Aratus of Sicyon’s pompe
TITLE: |
Aratus of Sicyon’s pompe |
DATE: |
213 BC onwards |
TEXT: |
BERNADOTTE, P. (1921): Plutarch’s Lives, Volume X, Harvard University Press, Cambridge: Plut. Arat. 53 |
EDITIONS/TRANSLATIONS: |
BERNADOTTE, P. (1921): Plutarch’s Lives, Volume X, Harvard University Press, Cambridge: Plut. Arat. 53 SÁNCHEZ HERNÁNDEZ, P. AND GONZÁLEZ GONZÁLEZ, M. (2009): Plutarco. Vidas paralelas VII. Demetrio-Antonio; Dión-Bruto; Arato-Artajeres; Galba-Otón, Gredos, Madrid |
KEYWORDS: |
Word used to mean procession: |
ἑορτήν (53.3, feast, festival, holiday) ἀνῆγον (53.3, lead up) συνεπόμπευεν (53.5, vb. συμπομπεύω, accompany in a procession) |
Word used to mean the cult images: |
Gods or other entities named: |
The Pythian priestess (53.2, τὴν Πυθίαν) Zeus the Saviour (53.4, Διὸς τοῦ Σωτῆρος) Dionysus (53.5, Διόνυσον) |
Description of the cult images: |
Procession’s route: |
The Sicyonians brought the body of Aratus from Aegium into their city |
Frequency with which the procession takes place: |
Twice every year: on the day when Aratus freed the city from its tyranny (the fifth day of the month Daesius, which the Athenians call Anthestenon, aound February-March), and on the day he was born (53.4) |
Performers: |
The first,the priest of Zeus the Saviour (53.4, ὁ τὸν Διὸς τοῦ Σωτῆρος θυηπόλος); the second, the priest of Aratus (ὁ τὸν Ἀράτου) The gymnasiarch (53.5, ὁ γυμνασίαρχος) The councillors (53.5, ἡ βουλὴ) |
References to the public attending the procession: |
The public put on garlands and white raiment (53.3, ἐστεφανωμένοι καὶ λευχειμονοῦντες); children and ephebes (53.5, παίδων καὶ τῶν ἐφήβων) All the citizens who desired took place in the procession (53.5, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πολιτῶν ὁ βουλόμενος) |
Rites related to the procession: |
Hymns of praise and choral dances (53.3, παιάνων καὶ χορῶν); sacrifices (53.4, θυσίαν) named Soteria (Σωτήρια, salvation) The priest of Aratus wore a headband, not pure white but purple and white (53.4, στρόφιον οὐχ ὁλόλευκον, ἀλλὰ μεσοπόρφυρον ἔχων) Hymns with accompaniment of lyre were sung by the artists of Dionysus (54.5, μέλη δὲ ᾔδετο πρὸς κιθάραν ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ τὸν Διόνυσον τεχνιτῶν) The councillors wearing garlands (53.5, ἡ βουλὴ στεφανηφοροῦσα) |
Allusions to conduct or forms of reverence: |
The Sicyonians buried buried him within the walls (from then on called Arateion, Ἀράτειον) calling him founder and saviour of the city (ὥσπερ οἰκιστὴν καὶ σωτῆρα τῆς πόλεως ἐκήδευσαν) |
Other remarkable elements: |
BIBLIOGRAPHY: |
BÖMMER 1952, RE, s.v. Pompa. Herrscher, Vol. XXI.2, p. 1971, n.335 NEUMEYER, A. (1885/86): Aratus aus Sikyon. Ein Charakterbild aus der Zeit des Achäischen Bundes. 2 Bände, Neustadt an der Haardt NIESE, B. (1895): RE: s.v. Aratos 2. Vol. II,1, pp. 383–390 WALBANK, F. W. (1933): Aratos of Sicyon. Cambridge University Press |