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Religious Groupings of Ancient Attica
There were many different religious groups that an individual might belong to in ancient Attica. It can be rather confusing, as many of these groups had political functions as well, and often the role of one group overlapped with that of another. In an effort to help clarify these groups, I offer the following brief explanation of each one.
Oikos – oi]kov – the household
The household was the basic unit, although it was not
recognized as an “official” or “legal” designation. A constant fire was kept
burning in the home’s hearth, which represented the goddess Hestia. All meals
were cooked and served around the hearth. Also, all important household-related
rituals took place here, for example welcoming a new baby. Both Hestia and the
Agathos Daimon (if recognized) would receive libations and prayers at the
hearth. More sophisticated rituals were rarely performed here.
Demos – dh=mov – the deme
The deme served both a religious and a political function.
They might be thought of as a combination of our modern “congressional
districts” and “parishes.” Established in 508 BC, Athens was divided up into
demes based on geography. Each deme established its own religious calendar,
some of which have survived. Most of them follow the basic structure of the
Athenian state calendar, as established by Nikomakhos in the late 5th
century. However, the various deme calendars also reflect local variances in
cult traditions. Some cults and festivals were called demotele because
they were shared by all Athenians. Others were called demotika, because
they were specific to an individual deme.
Phule – fulh/ – the tribe
Originally there were four tribes names after heros. The
Dorians got their name from Dorus, the Aeolians from Aeolus, the Achaeans from
Acheus, and Ionians fro Ion. However, in 508 Cleisthenes restructured the
government with a democratic revolution. He created 10 tribes and assigned a
hero to each. By this structure, there were 17 demes in each phule. The phule
was responsible for worshipping their own hero, and for carrying out rituals of
citizenship.
Koinon – koino/n – “what is common”
This was the basic term used to denote groups that worship
a specific god, hero, or ancestor. They organized and carried out all rituals
and sacrifices to that god among their own group.
Phratry - fratri/a – kinsfolk
The phratry is a subdivision of the phule; each phule had 3
phratriai. These were made up of “extended family” which supposedly had an
ancestor in common. They were to worship not only this common ancestor, but
also kept shrines to Zeus Phratrios, Athena Phratria, and Apollon Patroos.
Membership in a phratry gave one status within society. Children were brought
to the phratry at ages 3 and 18, and newlyweds would present their wives to the
phratry.
Genos – ge/nov – the clan or house
The phratry was forther broken down into three gene. Each
genos was responsible for religious observances for particular deities. Some
traced their ancestry back to mythical figures associated with those deities or
their sanctuaries. These are thought to be similar to the Latin gens.
Thiasos - qi/asov – troupe
The term thiasos has three different meanings. It could
mean a smaller subdivision of the phratry, or a small group of estatic initiates
into some Dionysian mysteries. However, the meaning that we are most interested
in is the third: a thiasos was a “dining club” that worshipped their own chosen
patron deity. Members would come together for sacrifices and other rituals to
worship that particular god.
Orgeon - o)rge/wn - upper-class groups
These groups paid for and offered sacrifices on their own
accord. They might focus on a god or on a hero. They mostly chose “foreign”
gods or cults, such as those of Bendis.
Eranos - e1ranov - social clubs
These were groups that came together for communal meals.
They often provided loans to members or other social aid to the poor.