DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4679#0158
132 IV. MOSSYNA, MOTELLA, DIONYSOPOLIS, ETC.
in contact with any educated Greeks, and had not learned to be
ashamed of their native religion and ways. Hence a unique value
attaches to the rude and illiterate documents that they have left us.
The Meron was situated on a spur projecting from the Dionyso-
politan plateau into the canon of the Maeander. The Meron occupies
the highest and most northerly end of the spur, and a lower neck of
land lies between it and the plateau. Hence every one who approaches
the sanctuary, goes up to it; and the term used in the inscriptions
(avaftaivfiiv) is fully justified1. The situation, on a hill which breaks
down almost perpendicularly to the Maeander, 700 feet below, is most
striking.
§ 10. The Holy Village of Atys. On the hill, near the temple, was
the sacred village. It is called in several inscriptions kco/xtj. Beside
it was the small estate that was left to the god, termed ya>piov in the
inscriptions2. The village or the estate or both constitute the
Atyokhorion of no. 34. In form the name resembles Meno-kome,
Hierokome3, Menokome (Athen. II 43 A) and Attiou-kome at Orkistos.
So the hieron of Men Pharnakou had round it a sacred village or
kcmiopolis, where dwelt numbers of hieroclouloi2; and probably the
hieroi in the Hyrgalean Plains came to Atyokhorion for their period
of service. In 34 Apollonios, the hereditary priest, is styled 'Atvox®-
peiTrjs, and Strabo4 mentions that the estates of Men Pharnakou were
enjoyed by the reigning priest.
The name of the sacred village Atyokhorion proves that Atys or
Attis must have played an important part in the cultus of the Meron,
though his name never occurs in the inscriptions; so at Attouda (p. 169)
also, the local name alone attests the part played by Atys in the cultus.
We observe also that Attes occurs as an element in old Anatolian
names (Attaia, lake and city, Attouda, Attalyda, Attalos, Attales,
Attas, Attes), whereas Men is found only in the obviously late Meno-
kome, Menodoros, &c. These facts prove that the name Attes belongs
to an older status of religious history than Men. The name Kybele
I have collected these Roman Phrygian der valley south of the river opposite
inscriptions in Zft. f. vergleich. Sprach- Magnesia (Livy XXXVIII 14); another
forsch. 1887 p. 381. north of the river probablyidentical with
1 The term is general : ' to go up to Akharako-kome (Sterrett E. J. no. 4);
the sanctuary': e.g. the pilgrims to a third in the Hermos-valley, called
Panamara are navras tovs avepxojxepovs afterwards Hierocaesareia (as M. Im-
(aviovrar) us to Upov BCH 1887 pp. 377, hoof-Blumer determined from coins in
380, 385. a private communication to me several
2 Compare Strabo p. 577, quoted p. 11. years ago; and Dr. Buresch indepen-
3 Or Hiera Kome : there were many dently has recently shown).
villages of this name, one in the Maean- * Strabo p. 557, quoted Ch. I § 6 note.
in contact with any educated Greeks, and had not learned to be
ashamed of their native religion and ways. Hence a unique value
attaches to the rude and illiterate documents that they have left us.
The Meron was situated on a spur projecting from the Dionyso-
politan plateau into the canon of the Maeander. The Meron occupies
the highest and most northerly end of the spur, and a lower neck of
land lies between it and the plateau. Hence every one who approaches
the sanctuary, goes up to it; and the term used in the inscriptions
(avaftaivfiiv) is fully justified1. The situation, on a hill which breaks
down almost perpendicularly to the Maeander, 700 feet below, is most
striking.
§ 10. The Holy Village of Atys. On the hill, near the temple, was
the sacred village. It is called in several inscriptions kco/xtj. Beside
it was the small estate that was left to the god, termed ya>piov in the
inscriptions2. The village or the estate or both constitute the
Atyokhorion of no. 34. In form the name resembles Meno-kome,
Hierokome3, Menokome (Athen. II 43 A) and Attiou-kome at Orkistos.
So the hieron of Men Pharnakou had round it a sacred village or
kcmiopolis, where dwelt numbers of hieroclouloi2; and probably the
hieroi in the Hyrgalean Plains came to Atyokhorion for their period
of service. In 34 Apollonios, the hereditary priest, is styled 'Atvox®-
peiTrjs, and Strabo4 mentions that the estates of Men Pharnakou were
enjoyed by the reigning priest.
The name of the sacred village Atyokhorion proves that Atys or
Attis must have played an important part in the cultus of the Meron,
though his name never occurs in the inscriptions; so at Attouda (p. 169)
also, the local name alone attests the part played by Atys in the cultus.
We observe also that Attes occurs as an element in old Anatolian
names (Attaia, lake and city, Attouda, Attalyda, Attalos, Attales,
Attas, Attes), whereas Men is found only in the obviously late Meno-
kome, Menodoros, &c. These facts prove that the name Attes belongs
to an older status of religious history than Men. The name Kybele
I have collected these Roman Phrygian der valley south of the river opposite
inscriptions in Zft. f. vergleich. Sprach- Magnesia (Livy XXXVIII 14); another
forsch. 1887 p. 381. north of the river probablyidentical with
1 The term is general : ' to go up to Akharako-kome (Sterrett E. J. no. 4);
the sanctuary': e.g. the pilgrims to a third in the Hermos-valley, called
Panamara are navras tovs avepxojxepovs afterwards Hierocaesareia (as M. Im-
(aviovrar) us to Upov BCH 1887 pp. 377, hoof-Blumer determined from coins in
380, 385. a private communication to me several
2 Compare Strabo p. 577, quoted p. 11. years ago; and Dr. Buresch indepen-
3 Or Hiera Kome : there were many dently has recently shown).
villages of this name, one in the Maean- * Strabo p. 557, quoted Ch. I § 6 note.