Hērōs ed hērōikai timai nel mondo greco ellenistico e imperiale: semantica e prassi, attori e contesti

Abstract

This paper deals with the evolution of heroic cults and honours in the Greek world in the Hellenistic and Imperial periods from the point of view of textual sources (epigraphic and literary texts). The discussion of the occurrences of the word hērōs and of its related terms, which aims at identifying variations across time and media, combines with an attentive analysis of the discursive and pragmatic contexts where these words are used. The scope of this contribution therefore encompasses topics such as the perception of the relationship between old and new heroes, the legal features characterizing a tomb as ‘heroic’, the definition of the imaginaire of a heroic afterlife, and the socio-economic implications of the institution and administration of cultic honours for the dead, in the public sphere as well as in private family associations. The broad spectrum of use which concerns the words connected with the semantic sphere of hērōs confirms the vitality of this aspect of post-classical Greek religion, compellingly suggesting that we should replace the idea of decline and metaphorization of the category of hero with that of the broadening of the social and cultural contexts of its application. This tendency of course entailed a series of adaptations of the semantic sphere of hērōs to the new needs and agendas of the involved agents, without, however, depriving this word of its long-lasting religious significance.

Keywords

• heroic honours
• textual evidence
• old/new heroes
• cultic associations
• tomb and afterlife