On the "Lex Sacra" of the Deme Phrearrhioi Sokolowski, Franciszek Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies; Summer 1971; 12, 2; ProQuest pg. 217

On the Lex Sacra of the 
Deme Phrearrhioi 

F. Sokolowski 

RECENTLY Eugene Vanderpool published in Hesperia (39 [1970] 
47-53) an inscription from Attica displaying certain rules of 
cult. The document has there been fully described, carefully 

studied and edited with an important comment and photograph. 
Here I shall try only to restore the inscription and explain certain 
details of it.l Because of the stoichedon writing it is easy to supplement 
a few lines and thus to get an idea of the size of the lost part. It seems 
to me that lines 5-7, 11-12, 15, 19 and 21 can be supplemented with 
great probability, giving a line of 35 letters. Consequently I read the 
inscription as follows: 

E.M. 13,384 III CENT. B.C. 

[- - TWV L€]p07T0tWV Q:[ ......•.•. Tfjt Ll~]­
[fL7]Tpt @€qw J4>6pWt ~v 7Tp[ 08v6vTWcaV KaL TfjC J 
[EOPTfjC 7Tp JQtCn:lVTWCaV KQ:[L 7Tap€x6vTwcav fL] -
[€T(~ A.al.L7T ]&Soc TWt AafL7TaS€t[ WL A.VXVOVC T&S€] 

5 [LEpEwc]vva' KwA.fjV, 7TA.€vp6v, l<c)X[{ov, I I· ol SE lE] -
[p07TOL]oL KaL a KfjpV~ Satvva8w[cav- ofLotwc SE] 
[TWt nJ~OVTWVt 8v6vTwcav Kp[U)V ~ otv' TOLC SE] 
[S7]fL J6TatC fL€Ta TWV aA.A.wv KaL v [Ta 7"t8~fLEVa e] -
[17'1, T ]ov ev TWt ' EA.€v< c )tV{Wt {3wfL6v' [0 15' aVToLc aK] -

10 [0A. ]ov8wfL l€P07T0LOC apdTw TaC [avTov fLEptS] -
[ '] "" .. , '[" , , ] ac E 71'€toaV aL LEp€Lat 7T0L7JCW ct Ta L€pa Ta T -
[wv] tPp€a<p )p{wv 8v6vTwcav Tfjt LlnE/L7]Tpt @€CfLO] -
[4>6]<p )Wt KaL Tfjt K6p7Jt {3ovfL app€[va Kat. 7Tp6{3aT] -
[ov] ~at. eeXv 7"t a'\A.o {306'\wvTat vv [Kat. 86€tV v6] -

1 The following abbreviations are used in this paper: LSA=F. Sokolowski, Lois Sacrees de 
I'Asie Mineure (Paris 1955); LSG=Idem, Lois Sacrees des cites grecques (Paris 1969); LSS=Idem, 
Lois Sacrees des cites grecques, Supplement (Paris 1962). Professor E. Vanderpool has kindly 
read this paper. His advice and criticism have been helpful to the writer. 

217 



218 ON THE LEX SACRA OF THE DEME PHREARRHIOI 

15 ILL<P,)OIl €cnll' bTl. DE TOVC f3wfl-ov[ C 7TapanO€lIa] -

L jL~povc, fl-acxaAlcfl-aTa, ~fl-[K<p)a[tpall, c&pKa, jL] -
1 \ I t I [ " ~ '] TJpovc, fl-acxalltCfl-a'Ta, TJf.LtKpaLp all, Kp€a, 'Ta O€ 

" - f3 -, - 'E') I [ '" - ] €7T£ 'TOU WjLOU €V TWt II€VctVLW £, 'Ta €7T£ 'TW£ 'T -

OU IIAov'TwIIOC j3wfl-w£' l€p€u',cvv[ a 'T&S€ (X7rJ afl-cP] -

20 OLII TWII j3w<f.L)wv 'Tij£ l€pdat Ka[£ TWt t€P€L' 7TA€] -
I , I III - < I [< 1 , l:.] VpOIl, LCXtOlI, TOV L€P€WV €KaCTOV 7TPOC ~ -

1\ "\ 1 [ 1 c:- \ \ -] vila €7TL TOll XV'TPOV' 7Tap~ XOIl'TWcav O€ 7TPOC 'TTJ -

£ aVAijL TOU ' EA€VCLII[O[ v €lc all&O€jLa 7T€PLXP] -

Vcr TJ]1I DaLDa Ka£ TWL IJ~[ .............. 'T~1I D] -

25 atDa DL86vTwcav' F[. . . . . . . . . 0 DE 'Tijc I:€f.L€A] -

[TJ]c Kat. TOU 'I&KXov i[€pdc 7TPOKPLII€TW 'Tp&yo] -

[II ~] onv l 'TfjL DE Ef3DO[p,TJL nO€v'TWV Tall 'Tfjc XOP€] -

[lac] Ka£ jLOV~~[KijC aywlIa - --

[. 7TpOC] 'Tall f3WjL[ OV TOU L1 LOIIVCOV - -

30 [p,€A7TOjL ]€VOL ['Tall O€OV - -

[ ....... ]€jL£[ --

Critical notes: Elbow brackets are used in the text to enclose letters only partly 
cut in the stone, which presumably were completed by paint, as Professor 
Vanderpool suggests (p.48). 2. -1f]/J:T}'TPL 6hcfL., V. 4. Vanderpool observes: 
HAt the left edge, before the alpha, part of a round letter is preserved, theta or 
omicron." I see nothing on the photograph. Cf the commentary. 5. i€p€wc]VVtX, 
l(c)x[tov, V. 5-6. i€P07TOt]ol, V. 7. Kp[£OV, V. 8. 8'T}fL]OTtX£C, V. 10. 'TeOv 
aKoA]ovOwfL, V. I accept the reading acpdTw with reservation, because the letter 
phi seems to me not absolutely sure. See the commentary. 12. <l>PEAIPIQN, 
the stone; fPpw(p)plwv, V., cf lines 13 and 16. 13. IQI, the stone. 14-15. 
OJ]fLt[T]OV, VO]fLt[jL]ov, V. 16. -fJfLlK(p)a[tpa, V. 18-19. Tent TJOV II>"., V. 19-20. 
'Toiv O€]oiv, V. 20-21. 7TA€]VpOV, V. 21-22. g]VAtX, V. 22-23. €v 'TiJ]t tXvMjt, V. 
24. 'TWV 'T}Y, V. I see on the photograph TQI, followed by TJ~ or ~t;:. 28. 
fLOUCL[ KfjC, V. 

The editor of the inscription is right in stating that the regulations 
are related to the Eleusinian divinities, Demeter, Kore and Plouton, 
and in his assumption that they prescribe rites for the Eleusinion of 
the deme Phrearrhioi, not those to be performed in Eleusis itself or in 
the Eleusinion (a shrine of Eleusinian gods) in Athens. The rules had 
been set up for the celebration of the Thesmophoria in this country 



F. SOKOLOWSKI 219 

deme. The regulation of cults of the deme Erchia prescribes for sacri­
fice to Demeter in the Eleusinion of Athens.2 According to the rules 
of cults in the deme Paiania certain sacrifices of agrarian character are 
offered in the Eleusinion of that deme.3 The demarchos of Marathon 
offers sacrifices to Eleusinia in his deme, probably in the Eleusinion.4 

The new inscription informs us that an Eleusinion existed also in the 
deme Phrearrhioi. 

LINE 2. The sacrifice of swine to Demeter is considered as an intro­
ductory ceremony preceding the main feast. The feast of Stenia had the 
same character in the ceremonial of the Thesmophoria in Athens.s 

LINE 4. If the remark of the editor is right, I should conjecture the 
vulgar spelling 'Aaf-L J.BaSoc. On behalf of the restoration cf Sylloge2 

588,167: 'Aaf-L1TaC Xa'AKf} €1TL .BaC€WC. See also IG II2 1541,15 and 1543. The 
night festival of Thesmophoria had been held usually by lamplight 
and torchlight. 6 

LINE 10. I have some doubt about the reading &cfnErw. This verb 
can mean 'give up', and the official in question could be required not 
to pick up his portion from the common meal. But such a rule seems 
to be unusual, and I suspect that the reading should be al<p )ETW.7 

plouton is closely connected with Demeter and Kore in many cults 
and places.s According to the calendar of Myconos the sacrifices in the 
month Lenaion are offered to Demeter, to Ge Chthonie and to Zeus 
Chthonios.9 The trinity of Eleusis comprised Demeter, Kore and 
Zeus Euboulos, corresponding to Plouton.1o 

LINES 16-17. The main ceremonies in honor of Demeter and Kore 
are celebrated with great solemnity. The wording of both lines is 
almost identical, and I thought at first of dittography. I realized later 
that it is a question of portions related to the two victims mentioned 
in lines 13-14. Indeed, the term capt means quite frequently in the 
cult regulations 'beef' while KpEac designates 'lamb'.u 

2 LSG 18, B 4-5. 

3 LSS 18, A 9 and 30; B 15-18,26. 
4 LSG 20, B 41-43 and 48. 
5 L. Deubner, Attische Feste (Berlin 1932) 53-54. 

6 Cf LSA 61; LSS 124,15-16. 

7 Cf LSG 51,122. 
S See M. P. Nilsson, Opuscula se/eaa II (Lund 1952) 544ff. 
9 LSG 96,17 and 25. 
10 LSG 5,38-39; LSS 13,23. See also Hes. Erga 465ff. 
11 LSA 24, A 16 and the commentary; LSS 59,16; LSG 30,8. 



220 ON THE LEX SACRA OF THE DEME PHREARRHIOI 

LINE 19. Plouton has a share in the sacrifice offered to Demeter and 
Kore. This rule recalls the similar disposition in the lex sacra of Apollo 
and Asclepios from Erythrae.12 

LINE 22. The pot called XV'TpOC is used in the ceremonies ofThargelia 
as Et.Mag. and Photios explain: BdPY€>"oc 6 'TWV C7T€PlLd'TWV IL€C'T6C XV'TPOC 
• ~ ·.f. I ".f. I.' \' , ~ (. • ~)' \ ~ 8 ~ ~ t€POV €<p7JlLa'TOC ••. 7J'f'OVV O€ €V av'T'[} I.e. €Op'T'[} a7Tapxac 'Tep €ep 'TWV 

7T€cP7Jv6'TWV Kap7Twv.13 

LINES 23-25. On the occasion of the feast the authorities dedicated 
in the Eleusinion as a memorial of their devotion a gilded torch. 
We know from the inventories of the temples different kinds of golden 
or gilded objects offered by private citizens or officials. The accounts 
of the epistatai of Eleusis mention an €7Tapxf] presented to Demeter, 
Kore and Plouton.14 Unfortunately I am unable to restore line 24, 
where some sanctuary official is mentioned, perhaps 'TWt pf[WK6pw£ 

or 'TW£ Ff[Pt 'T6 ' EAwcLVLOV. 
LINES 25-26. The regulation mentions the priest of two divinities, 

who seem to be Semele and Dionysos-Iakchos, connected with De­
meter in Eleusis and other centers of the cult.15 The scholia to Lucian, 
p.279,24 Rabe,16 describe the feast called Haloa as follows: €OP'T~ , A8f]-

I I II I \ VI \ II I , \ ~ ~ 

V7)C£ ILVC'T7Jp£a 7T€P£€XOvca ~7JIL7J'TPOC Kat nop7Jc Ka£ ~£ovvcov €7Tt 'Tn 'TOlLn 
'Tfjc ap.7TEAov Kat 'Tn y€va£ 'TOU a7ToK€£ILIvov ij07J oi'VOV. In the calendar 
of Myconos the sacrifices in the month Lenaion are prescribed not 
only to Demeter, Kore and Zeus Bouleus, but also to Semele and 
Dionysos Leneus.H On the other hand the scholia to Ar. Ran. 479 
report that during the feast of Lenaia the official of Eleusis called 
dadouchos addressed to the people the following invocation: KaA€i­
'T€ 8€ov, Ka~ OL {maKoUCaV'T€c {JOWct' E€fLEAH' "[aKX€ 7TAOV'To86'Ta.18 These 
parallels can explain for us the connection between Demeter-Kore 
and Semele-Dionysos-lakchos. 

DEARBORN, MICHIGAN 

April, 1971 

12 [SA 24, A 8-25. 

13 Cf Deubner. op.cit. (supra n.5) 189. 
14 IG 112 1672,182. See W. H. D. Rouse. Greek Votive Offerings (Cambridge 1902) 403ff. 
15 Cf Deubner. op.cit. (supra n.5) 124ft'. 
16 Quoted by Deubner. op.cit. (supra n.5) 61ft'. 
17 [SG 96,15-26. 
18 Quoted by Deubner. op.cit. (supra n.5) 124.