103-117

On the cult of the Syrian Goddess (Atargatis) in Western Macedonia

• Χρυσοστόμου, Παύλος

The cult of the Syrian goddess in Bottiaia of Macedonia is recorded by Apuleius (Transf. VI, 24-30; IX, 1.4. 8-10) and Lucianus (Lucius, 34-41). The archaeological finds of Véroia, Edessa, Pella and of the villages Gyrbiatissa in Bottiaia and Exochi in Eordaia confirmed the worship of the goddess in Macedonia. At first, the cult was spread to the shores of Asia Minor and in the Hellenistic period to Egypt, the Aegean Islands (Nisyros, Astypalaia, Delos and Skiathos), to Euboia, Peiraius, the Peloponnese (Thouria and Aigeira), Aitolia (Phistyo), Thessaly (Demetrias, Pherai, Krannona) and Thrace (Philippoupolis). Later the cult was also introduced in Sicily, Rome and the rest of the western world. The goddess was called Atagartis or Derketo in Syria, and the centre of her cult wasa city called «Mabog or Maambuki» by the Syrians and Bambyke by the Macedonians. After the reorganization of her sanctuary by the Seleucids, the city was named Ιεράπολη. The goddess and her companion Hadad or Adonis were worshipped there. The goddess had different names overseas. Her cult was introduced in Macedonia by Macedonian and Syrian sailors, merchants, slaves and priests in the 3rd century B.C.Based on her representations, the goddess was the mother of Ichthys and was depicted as a beautiful woman wearing chiton and himation and turreted, standing or seated on afish. Sometimes she was also represented as a fish having a female head, or with the lower part of her body in the shape of a fish. The cult of the goddess in Macedonia and the memory of the loss of the children and women related to Alexander the Great probably led to the creation of the legend of the fish formed daemon, the Gorgon, in the Hellenistic period. According to Pseudo-Callisthenes, the Gorgon was the beautiful daughter of the great man, a legend which appeared late, about 300-350 A.D.

• History and Archaeology

• Αρχαιολογία
• Θρησκεία

αρχαία ελληνική θρησκεία, Μακεδονία, συνέδρια

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