A new small project is starting today in Tropaion, entitled: Sacred Poetry (see previous and ongoing project here). The project will give the original ancient Greek text with a very short commentary (I will be glad readers to provide additional commentaries). In more detail: the Sacred Poetry is a ‘storage’ of hymns based in Epidauros – and believed that was constructed the third century (the Romans were lovers of bureaucracy even in matters of religion).
I find six published inscriptions (hymns) – of course from Epidauros. The first was entitled as “for all the Gods” (IG IV²,1 12) available in Corpus Inscriptionum and to Poeti Melici Graeci (937):
| [θεοῖς πᾶσι] | |
| {²lacuna}² | 1a |
| [— — — — — — — — — — π]υρὶ μηλ…α [— — — — — — — —]νι Διὸς μ̣εγίστου [— — — — — —]ν̣ο̣ν Βρόμιόν τε χορευτάν | 2 |
| …..12….. εύϊον ἠδ’ Ἀσκλαπιὸν ὑψι[β]ίαν ἄνα[κτα] [δισσ]ούς τε καλεῖτε Διοσκούρους | [σ]εμνάς τε [Χάρ]ι̣τ̣ας εὐκλεεῖς τε Μοίσας | εὐμ[εν]εῖς τε Μ̣οίρας | Ἠέλιόν τ’ ἀκάμαντα Σελήνην τε π̣λ[ή]θουσαν· | ἐν δὲ τὰ τείρεα πάντα, τά τ’ οὐρανὸς | 5 |
| [ἐ]σ̣τ̣ε̣φάνωται. | χαίρετε ἀθάνατοι πάντες θεοὶ αἰὲν ἐόντες | ἀθάναταί τε θεαί, καὶ σῴζετε τόνδ’ Ἐπιδαύρου | ναὸν ἐν εὐνομίαι πολυάνορι Ἑλλάνων | ἱεροκαλλίνεικοι εὐμενεῖ σὺν Ὄλβωι. | 10 |
A restoration of the above hymn’s missing parts is available by Robert Wagman (ZPE 103: 101-102), who restores the line 4 and the missing word with the ending [--]νον with the term(s) [--Λί]νον or [--Λίνον αἴλι]νον. The reason of this suggestion is the Βρόμιόν τε χορευτάν which can be both a God’s epithet or a Heroes’ name. According to Wagman, the term [--Λί]νον is the most appropriate because signifies the existence of Apollo’s musician son Linos, offspring of Psamanthe (Paus.2.19), who was worshiped in Epidauros and
For the line 5 restored by P. Mass (1933): Φιλ]εύϊον and Wagman suggests: τ]ε υἰόν and further adds: Λατοῦς τ]ε υἰόν.
Re-edited: 21/09/2006
