Objets dans les séquences onomastiques divines : présentifier dieux (et) choses en Syrie du Nord

Abstract

This article explores a particular strategy of naming gods within ancient polytheistic societies, namely when an object joins an onomastic sequence to build a god’s theonym itself. We will discuss the case of the Zeus of Antiochene, where in four different places of worship the gods share this same naming strategy: the name of Zeus never appears as one element alone, but always in an onomastic sequence associating his name with a second noun, not an adjective as is more common. These nouns belong to the same semantic field, namely objects/places of worship, two in particular referring to a Zeus Altar, in the forms Madbachos and Bômos. These objects could indicate a modality/space in which the divine power presentified by it is exerted, as for the divine image; a comparison with other similar cases suggests that the presentification of the god himself is actualized by means of the altar itself in space.

Keywords

• object
• Northern Syria
• altar
• onomastic sequence
• presentification