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dc.contributor.author
Petrogianni, Sofia
en
dc.date.accessioned
2015-05-29T13:35:22Z
dc.date.available
2015-09-27T05:56:19Z
dc.date.issued
2015-05-29
dc.identifier.uri
https://repository.ihu.edu.gr//xmlui/handle/11544/109
dc.rights
Default License
dc.title
The cult of deities of eastern origin in the Black Sea region
en
heal.type
masterThesis
heal.keyword
Dissertations, Academic
en
heal.language
en
heal.access
free
el
heal.license
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
heal.recordProvider
School of Humanities, MA in Black Sea & Eastern Mediterranean Studies
heal.publicationDate
2011
heal.bibliographicCitation
Petrogianni Sofia, 2011,The cult of deities of eastern origin in the Black Sea
region , Master's Dissertation, International Hellenic University
en
heal.abstract
The dissertation describes and analyses the most significant deities of eastern origin in the Black Sea region, a region where many different spheres of cultural and religious influence were displayed. It is a common sense that the Black Sea, a very important geographically area, with important neighboring countries (the Anatolian ones in our case) had and still has access to various religious and cultural notions from all over the world. Among them, the cults of eastern deities were penetrated from East to the Black Sea and managed to play a small or bigger role in the official and private religious life of the Greek colonists.
The paper deals with Cybele, Attis, Mithras and Mên, deities of eastern origin, either Phrygian or Indo-Iranian. The information provided upon their cults stems from archaeological data and epigraphic material, despite the fact that the material for some deities is not so extent. Their emergence begins from the Archaic or Classical Period and continues to the Roman era. The study is divided in four parts, one for each deity, describing the following: their historical background, some elements for their name origin and their functions, their iconography, syncretic characteristics and cult festivals for some of these deities. The last part of each chapter deals with the colonies of the Black Sea region: in which of them their cult appear and in what extent those deities were incorporated or not to the local Greek pantheon.
The examination of the most significant monuments and temples of Cybele, Attis, Mithras and Mên in the Black Sea region would make the target reader realize that the Greek settlers remained faithful to the Greek pantheon but at the same time they “welcomed” more or less the Anatolian cults, mainly, due to their resemblance to the Greek gods. Therefore, it will be obvious through our analysis that Greeks not only affected the eastern religious ideas and cults but were also affected by them, a process that could never be one-sided.
Finally, in order to accomplish our research, texts of ancient sources, images of the most important monuments or sanctuaries and a general map containing all the colonies of the Black Sea region, in which the above deities appear, are added in our dissertation for a better documentation of the discussed issues.
en
heal.tableOfContents
INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................6
Part A - Cybele.............................................................................................................8
1. General facts about the goddess Cybele................................................................8
1.1 Epithets and functions of the goddess..............................................................9
1.2 Iconography of Cybele...................................................................................12
1.3 Cybele - a syncretic deity...............................................................................13
2. Testimonia for the cult of Cybele in the Black Sea area: A territorium sacrum” of the goddess Cybele in the lake Durankulak (temple, offerings, ceremonial practices)..................................................................................................................14
3. The Pontic Mother of Gods in Dionysopolis.......................................................18
3.1 The temple.....................................................................................................18
3.2 Sculpture – Cybele and the Thracian Horseman............................................19
3.3 Rituals and dedications..................................................................................23
4. The cult of Cybele in the North Black Sea region...............................................24
4.1 Chersonesus...................................................................................................24
4.2 Olbia...............................................................................................................26
4.3 Panticapaion...................................................................................................30
4.4 Myrmekion.....................................................................................................31
4.5 Phanagoria (Taman Peninsula)......................................................................32
4.6 Gorgippia (Taman Peninsula)........................................................................33
4.7 Tanais.............................................................................................................34
5. The cult of Cybele in the West Black Sea region................................................34
5.1 Introduction....................................................................................................34
5.2 Histria.............................................................................................................35
5.3 Apollonia- Odessos........................................................................................37
5.4 Tomis.............................................................................................................39
5.5 Nikonion – Tyras...........................................................................................42
5.6 Kallatis...........................................................................................................43
5.7 Mesambria- Bizone........................................................................................45
6. Phasis (Cybele in the East Black Sea region)......................................................46
7. Summary..............................................................................................................47
3
Part B - Attis...............................................................................................................48
1. Introduction..........................................................................................................48
2. Name and epithets of Attis...................................................................................49
3. Mythical traditions...............................................................................................50
4. Iconography (posture, dress, attributes)...............................................................53
5. Attis in Greece.....................................................................................................58
6. Cult and festivals for Attis and Cybele................................................................60
7. Attis in the North Black Sea Region – Introduction............................................62
7.1 Panticapaion...................................................................................................63
7.2 Olbia...............................................................................................................65
7.3 Phanagoria (Taman Peninsula)......................................................................66
8. Attis in the West Black Sea region......................................................................67
8.1 Kallatis...........................................................................................................67
8.2 Odessos..........................................................................................................69
9. Summary..............................................................................................................70
Part C - A general view of Mithras..........................................................................72
1. Introduction..........................................................................................................72
2. Mithras background.............................................................................................73
2.1 The Persian Origin.........................................................................................73
2.2 The Roman Mithras.......................................................................................74
3. Mithras Birth........................................................................................................75
4. Main elements of the tauroctony scene:...............................................................78
4.1 The Mithraic cave..........................................................................................78
4.2 The four assistants..........................................................................................79
4.3 The torchbearers: Cautes and Cautopates......................................................80
4.4 Subordinate elements (fire, water, crater, winds, star and crescent)..............81
5. The Mithraic tauroctony: a star map....................................................................82
6. Mithras and the hypercosmic sun........................................................................82
7. The tauroctony image: a deeper approach...........................................................84
8. Mithras Ephippos.................................................................................................85
9. Mithraic rituals in Roman period.........................................................................87
10. Mithras in the North Black sea Region- Introduction........................................89
10.1 Olbia.............................................................................................................89
4
10.2 Panticapaion.................................................................................................91
10.3 Chersonesus.................................................................................................95
10.4 Gorgippia.....................................................................................................96
11. Mithras in the South Black Sea Region.............................................................96
11.1 Amisos.........................................................................................................96
11.2 Trapezus.......................................................................................................97
12. Mithras in the West and East Black Sea Region................................................98
12.1 Tomis...........................................................................................................98
12.2 Colchis (at the city site of Pichvnari)...........................................................99
13. Summary..........................................................................................................100
Part D - The god Mên..............................................................................................102
1. Introduction........................................................................................................102
2. Geographical and chronological scope..............................................................102
3. Name etymology................................................................................................103
4. Mên and his epithets..........................................................................................104
5. Functions and attributes of Mên........................................................................106
6. Iconography......................................................................................................109
7. A syncretic deity................................................................................................113
8. The god Mên in the North and South Black Sea Region...................................115
8.1 Panticapaion.................................................................................................115
8.2 Chersonesus.................................................................................................117
8.3 Amisos.........................................................................................................118
9. Summary............................................................................................................119
Conclusions................................................................................................................121
MAP OF EASTERN DEITIES IN THE BLACK SEA COLONIES........................125
Abbreviations.............................................................................................................126
General Bibliography.................................................................................................127
Bibliography-Cybele and Attis..................................................................................129
Websites.....................................................................................................................131
Bibliography-Mithras.................................................................................................131
Bibliography-Mên......................................................................................................132
en
heal.advisorName
Manakidou, As. Professor Eleni
en
heal.committeeMemberName
Manakidou, As. Professor Eleni
en
heal.committeeMemberName
Nigdelis, As. Professor. Pantelis
en
heal.committeeMemberName
Xydopoulos, As. Professor Yannis
en
heal.academicPublisher
School of Humanities, MA in Black Sea & Eastern Mediterranean Studies
en
heal.academicPublisherID
ihu
heal.numberOfPages
132
heal.fullTextAvailability
true
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