The sacred law of Andania : a new text with commentary on the sanctuary and cult

The inscribed text referred to as the sacred law of Andania contains almost 200 lines of regulations about a mystery festival and the sanctuary in which it took place. Although it concerns one annual festival in Messenia, it imparts information relevant to the general nature of sanctuary activity and the issues that were important in the routine management of cult. This book contributes to the recent shift in scholarship that has sought to view sanctuaries as more than simply settings for temples, but as locations created and affected by people's various needs, activities, and agendas. This examination of the inscription includes a new and accurate edition of its text with full critical apparatus, an English translation, and copious images of the stone. The accompanying introduction and commentary incorporate literary and epigraphical comparanda and on-site topographical research to present a holistic view of the cultic regulations in their historical and geographical context. Preface 9 Introduction 13 Chapter I: The Text and its Context 13 1. The Diagramma 13 2. The Date of the Diagramma 15 3. The Context of the Diagramma 23 4. The Mystery Festival 28 4.1 Contents of the Festival 28 4.2 Deities 29 4.3 Officials 34 4.4 Participants 39 4.5 Conclusion: The Mysteries Reconstructed 40 Chapter II: Topography: The Site of Andania and the Karneiasion 45 1. The Location of the City and Sanctuary 45 2. The Sanctuary 53 3. The Procession 61 3.1 Origin and Route 61 3.2 Walking Directions from Messene to the Divari Spring 69 4. Current Location of the Diagramma 70 Chapter III: The Inscription 72 Physical and Epigraphic Description 72 Text and Translation 77 Commentary 109 § 1. Oaths 110 § 2. Transferal 116 § 3–5. Dress 119 § 3. Wreaths 122 § 4. Clothing 125 § 5. Oath of the Gynaikonomos 145 § 6. Procession 146 § 7–8. Tents 154 § 7. Concerning Tents 155 § 8. The Things Which One Must Not Have in the Tents 160 § 9–10. Order Kept by Rhabdophoroi 161 § 9. Concerning Those Who Are Disorderly 163 § 10. Concerning Rhabdophoroi 164 § 11. About Funds 165 § 12. Supplying of Sacrificial Animals 176 § 13. Artisans 188 § 14. Crimes 192 § 15. Cutting Wood in the Sanctuary 196 § 16. Slave Refuge 199 § 17. Fountain 206 § 18. Treasuries 211 § 19. Sacred Meal 217 § 20. Market 226 § 21–22. Water, Bath and Ointments 231 § 21. Water 234 § 22. Bath and Ointments 235 § 23. Reporting of Sunesis 238 § 24. Copy of the Diagramma 242 § 25. The Ten 246 § 26. Unwritten Matters 252 Appendix: An Oracle Inscription Concerning the Mysteries 255 Abbreviations 257 Bibliography 259 List of Figures 283 Indices 285 1. Index Verborum 285 2. Ancient Sources 290 3. General Index 296 Plates 299 "The inscribed text referred to as the sacred law of Andania contains almost 200 lines of regulations about a mystery festival and the sanctuary in which it took place. Although it concerns one annual festival in Messenia, it imparts information relevant to the general nature of sanctuary activity and the issues that were important in the routine management of cult. This book contributes to the recent shift in scholarship that has sought to view sanctuaries as more than simply settings for temples, but as locations created and affected by people's various needs, activities, and agendas. This examination of the inscription includes a new and accurate edition of its text with full critical apparatus, an English translation, and copious images of the stone. The accompanying introduction and commentary incorporate literary and epigraphical comparanda and on-site topographical research to present a holistic view of the cultic regulations in their historical and geographical context."--Publisher's website The inscribed text referred to as the sacred law of Andania contains almost 200 lines of regulations about a mystery festival and the sanctuary in which it took place. This book presents a new edition of the inscription and examines its rules in the wider context of Greek religious law and the management of sacred space. The regulations touch on a range of issues including finance, pollution, and the role of women, so that this study can be used as a handbook on the daily life of Greek religion