Komyria

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In ancient Greece, the Komyria were an annual two-day festival in honor of Zeus Komyros , which was celebrated in the Carian mountain village of Panamara near the city of Stratonikeia .

In Panamara, ruins of a temple of Zeus Panameros were found in the 19th century , which represented the cultic center of various communities that later joined together to form a koinon . A number of inscriptions that provide information about the cult practice have also been found there. In addition to the Komyria, the Panamereia , the festival of Zeus Panameros, and Heraia in honor of the goddess Hera Teleia were celebrated here, the Komyria were most likely the oldest of the three festivals. Next to the temple was a separate sanctuary called Komyrion .

The Komyria were a mystery cult that began with a solemn procession in which the cult image was carried from Stratonikeia to Panamara or shown around the Temenos . The priest carrying the cult image sat on a horse. The priests and priestesses then poured out wine and anointing oil, set up wooden huts for the strangers and distributed the offerings among the festival participants, even money was distributed. The men were then entertained in the Komyrion, while the women dined in the temple, while the slaves were entertained . Of the men, perhaps only by the ephebes , hair sacrifices were offered during the feast.

Since the Heraia was a festival for women, it would be expected that one would be presided over by priests and the other by priestesses. In fact, a pair of priests and a mystagogue were involved in each festival . The annually changing priests and priestesses were responsible for both the Komyria and the Panamereia, according to the prescript of an inscription they called themselves en Komyriois ( ἐν Κομυρίοις ) or en Heraiois ( ἐν Ἡραίοις ). If no one wanted to take over the priesthood, the decision of a god was invoked and sometimes a completely unprepared person was appointed to the priesthood.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Karl Scherling: Komyros . Sp. 1305.
  2. ^ A b Martin Persson Nilsson: Greek festivals of religious importance excluding the Attic . P. 28.
  3. ↑ a b c Karl Scherling: Komyros . Sp. 1306.
  4. ↑ Martin Persson Nilsson: Greek festivals of religious importance excluding the Attic . P. 29.
  5. ^ Karl Scherling: Komyros . Sp. 1307.