok daarna een processie naar Eleusis en bracht de heilige voorwerpen weer terug. Naast het beeld van de processie komen daarbij nog elementen als het baden in zee, offers van gewijde varkens waarvan het bloed als reinigingsmiddel werd gebruikt, vasten, fakkeldansen, het zingen van liederen en een geheime feestviering in de tempel van Demeter. Het doel van de mysteriën bij de inwijding van de aspirant-mysten was om hen met gewijde woorden inzicht en begrip te geven in de geheimen van de natuur en in de samenstelling van de kosmos. Een dramatische handeling waarin een priesteres de verdwijnende Korè voorstelde, maakte deel uit van de inwijding. Er werden klaagliederen voor Demeter en Perséphoné gezongen, en er werden heilige voorwerpen aan de in te wijden persoon getoond. Het aantal deelnemers was naar schatting tienduizend. De kleine mysteriën waren een voorbereiding op de grote en duurden drie dagen. Zij werden gevierd in Agrae, een kleine voorstad van Athene. Een bad in de rivier de Hissos en een reiniging met water maakten er deel van uit. Er waren na voldoende onderwijs door de mystagoog (de bewaarder van de geheimen) drie graden van inwijding. De eerste was

Morgantina in central Sicily has been the site of human activity since the Neolithic era and settlement since at least the Bronze Age.  However, the periods of its history best known to archaeologists are the Iron Age, Archaic, Hellenistic, and Roman.  Employing the settlement component of Franco De Angelis’ proposed model for understanding ancient state formation, this paper analyzes patterns in the settlement data across these periods according to categories of domestic, agoratic, sacred, and fortified space.  It concludes that Morgantina’s settlement type best fits that of a town.

This paper was developed as part of a group project in Dr. Franco De Angelis' Fall 2014 graduate seminar on the formation of the Greek polis.  Each student chose a topic in the areas of settlement, economy and society that bear upon state formation at Morgantina and were expected to make use of each other's research.  As such, this paper cites student presentations (in particularly that of Brad Morrison on demography) in addition to published academic sources.

The motif of the innocent maiden who is rescued from the underworld of the dead is codified in the Greek myth of Persephone, the desirable daughter of Zeus and of harvest-goddess Demeter. Persephone is often known simply as “the Maiden” (Greek Korē, Latin Cora). With Zeus’s tacit consent, Persephone was abducted by his brother Hades to become the queen of his subterranean kingdom of death, but pined for her former happy existence among the living, to which she was ultimately (albeit conditionally) restored. The myth provides an allegorical explanation for the seasons. The relevance of the Maiden’s return from the dead to the raising of Jairus’s daughter (korasion, “Little Korē”) by Jesus in Mark 5:25-34 was identified in 2001 by Roy Kotansky. Here, I suggest some additional possibilities. A hitherto baffling search-and-capture mission for “the maiden” that was undertaken in Eastern lands by the Tuatha Dé Danann – the major pantheon of the Irish Mythological Cycle – could well be a refraction of Persephone’s abduction and her mother’s agonized search for her. A charismatic historical personage known in her own time as la Pucelle, “the Maid,” but better known to us as Joan of Arc, also suffered capture and imprisonment. In fulfillment of mythic expectation, her execution in 1431 was followed a few years later by the appearance of a resurrected Joan, whose authenticity was widely attested. Like Demeter, it was Joan’s mother who triggered her daughter’s eventual redemption. The motif of the virtuous maiden trapped in a shadowy underworld from which she is eventually rescued persists in modern fiction, where its ancient roots are sometimes successfully obscured by a futuristic veneer. For example, in the blockbuster science fiction movie Tron: Legacy (2010), the young digital heroine Quorra (cf. Korē) – who longs for a human life in the warmth of the sun – overcomes a betrayal by the powerful algorithm Zuse (cf. Zeus) and brings new hope to the world with her liberation from the dark and chilling confines of the electronic universe known as “the Grid.”

Carecemos de una edición bilingüe griego-castellano de los Himnos homéricos, esa colección de 33 himnos de diferente extensión y fecha de composición diversa, que se asemejan entre sí por su lenguaje épico formulario, su metro (hexámetro épico) y, en cierta medida, su contenido. Este libro se propone colmar en parte esa laguna editando el segundo himno de la colección, dedicado a Deméter y uno de los cuatro llamados maiores junto con los himnos a Apolo, Hermes y Afrodita.

There is plenty of evidence to show how in the middle of the second millennium BC, groups near eastern peoples such as the Mitanni, the Kassites, & sub-groups such as the Manneans & the Gutians, were settl'd in what we now call Scotland. This then gives an appropriate background for the introduction of the Samothracian mysteries onto the island of Arran, where Machrie Moor is not only the single mult-zoned religious site on a British island, but whose etymology matches that of Demeter & Corrie.

This dissertation was written as part of the MA in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History of Macedonia held in the International Hellenic University. In recent years several studies have been made concerning the religious beliefs of Macedonians, none of them, however, focuses on the duo of Demeter and Persephone. So, the present paper would aim to examine different aspects of their worship in the area.Unfortunately, no literary sources describing them have survived. So, our study will be limited solely to the archaeological findings: the moveable artifacts and the architectural remains.
Firstly, the remains of the sanctuaries of Dion, Pella, Lete and Amphipolis will be described and conclusions regarding the content of the two goddesses’ worship will be drawn.
Subsequently, another area of the people’s life in which a religious belief could manifest itself will be explored; the one associated with their funerary customs and eschatological beliefs, in which Persephone is the protagonist. More specifically, the frescoes depicting her, found in the tomb of “Persephone” at Vergina, the tumulus Kasta at Amphipolis, the tomb of “Eurydice” at Vergina/Aigae and the one of the “Palmettes” along with their available contexts will be described and examined.
Lastly, a particular kind of grave offerings bearing the name of Persephone namely the gold lamellae that have been discovered in different parts of Macedonia and seem to have held a special meaning to their owners will be discussed.
Finally, the overall study of the data will lead to a conclusion concerning the importance of the deities for the citizens of Macedonia.
https://repository.ihu.edu.gr//xmlui/handle/11544/29833

This article offers a close reading of Yannis Ritsos’s dramatic monologue ‘Persephone’ (1972) and argues for the need to adopt a gender-sensitive perspective on Ritsos’s work, one that will do justice to his politics but that will also take on board the gendered imaginary and discourse he draws and depends on. ‘Persephone’ forms part of Ritsos’s wide-ranging engagement with classical myth in most of his mature writing, where gender and political issues are firmly intertwined or even serve as a metaphor for one another. In my reading of the poem, I argue that ‘Persephone’ dramatizes a female’s Oedipal momentum on her road towards individuation and social connectedness within the rigid framework of both the Greek military junta (1967-1974) and the post-Stalinist era. Engaging a psychoanalytic feminist framework enables us to involve the Lacanian legacy regarding the role that language primarily plays in the formation of subjectivity. I focus more particularly on the theoretical perspective of Luce Irigaray and Julia Kristeva, both of whom place classical myth at the centre of their explorations of the modern subject. Despite their fundamentally disparate projects, they both draw on Lacan’s reading of Freud in order to give rise to a fundamental change in the realm of the Symbolic. To view, then, Persephone as an Oedipal subject provides an excellent resource for exploring the heroine’s attempt to define herself as a woman, as a citizen, as a Greek, and as a human being, within a complex web of power and discursive realities.

The Greek word used in the title of this paper, ἁπόρρητα, conveniently translated as 'unspeakable', combines two strands of meaning: that which may not be spoken because it is a ritual secret, and that which may not be spoken because it is improper or obscene.

To the left of the Panathenaic Way as it winds up the steep northern slope of the Athenian Akropolis lies the City Eleusinion, a sanctuary of Demeter and Kore, linked ritually with Eleusis. When the Eleusinian Mysteries were held each September, the Sacred Objects brought on foot by priestesses from Eleusis were deposited in the City Eleusinion and kept there while the festival began and during the initial rituals in the Agora and in Piraeus. The Eleusinion and its Temple of Triptolemos are noted by Pausanias (although he was forbidden in a dream to describe it thoroughly). Excavations by the American School of Classical Studies in Athens during the late 1930s and 1950s uncovered the forecourt of the sanctuary, and the architecture, inscriptions, sculpture and other finds are presented in this volume. The book includes a chapter on the plemochoe, a ritual vessel used in the Eleusinian Mysteries.

This contribution intends to assess the web of intertextual references in Mary Shelley's drama "Proserpine" (1820), an early example of Romantic interest in revisionist mythology. The few critical efforts on the text focus on its transposition of the Ovidian narrative and its proto-feminist instances of mythical revisionism. Shelley's adaptation primarily concerns characterization, structure and intended audience. In light of Ostriker's (1980) suggestion that revisionist myth-making in women's literary production constitutes a significant reshaping of shared culture and personal identity, Proserpine generally reads as a tale of defiance against patriarchal violence. The thoroughness of the existing scholarship on its portrayal of gender performance calls for an evidence-based study of the text as a literary adaptation. With reference specifically to Ovid's episode of Proserpine's rape in the "Metamorphoses" 5.346 ff, the article assesses Shelley's analogue in light of its performative component.

Notre-Dame Déesse & Le Féminicide des Héros est un voyage dans le temps qui illumine notre société. Il est raconté par un homme âgé de culture moyenne, qui s’étonne à chaque pas, et rit, ou se met en colère, comme un enfant.

La quatrième de couverture annonce « Une vaste ‘déconstruction’ de croyances archéologiques au long du Fil d’Ariane : des temples néolithiques de Malte à la Grèce de l’âge du bronze et de l’époque classique. Un essai & un récit de voyage & un pamphlet tout-terrain, éducatif et rieur. À petites doses chaque soir, il peut être utile contre de vieux maux. »

Le parcours est résumé par un crieur de journaux :
« Découverte archéologique dévoile origine machisme, viol de groupe et féminicide ! »
Il a raison, mais ce n’est pas tout, et il n’a pas lu les 13 bonus tracks, ni répondu au quiz.

Après une diffusion ad personam qui a provoqué douleurs ou exultations en divers milieux, nous publions en exclusivité sur Academia.edu cette version de Notre-Dame Déesse & Le féminicide des Héros, complète et non censurée. Nous conseillons au lecteur de la télécharger tant qu'il est temps. Tôt ou tard, un éditeur avare demandera à l’auteur de la retirer de Academia.edu où le texte est disponible en trois langues, gratuitement. L’auteur courbera l’échine, parce que lui aussi aime l’argent.

Each of the nine days of initiation into the Eleusinian Mysteries of Demeter and Persephone at Athens and Eleusis is detailed here, for the scholar of Greek religion and for those who wish to recreate these rites today.  Using references from ancient Greek and Latin, we gain insights into the experiences of the initiates.

Epigraphic, numismatic, literary and archaeological sources do not seem to agree in the identification of the main goddess of Imperial Sardis. The traditional Artemis Sardiane disappears from the epigraphic evidence in the 1st century AD, and it is not attested on coin legends, although her temple undergoes reconstruction in the time of Antoninus Pius. The Chrysanthina games and an archaic Anatolian cult image appear
from the 1st century AD onwards as city symbols. Late in the 2nd century AD the image is accompanied by the legend Koraia Aktia on a coin, and other epigraphic evidence related to a goddess named Kore surfaces. Demeter is called the goddess of Sardis by Apollonius of Tyana; she symbolises the fertility of the city on coins of the 1st century AD in relation to the image of the emperors, and the Eleusinian myth
becomes a usual coin-motif. This paper re-evaluates the existing material and concludes that Artemis Sardiane is still the main goddess of Sardis in the Imperial period, while it tries to explain the relation between the three goddesses and the apparent inconsistencies in the sources, focusing on the use of ancient traditions, Hellenic identification and cult syncretism by the self-representation politics of the city.

Scriveva così, in età augustea, il greco Strabone nella sua Geografia, narrando che un gruppo di Siculi, noto col nome di Morgeti, cacciato dall'Italia meridionale per mano degli Enotri sul finire dell'età del Bronzo e trasferitosi in Sicilia, vi avrebbe fondato Morgantina 2 . Giunti nell'isola a più riprese e seguendo quelle stesse direttrici percorse alcuni secoli più tardi dai coloni greci, gli esuli italici si sarebbero mossi dalle aree costiere della Sicilia verso le zone più interne, occupando nel corso della prima età del Ferro (XI-IX secolo a.C.) la Cittadella 3 , avamposto proteso sulla vallata attraversata dal fiume Gornalunga (figg. 1-3). Su questo promontorio, grazie agli scavi condotti dalla Missione Archeologica Americana della Princeton University, sono venuti alla luce, infatti, i resti di un fiorente villaggio capannicolo dell'età del Ferro. La scelta della Cittadella rispondeva perfettamente alle esigenze -difensive ed insieme economiche -della comunità peninsulare dei Morgeti: la collina era naturalmente ben difesa su tre versanti (est, nord e sud) da scoscese pendici ed era posta a controllo di una ampia e fertile pianura che offriva risorse per la pastorizia e l'agricoltura, attività cui i Morgeti erano principalmente dediti. Le esigenze manifestate dai Morgeti nella scelta del sito erano, peraltro, comuni a quelle di altri gruppi umani contemporaneamente insediatisi altrove nella Sicilia interna, lasciando supporre, come ha recentemente osservato la Albanese Procelli 4 , una predilezione per i rilievi collinari, per le "alture isolate e difese naturalmente, che coniugano le esigenze del controllo del territorio e della viabilità a quelle dello sfruttamento agricolo dei suoli e della vicinanza a boschi e pascoli.". circolare. Interno cavo. Inedita. Databile al III secolo a.C.

Our Lady Goddess & The Femicide of the Heroes is a time travel illuminating our society. The tale is told by an old man of average culture, exclaiming in surprise at each step, and laughing, or getting angry, like a child.

The back cover announces « A vast “deconstruction” of archaeological beliefs along Ariadne's Thread: from Malta’s Neolithic temples to Bronze Age and classical Greece. An essay & a travel log & an educative, smiling, off-road pamphlet. Small doses every evening can help solve old problems.»

The newsboy makes a long story short:
«Archaeological find unveils origin of machismo, gang-rape and femicide!»
He is right, but there is much more to it, and he did not read the 13 bonus tracks, nor answered the quiz.

After a distribution ad personam that caused great pain or exultation in many fields, we publish here, as an exclusivity for Academia.edu, this full, uncensored version of Our Lady Goddess & The Femicide of the Heroes. We advise the reader to download it before it is too late. Sooner or later, some greedy publisher will ask the author to remove it from Academia.edu where it is available in three languages, for free. The author will bow down because he, too, loves money.

A dissertation submitted to the University of Bristol in accordance with the requirements for award of degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts. Department of Archaeology and Anthropology Date: 2015 Word Count: 184,523 AUTHOR'S DECLARATION "I declare that the work of this thesis was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the University and Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes and that it has not been submitted for any other academic award. Except where indicated by specific reference in the text, the work is the candidate's own work. Work done in collaboration with, or with the assistance of, others, is indicated as such. Any views expressed in the thesis are those of the author." Aynur-Michèle-Sara Karataş, 'The Sanctuaries of Demeter in Western Asia Minor and on the islands off the coast', University of Bristol, Doctoral Thesis. ABSTRACT This thesis examines the sanctuaries of the Greek goddess Demeter in Western Asia Minor and on the islands off the coast through a comparative approach that analyses archaeological and written sources across time and space. The research encompasses the region on Western Asia Minor that includes Troas, Aeolis, Ionia, Caria and the islands off the coast, from the Late Archaic to Roman periods. The analyses focuses on the architectural features of the shrines, the iconography of the dedicated votives and the epigraphic evidence for the cults of Demeter, Persephone and Hades. Cultic activities are analysed on the basis of archaeological material and

Quaderni di archeologia fenicio-punica/CM 02] [Alle sorgenti del Kothon] Il rito a Mozia nell'Area sacra di Baal 'Addir -Poseidon Lo scavo dei pozzi sacri nel Settore C Sud-Ovest (2006-2011) [di Lorenzo Nigro e Federica Spagnoli] [con contributi di Francesca Alhaique, Francesco Guizzi, Ingrid Melandri] ROMA 2012 MOTYE Università di Roma «La Sapienza» Dipartimento Scienze dell'Antichità Sezione di Orientalistica Missione archeologica a Mozia [Quaderni di archeologia fenicio-punica/CM 02] www.lasapienzamozia.it Una collana sottomessa a revisori e a un comitato scientifico dedicata all'Archeologia di Mozia e alla cultura fenicia e punica nel Mediterraneo. A peer-review series dedicated to the Archaeology of Motye and the Phoenician and Punic culture in the Mediterranean. QAFP/Colour Monograph è la collana di volumi a colori connessa alla serie "Quaderni di Archeologia fenicio-punica", dedicata alla pubblicazione dei risultati delle indagini archeologiche e degli studi condotti dalla Missione archeologica a Mozia, la città fenicia e punica della Sicilia Occidentale. Le ricerche a Mozia sono condotte in convenzione con l'Assessorato Regionale dei Beni e dell'Identità Siciliana, secondo la convenzione stipulata con la Soprintendenza di Trapani. QAFP/Colour Monograph is the colour monograph series related with "Quaderni di Archeologia feniciopunica", the series devoted to the publication of results of archaeological investigations and studies carried on by Rome "La Sapienza" Expedition to Motye, the Phoenician and Punic city in Western Sicily. Researches at Motye are carried out under the aegis of the Assessorato Regionale dei Beni e dell'Identità Siciliana according to the agreement established with the Superintendency of Trapani. Lorenzo NIGRO e Federica SPAGNOLI Alle sorgenti del Kothon. Il rito a Mozia nell'Area sacra di Baal 'Addir -Poseidon. Lo scavo dei pozzi sacri nel Settore C Sud-Ovest (2006-2011) (= Quaderni di Archeologia Fenicio-Punica, Colour Monograph 02) 

Archaeological excavations on a rocky promontory in ancient Apollonia Pontica (present-day Sozopol on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast) revealed a cultural layer that was characterized by abundance of small vases of closed shapes and of fragmentary terracotta figurines, suggesting votive practices in a sanctuary. The assemblage of finds indicates a goddess, with qualities that are typical of sanctuaries of Demeter (and Kore). The article discusses the pottery from the site in terms of chronology and functions. The earliest finds date from the second quarter of the 6th century BC, with a visible upsurge in the deposition of pottery in the second half of the century. The sanctuary’s functioning could be traced without interruption at least until the later 4th century BC, with a visible decline in the quantity of the materials in the Early Hellenistic Period. A defining characteristic of the votive practices was the deposition of small-scale (or ‘miniature’) vases of closed shapes – mainly olpai in the Archaic Period and plain juglets, hydriskoi and amphoriskoi in Classical times. The transition from mainly imported votives to coarser and presumably locally made ones happened in the first half of the 5th century BC. The repertoire hints at various liquids, brought as offerings – water, wine, possibly oil. Along with the votives, the site yielded also significant quantities of tableware and kitchenware, indicating preparation and consumption of food and wine in the sanctuary, and communal feasts that were typical of Demeter’s festivals.

τῆςῆτε δῆ Περσεῆς κεφαλῆν ῆπεδειροτόμησεν, ῆξέθορε Χρυσάορ τε μέγας καῆ Πήγασος ῆππος» (Esiodo, Teogonia, vv. 280-281) Abstract: Ampio excursus sul motivo delle Gorgoni e dei cavalli attraverso varie fonti documentarie, soprattutto dal mito e dalle arti figurative dell'età orientalizzante e arcaica 1 Questo contributo è frutto della rielaborazione delle ricerche pregresse dell'autore, effettuate durante la compilazione della sua tesi di laurea triennale in Storia e tutela dei Beni Archeologici (Gorgoni e cavalli nell'arte greca di età orientalizzante e arcaica, Università degli Studi di Firenze, 30 aprile 2010). 2 Iliade, XI, vv. 36-37. 3 Odissea, XI, vv. 630-635. 1 costretto ad abbandonare la ricerca delle ombre di Teseo e Piritoo per il timore di imbattersi nella testa mostruosa della Gorgone, inviatagli, dalle profondità dell'Ade, dalla regina Persefone 4 . Il volto della Gorgone (Gorgòneion), dunque, pare mostrarsi fin dai primordi della civiltà greca come un elemento a sé stante, privo di una propria corporeità e associato a emozioni negative quali il terrore e la paura. Successivamente Esiodo, il poeta dell'Elicona, sceglie di tessere la storia di questa entità mostruosa, conferendo alla più generica Gorgone l'identità mitologica di Medusa 5 e inserendola all'interno della progenie divina di Forci e Ceto, insieme con le sorelle Stenno ed Euriale 6 . Nel campo dell'archeologia e delle arti figurative, al contrario, uno dei più antichi esempi di volto dai tratti gorgonici 7 è stato spesso identificato dagli studiosi 8 nella colossale testa fittile proveniente da Tirinto, datata intorno alla metà del VII secolo a.C. e ancora mostrante, nelle forme, i tratti di una tipologia figurativa in evoluzione, contraddistinta da caratteristiche malsicure 9 . Come non manca di sottolineare anche Riccioni 10 , la definizione degli elementi numinosi in gruppi triadici ritorna spesso nel mito e nel culto greco, soprattutto per divinità femminili,come nel caso delle Cariti, delle Moire o delle Erinni 11 . Tuttavia, per quanto concerne la Gorgone Medusa ci 4 Un'analoga funzione di "guardiana" della città di Dite, preposta alla cacciata degli intrusi, è assegnata alla Gorgone Medusa anche da Dante Alighieri, all'interno della sua Divina Commedia (Inferno, IX, vv. 34-66). 5 Sulle modalità di formazione del mito di Medusa si vedano, in generale, G. RICCIONI, Origine e sviluppo del Gorgoneion e del mito della Gorgone-Medusa nell'arte greca, in «Rivista dell'Istituto Nazionale di Archeologia e Storia dell'Arte», Vol. 18, n°9, pp. 127-206 e J. H. CROON, The mask of the underworld demon: some remarks on the Perseus-Gorgon story, in «Journal of Hellenic Studies», LXXV, 1955, pp. 9-16, ma merita attenzione anche il riesame delle problematiche inerenti il volto mostruoso di Medusa recentemente proposto da I. BAGLIONI, La maschera di Medusa. Considerazioni sull'iconografia arcaica di Gorgo, in I. BAGLIONI (a cura di), "Storia delle religioni e archeologia. Discipline a confronto", Roma, Alpes, 2010, pp. 65-72. 6 Teogonia, vv. 270-276. 7 Si deve tuttavia precisare come, secondo alcuni studiosi, prototipi di maschere assimilabili al Gorgoneion greco siano già individuabili nelle produzioni glittiche della Creta minoica (MM II): si considerino, in proposito, J. WEINGARTEN, Aspects of tradition and innovation in the work of Zakro Master, in «Bulletin de Corrispondance Hellénique», Suppl. 11, 1985, pp. 167-180 (in particolare, p. 168) e A. M. JASINK, Cretan Hieroglyphic Seals. A new classification of symbols and ornamental/filling motifs, Roma, Fabrizio Serra Ed., 2009, pp. 146-147, nn° 280γ e 297α. Per una possibile presenza del mito di Perseo e Medusa nelle decorazioni incise sui sigilli del periodo miceneo, si veda Σ. ΜΑΡΙΝΆΤΟΥ, Γοργόνες καὶ Γοργόνεια, in «Αρχαιολογική Εφημερίς», 1927-28, pp. 7-41 (in particolare, pp. 28-38). 8 R. BIANCHI BANDINELLI, E. PARIBENI, L'arte dell'Antichità Classica -Grecia, Torino, UTET, 1976, n°119 (le schede citate in questa sede sono tutte da considerarsi a cura di E. Paribeni). Sulle problematiche inerenti l'evoluzione del Gorgoneion, si veda, in generale, anche M. D'ACUNTO, Il gorgoneion in pietra da Axòs e la modificazione del tipo a Creta tra modelli orientali e greci, in «Annali di Archeologia e Storia Antica», n°8, 2001, pp. 47-64 (in particolare, sul caso della maschera di Tirinto, pp. 51-52). 9

Antik zamanlardan bu yana gizemlerin merkezi olarak geçen yerlerden biri de Eleusis’tir. Tibet’le, Delphi’yle, Antik Mısır’la ve daha pek çok bölgeyle ilişkilendirilen, herkese açık olmadığını ve keşfedilmesi gereken bir cevher barındırdığını ima eden “gizem” ifadesi, böyle merkezlerden uzak 21. yy’ın küresel kültürümüz için şu an ne ifade etmektedir?
“Gizem”denilen şey, halktan saklı bir bilgelik midir? Hem doğu hem de batı kültürü karşılaştırmalı olarak çalışıldığında ortaya çıkan sonuç, belli yerlerle ilişkilendirilmiş bu kavramın insanlıktan saklanan belli bir bilgelik olduğundan ziyade, bir iç bilgeliğin uyanması için gerekli koşulların sağlandığı merkezler olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Çünkü bilgelik, bahşedilen, verilen ya da saklanan bir tür teorik bilgi değil, yaşama dair edinilmesi ve kazanılması gereken bir tamlık halidir. Bu

Otuz yılı aşkın bir süre önce Kölnlü hocalarım Reinhold Merkelbach ve Ludwig Koenen, beni antik gizem dinleriyle tanıştırdı. Hocalarım bu tanışıklığı, filolog olarak, edebi metinleri ve papirüsleri çevirerek desteklediler. Böylece çalışmalarım esnasında ve akademik gelişimimde beni hiç terk etmeyen bir çalışma ortamı oluştu. Bu kısa çalışmanın amacı, genel Eski Çağ tarihi bağlamında bir din tarihi olgusunu anlaşılır hale getirmektir. Kitap, bilgiyi sadece tarihi olaylar ve gelişmeler bağlamında aktarmamış, aynı zamanda gerekli araçlara ve kullanılan yöntemlere de dikkat çekmeyi amaçlamıştır. Mevcut sınırlı alan göz önüne alındığında, bunun başarılı olup olmadığına karar vermek okurlara kalmıştır. Kitabın taslağını hazırladıkları için Renate Brock, Claudia Haase’ye aynı zamanda Bremen şehrine, C.H. Beck Yayınevi çalışanlarına, özellikle Dr. Stefan von der Lahr’a, tavsiyeler ve son düzenlemeler için teşekkür ederim.

Nelle fonti sul Pitagorismo antico, la dottrina escatologica della metempsicosi, riguardante la continuità della vita oltre la morte attraverso successive rinascite sotto forma di esseri differenti, 1 sembra talvolta intrecciarsi con le credenze orfiche che individuano nella felicità ultraterrena il destino ultimo per gli iniziati, sebbene questo aspetto sia escluso nella maggior parte delle testimonianze. 2 La complessa problematica relativa all'influsso dell'Orfismo sui Pitagorici, 3 che si * I frammenti orfici di seguito citati fanno riferimento all'edizione di A. Bernabé (A. Bernabé (Ed.), Poetae Epici Graeci. II, München -Leipzig 2004. Le traduzioni sono mie, tranne ove sia diversamente indicato.