Economy of the Sacred in Hellenistic and Roman Asia Minor (Oxford Classical Monographs)

Dignas, Beate

Oxford University Press（2002/12発売）

• 製本 Hardcover:ハードカバー版／ページ数 378 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9780199254088
• DDC分類 322.10938

Full Description

This original study challenges the idea that sanctuaries in Hellenistic and Roman Asia Minor were fully institutionalized within the poleis that hosted them. Examining the forms of interaction between rulers, cities, and sanctuaries, the book proposes a triangular relationship in which the rulers often acted as mediators between differing interests of city and cult. A close analysis of the epigraphical evidence illustrates that neither the Hellenistic kings nor the representatives of Roman rule appropriated the property of the gods but actively supported the functioning of the sanctuaries and their revenues. The powerful role of the sanctuaries was to a large extent based on economic features, which the sanctuaries possessed precisely because of their religious character. Nevertheless, a study of the finances of the cults reveals frequent problems concerning the upkeep of cults and a particular need to guard the privileges and property of the gods. Their situation oscillated between glut and dearth. When the harmonious identity between city and cult was disturbed, those closely attached to the cult acted on behalf of their domain.

Contents

Introduction: Sanctuaries and Cities ; 1. Assessing Sacred Wealth: Finances, Land, Administration ; 2. The Cults under Hellenistic Rule ; 3. The Cults under Roman Rule ; 4. Sanctuaries in Asia Minor between Continuity and Change