The Sacred Law of Andania: A New Text with Commentary

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The inscribed text referred to as the sacred law of Andania contains almost 200 lines of regulations about a mystery festival and the sanctuary in which it took place. Although it concerns one annual festival in Messenia, it imparts information relevant to the general nature of sanctuary activity and the issues that were important in the routine management of cult. This book contributes to the recent shift in scholarship that has sought to view sanctuaries as more than simply settings for temples, but as locations created and affected by people’s various needs, activities, and agendas. This examination of the inscription includes a new and accurate edition of its text with full critical apparatus, an English translation, and copious images of the stone. The accompanying introduction and commentary incorporate literary and epigraphical comparanda and on-site topographical research to present a holistic view of the cultic regulations in their historical and geographical context.