Search engine for discovering works of Art, research articles, and books related to Art and Culture
Javascript must be enabled to continue!
Sketches in the Religious Antiquities of Asia Minor
View through CrossRef
It is well known that in pre-Greek time a large part of Asia Minor was portioned out in theocracies, i.e. priest-kings representing the god, at great sanctuaries ruled over a considerable district whose population were servants and subjects of the central hieron. Such were Pessinus, Comana Pontica, Comana of Cappadocia, Venasa, Tyana, Antioch of Pisidia, the hieron of Sabazios in the Milyadic country, etc. It would appear to be a necessary characteristic of such a theocracy that there should be only one centre, one hieron, one sanctuary. In the case of Antioch, however, this seems not to have been the case. Strabo, p. 577, indeed describes the hieron at Antioch as if it were a single centre ruling a wide tract of country peopled by a large population; but in p. 557 he says that there were two sanctuaries in the Antiochian country, ‘the hieron of the Askaian (Men), which is beside Antioch-towards-Pisidia, and the hieron (of Men) in the region of the Antiochians.’ The meaning of ‘the region of the Antiochians’ as a geographical term I hope shortly to discuss in the Journal of Roman Studies, and will only say here that it applies to the entire Phrygian region of the Galatic province, of which Antioch was the metropolis. But why has Antioch apparently two hiera? Why has this ancient theocracy two seats of the god?
Title: Sketches in the Religious Antiquities of Asia Minor
Description:
It is well known that in pre-Greek time a large part of Asia Minor was portioned out in theocracies, i.
e.
priest-kings representing the god, at great sanctuaries ruled over a considerable district whose population were servants and subjects of the central hieron.
Such were Pessinus, Comana Pontica, Comana of Cappadocia, Venasa, Tyana, Antioch of Pisidia, the hieron of Sabazios in the Milyadic country, etc.
It would appear to be a necessary characteristic of such a theocracy that there should be only one centre, one hieron, one sanctuary.
In the case of Antioch, however, this seems not to have been the case.
Strabo, p.
577, indeed describes the hieron at Antioch as if it were a single centre ruling a wide tract of country peopled by a large population; but in p.
557 he says that there were two sanctuaries in the Antiochian country, ‘the hieron of the Askaian (Men), which is beside Antioch-towards-Pisidia, and the hieron (of Men) in the region of the Antiochians.
’ The meaning of ‘the region of the Antiochians’ as a geographical term I hope shortly to discuss in the Journal of Roman Studies, and will only say here that it applies to the entire Phrygian region of the Galatic province, of which Antioch was the metropolis.
But why has Antioch apparently two hiera? Why has this ancient theocracy two seats of the god?.
Related Results
Minor matters of major importance:1 On the vicissitudes of minor painting
Minor matters of major importance:1 On the vicissitudes of minor painting
This introductory editorial surveys a range of minor painting practices. It considers how minor painting might be defined, not in order to fix its designation, but to assess its im...
Religious Faith and Prometheus
Religious Faith and Prometheus
Recent philosophy of religion, particularly neo-Wittgensteinian philosophy of religion, has reminded philosophers that there is more to religion than belief and, indeed, that there...
antiquities market we deserve: 'Royal-Athena Galleries' (1942-2020)
antiquities market we deserve: 'Royal-Athena Galleries' (1942-2020)
On September 13, 2020 a quarter of a century had elapsed since the Swiss and Italian authorities raid in the Free Port of Geneva, on the warehouses of Giacomo Medici, later convict...
The Cults of Alexander the Great in the Greek Cities of Asia Minor
The Cults of Alexander the Great in the Greek Cities of Asia Minor
Summary:
The paper deals with the cults of Alexander the Great in the Greek cities of Asia Minor (on the coast and the nearby islands). The author argues that althou...
Compositional science and religious philosophy
Compositional science and religious philosophy
Religious thought often assumes that the principle of physical causal completeness (PCC) is false. But those who explicitly deny or doubt PCC, including William Alston, W. D. Hart,...
Inscriptions from Eastern Asia Minor
Inscriptions from Eastern Asia Minor
The following inscriptions are some of the epigraphical results of three journeys in Eastern Asia Minor. The first two of these, in which Prof. W. M. Ramsay, Mr. D. G. Hogarth, the...
Exploration in Asia Minor during 1898: First Report
Exploration in Asia Minor during 1898: First Report
A scheme of exploration in the central and eastern parts of Asia Minor was inaugurated last year by a series of journeys in Phrygia, the main results of which have been published i...
The Road-System of Eastern Asia Minor with the Evidence of Byzantine Campaigns
The Road-System of Eastern Asia Minor with the Evidence of Byzantine Campaigns
Of late years a good deal of discussion has been devoted to the Road-System of Cappadocia and the Tauros region in ancient times, and it might seem at first sight superfluous to di...