Orgeones

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Orgeones or Orgeiones ( ancient Greek ὀργεῶνες orgeônes , ὀργειῶνες orgeiônes , singular ὀργεών orgeṓn , "performers of Orgia ") were private associations of unrelated persons for the worship of heroes or smaller deities in ancient Greece .

The oldest Orgeones are from the 4th century BC. Passed down inscriptions in Attica , where they appear as executors of hero cults . In contrast to the phratria , they did not trace their cult back to a common mythical ancestor and thus offered themselves as cult communities for people who did not belong to a genos or for newcomers. However, members of the genes could also join such a cult community. Tasks that were otherwise only performed by the genes, such as the burial of the deceased, were performed for familyless members by the Orgeon. Admission to an Orgeon was often associated with adoption by one of its members.

With the adoption of members of a phratry, the boundaries between cult associations became increasingly fluid. In addition, Gene, Thiasoi and Orgeones sometimes joined forces to worship a common hero or god, which makes the identification of individual groups difficult and sometimes impossible at a later date. The existence of individual Orgeones is documented, however, until Roman times.

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