TR
EN
Priapus in Rough Cilicia?
Abstract
The phallic imagery encountered across Rough
Cilicia has traditionally been associated with Hermes, the second most common
deity in the region. An inscription on a door post from Güvercinlik, dating from
the third or fourth centuries CE, challenges this assumption. The inscription
and phallus, which serve the purpose of protecting the crop against the
plunderers, recalls a similar epigram inscribed on a statue of Priapus from Acireale
in Sicily, dating from the second or third century CE. In the West, Priapus was
a common figure in Roman domestic spaces. The Güvercinlik inscription, on the
other hand, belongs to a rural landscape with limited agricultural capacity,
which nevertheless was aggressively exploited and inhabited from the Late Roman
period till the end of antiquity. In light of the Güvercinlik inscription and
the widespread occurrence of phallic symbols across this rural territory, we
argue that a cult of Priapus may have existed in semi-urbanized rural contexts
of Rough Cilicia, affected by Roman traditions.
Keywords
References
- Aydınoğlu 2010 Ü. Aydınoğlu, The Farms in Rough Cilicia in the Roman and Early Byzantine Periods, Adalya 13, 2010, 243–282.
- Bent 1890 J. T. Bent, Cilician Symbols, Classical Review 4, 1890, 321–322.
- Bent 1891 J. T. Bent, A Journey in Cilicia Tracheia, JHS 12, 1891, 206–224.
- Dagron 1978 G. Dagron (ed.), Vie et Miracles de Sainte Thècle: Texte Grec, traduction et commentaire, Brussels 1978 (Subsidia Hagiographica 62).
- Dagron – Feissel 1987 G. Dagron – D. Feissel, Inscriptions de Cilicie, Paris 1987.
- Durugönül 1998 S. Durugönül, Türme und Siedlungen im Rauhen Kilikien: Eine Untersuchung zu den archäologischen Hinterlassenschaften im Olbischen Territorium, Bonn 1998 (AMS 28).
- Durukan 2001 M. Durukan, Eine Studie zur Kultfiguren und Symbolen in Olba, in: E. Jean – A. M. Dinçol – S. Durugönül (eds.), La Cilicie: pouvoirs et espaces locaux (2e millénaire av. J.-C. 4e siècle ap. J.-C.), Paris 2001, 327–348.
- Eichner 2008 I. Eichner, Sinekkale – Herberge, Kloster oder Gutshof?, Olba 16, 2008, 337–360.
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Linguistics
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
August 31, 2016
Submission Date
January 16, 2018
Acceptance Date
-
Published in Issue
Year 2016 Volume: Suppl. 1
APA
Varinlioğlu, G., & Varinlioğlu, E. (2016). Priapus in Rough Cilicia? PHILIA, Suppl. 1, 906-916. https://izlik.org/JA47KW99EA
AMA
1.Varinlioğlu G, Varinlioğlu E. Priapus in Rough Cilicia? PHILIA. 2016;Suppl. 1:906-916. https://izlik.org/JA47KW99EA
Chicago
Varinlioğlu, Günder, and Ender Varinlioğlu. 2016. “Priapus in Rough Cilicia?”. PHILIA Suppl. 1 (August): 906-16. https://izlik.org/JA47KW99EA.
EndNote
Varinlioğlu G, Varinlioğlu E (August 1, 2016) Priapus in Rough Cilicia? PHILIA Suppl. 1 906–916.
IEEE
[1]G. Varinlioğlu and E. Varinlioğlu, “Priapus in Rough Cilicia?”, PHILIA, vol. Suppl. 1, pp. 906–916, Aug. 2016, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA47KW99EA
ISNAD
Varinlioğlu, Günder - Varinlioğlu, Ender. “Priapus in Rough Cilicia?”. PHILIA SUPPL. 1 (August 1, 2016): 906-916. https://izlik.org/JA47KW99EA.
JAMA
1.Varinlioğlu G, Varinlioğlu E. Priapus in Rough Cilicia? PHILIA. 2016;Suppl. 1:906–916.
MLA
Varinlioğlu, Günder, and Ender Varinlioğlu. “Priapus in Rough Cilicia?”. PHILIA, vol. Suppl. 1, Aug. 2016, pp. 906-1, https://izlik.org/JA47KW99EA.
Vancouver
1.Günder Varinlioğlu, Ender Varinlioğlu. Priapus in Rough Cilicia? PHILIA [Internet]. 2016 Aug. 1;Suppl. 1:906-1. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA47KW99EA