Gephyra (Nov 2023)
Kommemorativinschrift anlässlich der Stiftung von Opferfesten und Weihgaben durch einen Familienverband im Heiligtum von Dabla
Abstract
This article is a continuation of the article published in the previous issue of Gephyra (Staab - Akyürek Şahin - Uzunoğlu 2023). The article analyses an inscription from the village of Ahmetler in the Pazaryeri district of Bilecik province, which was recorded by the Bilecik Museum authorities. The stone is not in the Bilecik Museum today but is probably still in the wall where it was built. The inscription was read from the photograph taken by the museum authorities, but the stone itself was not seen. The inscription is an epigram written in hexameter verse. The first two lines of the epigram are missing and probably remained under the cement on the wall. However, the rest of the lines are almost complete except line 1, which is poorly preserved. Since the stone was built into a wall, it is not clear whether the inscription carrier was an altar or a stele. The person named Onesikrates, mentioned in lines 3 and 4 of the inscription, played an important role in this inscription. This person is the uncle of Hermias, the young Onesikrates and Ulpianus. It is understood that the uncle Onesikrates was the head of the family group mentioned in the poem. It is not known whether he took over the care of his nephews after the death of their father and whether they therefore all belonged to the same household. In any case, here as elsewhere, third-degree kinship reflects close family ties, especially in rural social structures. The uncle Onesicrates, who was also a soldier, appears as a central figure, and all the nephews mentioned are included in his oath or prayer. In line 4, the addressee, addressed in the second person (σύ θ᾿), must be the (local?) deity of the (local?) sanctuary of Dabla, to whom the wish to bestow property on the named individuals is expressed. It is known from the inscriptions that Zeus Bennios or Zeus Bronton was worshipped in this region. This inscription may have been erected in the sanctuary of one of these two gods. The article analyses the phrase Δαβλόνῳ παρὰ νηῷ in line 9 of the inscription and suggests that the name of the settlement may be Dabla. The inscription poetically describes the full financing of the three sacrificial feasts. The poem itself is thus identified as an expression of this praise for the donors.
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