Cult and cult formation in Asia Minor 600-300 BC
Funding source: Swedish Research Council - Vetenskapsrådet (VR)
Period: 1/1/09 - 12/31/11
Funding: 1818000 SEK
Description:
The project aims to investigate the so-called Oriental cults in Asia Minor during the Achaemenian period when the area was governed by the Persians (c. 600-300 BC). Several of these cults, such as those of Sabazios, Men, Attis, Agdistis and Ma, are described as being of Phrygian or Anatolian origin in ancient written sources. Modern scholars follow this ancient tradition when they claim that these deities were already worshipped during the Phrygian Iron Age (900-600 BC) in Asia Minor. However, no trace of them can be found in the archaeological record earlier than the Late Classical period (c. 400-330 BC). This discrepancy between the interpretation of the ancient texts and the material evidence is a problem which this project aims to solve by analyzing the formation process of these cults in their social and historical context integrating all extant evidence (archaeological, iconographical, epigraphical and the ancient literary texts). The hypothesis is that these cults originated in Asia Minor during Persian rule and should be regarded as new syncretised cults with strong Iranian elements. The project treats a hitherto neglected area and aims both to examine the origins of these cults and to analyze how these cults were received in West and how the Greeks may have used these cults in their reconstruction of the Orient.
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