DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14696#0068
The dbata of Zeus Kataibdtes 21
supposed by the fact that the spot where Demetrios Poliorketes, the
would-be Zeus1, first set foot on Athenian soil was consecrated to
him as Demetrios Kataibdtes2.
(/3) The dbata of Zeus Kataibdtes.
The ground adjoining such altars was sometimes treated as an
dbaton or holy place 'not to be trodden' by profane feet. At Olympia
near the great altar of ashes was ' an altar of Kataibdtes Zeus pro-
tected on all sides by a fence3.' Built into the ruins of a Turkish
house to the north of the north-eastern corner of the Parthenon was
a broken slab of Pentelic marble, which proves the existence of a
lightning-aba ton on the Akropolis at Athens4: its inscription, which
appears to date from the latter part of the fourth century B.C., runs
as follows:
' Holy ground of Zeus Kataibdtes5.'
An almost identical inscription was discovered on a fragment of
marble south of the Akropolis in or near the Asklepieion6. There
can be no doubt that these dbata were simply places that had been
struck by lightning and were therefore regarded as the habitation
of Zeus Kataibdtes. The Etymologicwn Magnum says that enelysia
or spots struck by lightning were dedicated to Zeus Kataibdtes and
spoken of as adyta or dbata'7. Pollux similarly states that enelysia
1 Folk-Lore 1904 xv. 302 f., supra i. 58.
2 Plout. v. Demetr. 10 /cat rbv tottov, btrov irpGirov dire^r; tov apfxaros, Kadiepwao.vTe'i
/cat fiwiibv £tvi9£vt€s Ar]/xr]TpLov KaT0uf3&Tou irpoo~rjybpevo~av, Clem. Al. protr. 4. 54. 6 p. 42,
24 ff. Stahlin /cat tvda p.ev direct] tov ittitov 'Xdrjva'^e eiaithv, KaraifiaTov lepbv eari Ar)fj.r]TpLov,
/3w/xot 5e Travraxov.
3 Paus. 5. 14. 10 tov 5e Karat/3drou Atos 7r/3o/3e/3A?;Tat \xev iravraxbdev irpb tov (3wp.ov
<ppayp,a., euTi Be wpbs tc3 (3wfj.ip rip dirb rrjs re<ppas rtp pieydXcp. On this passage see
W. Dorpfeld in Olympia i. 84 (altar no. 31).
4 A. Lolling in the AeXr. 'Apx- i8go p. 144f- suggested that the precinct to which this
stone belonged might be brought into connexion with the statue of Ge praying Zeus to
rain upon her (Paus. 1. 24. 3) and the rock-cut inscription of Ge Kapirocpbpos (Corp. inscr.
Att.ya. 1 no. 166). W. Judeich Topographic von Athen Munchen 1905 p. 255 is content
to say: ' Mit Wahrscheinlichkeit diiffen wir auf der Burg...ein Heiligtum des Zeus
Kataibates vermuten.'
5 AeXr. 'Apx- 1890 p. 144 no. 1 Atds Ka[r] | at/3aTo[u] j &(3a.Tov, Corp. inscr. Alt. iv. 2
no. 1659$, Michel Recueil d''Inscr. gr. no. 748, Dittenberger Syll. inscr. Gr.'1 no. 577.
fi J. Delamarre in the Rev. Philol. 1895 xix. 129 f., S. Reinach in the Rev. Arch.
1895 ii. 234, Corp. inscr. Att. iv. 2 Add. no. 16596?, Michel Recueil a"Inscr. gr. no. 747
[At]6[s Karat] i/3<xto- "A/3[aToe] j lepbv, Dittenberger Syll. inscr. Gr." no. 577 n. 1 [At]d[s
Karai]\j3dTo a{3\_a.Tov] \ iepbv. The inscription was found south of the Akropolis: Ditten-
berger by an oversight says 'ad radices septentrionalis arcis Athenarum.'
7 Et. mag. p. 341, 5 ff. ei>t]\vaia- evKLvrjra. /cat f}\vcriv- rr\v ^Xevaiv (we should perhaps
read evKLv-qra, irapd tt\v ifKvaiv rrjv gXevaiv). Atcx^Xos if ' Apyeiois' Ka^a^e^s ftov (p.01 F.)
ko-TaKeLTreTixL \ot7rots dnepavvos dpovpLov (dpbpiav D.F.P., apdpuv M. Schmidt) iTrrfkvalwv
(evrfkvcriuv Stanley) dirfknrev (A. Nauck prints as Aisch. frag. 17 Kairavevs /xot Kara-
supposed by the fact that the spot where Demetrios Poliorketes, the
would-be Zeus1, first set foot on Athenian soil was consecrated to
him as Demetrios Kataibdtes2.
(/3) The dbata of Zeus Kataibdtes.
The ground adjoining such altars was sometimes treated as an
dbaton or holy place 'not to be trodden' by profane feet. At Olympia
near the great altar of ashes was ' an altar of Kataibdtes Zeus pro-
tected on all sides by a fence3.' Built into the ruins of a Turkish
house to the north of the north-eastern corner of the Parthenon was
a broken slab of Pentelic marble, which proves the existence of a
lightning-aba ton on the Akropolis at Athens4: its inscription, which
appears to date from the latter part of the fourth century B.C., runs
as follows:
' Holy ground of Zeus Kataibdtes5.'
An almost identical inscription was discovered on a fragment of
marble south of the Akropolis in or near the Asklepieion6. There
can be no doubt that these dbata were simply places that had been
struck by lightning and were therefore regarded as the habitation
of Zeus Kataibdtes. The Etymologicwn Magnum says that enelysia
or spots struck by lightning were dedicated to Zeus Kataibdtes and
spoken of as adyta or dbata'7. Pollux similarly states that enelysia
1 Folk-Lore 1904 xv. 302 f., supra i. 58.
2 Plout. v. Demetr. 10 /cat rbv tottov, btrov irpGirov dire^r; tov apfxaros, Kadiepwao.vTe'i
/cat fiwiibv £tvi9£vt€s Ar]/xr]TpLov KaT0uf3&Tou irpoo~rjybpevo~av, Clem. Al. protr. 4. 54. 6 p. 42,
24 ff. Stahlin /cat tvda p.ev direct] tov ittitov 'Xdrjva'^e eiaithv, KaraifiaTov lepbv eari Ar)fj.r]TpLov,
/3w/xot 5e Travraxov.
3 Paus. 5. 14. 10 tov 5e Karat/3drou Atos 7r/3o/3e/3A?;Tat \xev iravraxbdev irpb tov (3wp.ov
<ppayp,a., euTi Be wpbs tc3 (3wfj.ip rip dirb rrjs re<ppas rtp pieydXcp. On this passage see
W. Dorpfeld in Olympia i. 84 (altar no. 31).
4 A. Lolling in the AeXr. 'Apx- i8go p. 144f- suggested that the precinct to which this
stone belonged might be brought into connexion with the statue of Ge praying Zeus to
rain upon her (Paus. 1. 24. 3) and the rock-cut inscription of Ge Kapirocpbpos (Corp. inscr.
Att.ya. 1 no. 166). W. Judeich Topographic von Athen Munchen 1905 p. 255 is content
to say: ' Mit Wahrscheinlichkeit diiffen wir auf der Burg...ein Heiligtum des Zeus
Kataibates vermuten.'
5 AeXr. 'Apx- 1890 p. 144 no. 1 Atds Ka[r] | at/3aTo[u] j &(3a.Tov, Corp. inscr. Alt. iv. 2
no. 1659$, Michel Recueil d''Inscr. gr. no. 748, Dittenberger Syll. inscr. Gr.'1 no. 577.
fi J. Delamarre in the Rev. Philol. 1895 xix. 129 f., S. Reinach in the Rev. Arch.
1895 ii. 234, Corp. inscr. Att. iv. 2 Add. no. 16596?, Michel Recueil a"Inscr. gr. no. 747
[At]6[s Karat] i/3<xto- "A/3[aToe] j lepbv, Dittenberger Syll. inscr. Gr." no. 577 n. 1 [At]d[s
Karai]\j3dTo a{3\_a.Tov] \ iepbv. The inscription was found south of the Akropolis: Ditten-
berger by an oversight says 'ad radices septentrionalis arcis Athenarum.'
7 Et. mag. p. 341, 5 ff. ei>t]\vaia- evKLvrjra. /cat f}\vcriv- rr\v ^Xevaiv (we should perhaps
read evKLv-qra, irapd tt\v ifKvaiv rrjv gXevaiv). Atcx^Xos if ' Apyeiois' Ka^a^e^s ftov (p.01 F.)
ko-TaKeLTreTixL \ot7rots dnepavvos dpovpLov (dpbpiav D.F.P., apdpuv M. Schmidt) iTrrfkvalwv
(evrfkvcriuv Stanley) dirfknrev (A. Nauck prints as Aisch. frag. 17 Kairavevs /xot Kara-