Fragments on Eleusinian Mysteries by Melanthius the Historian

Name: Fragments on Eleusinian Mysteries
Author: Melanthius the Historian

Period: Κλασική Classical

Dialect: Ἀττική Attic

Domain: Ἱστορία History

Genre: Ἱστοριογραφία Historiography

The Fragments on Eleusinian Mysteries is a lost antiquarian work by Melanthius the Historian, known only by its title. It was a compilation of source materials concerning the secret rites, myths, and sacred objects of the cult of Demeter and Persephone at Eleusis. As a work of Hellenistic scholarship, it would have systematically addressed the foundational myth of the two goddesses, the ritual stages of initiation, the sacred artifacts displayed during the ceremonies, and the promised rewards for initiates after death, alongside the administrative history of the sanctuary. The work's existence is attested solely by its inclusion in the tenth-century Byzantine encyclopedia known as the Suda, representing a purely testimonial transmission with no surviving manuscript tradition or direct quotations. Its presence in the historical record confirms Melanthius's contribution to the scholarly study of ancient Greek religious cults, situating him within a tradition that sought to document and explain local rituals for an educated audience.

Melanthius the Historian Fragments on Eleusinian Mysteries in Greek in PDF

Melanthius the Historian Fragments on Eleusinian Mysteries in Greek in MD

ΑΤΘΙΣ.

Οὐαλέριος Ἁρποκρατίων Γρυπάνιον Μελάνθιος ἐν βʹ Ἀτθίδος εἰπὼν σεισμὸν γεγονέναι φησί· «Καὶ ἔγρυπεν ἡ γῆ.»

ΠΕΡΙ ΤΩΝ ΕΝ ΕΛΕΥΣΙΝΙ ΜΥΣΤΗΡΙΩΝ.

Ἀθήναιος Ἀπολλόδωρος δὲ ἐν τοῖς Περὶ θεῶν τῇ Ἑκάτῃ φησὶ θύεσθαι τρίγλην, διὰ τὴν τοῦ ὀνόματος οἰκειότητα· τρίμορφος γὰρ ἡ θεός. Μελάνθιος δʼ ἐν τῷ Περὶ τῶν ἐν Ἐλευσῖνι μυστηρίων, καὶ τρίγλην καὶ μαινίδα, ὅτι καὶ θαλάττιος ἡ Ἑκάτη.

Ἀριστοφάνους Σχόλια Ἔθος γὰρ ἦν, ἐν οἷς τις ἱματίοις μυηθείη, εἰς θεοῦ τινος ταῦτα ἀνατιθέναι, ὥσπερ δηλοῖ καὶ Μελάνθιος ἐν τῷ Περὶ μυστηρίων· «Πάτριόν ἐστι ταῖς θεαῖς ἀνιεροῦν καὶ τὰς στολὰς τοὺς μύστας, ἐν αἷς τύχοιεν μυηθέντες.»

Ἀριστοφάνους Σχόλια Οὗτος μετὰ τὴν ἅλωσιν Μήλου ᾤκει ἐν Ἀθήναις, τὰ δὲ μυστήρια ηὐτέλιζεν, ὡς πολλοὺς ἐκτρέπειν τῆς τελετῆς. Τοῦτο οὖν ἐκήρυξαν κατʼ αὐτοῦ Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ ἐν χαλκῇ στήλῃ ἔγραψαν, ὥς φησι Μελάνθιος ἐν τῷ Περὶ μυστηρίων.

Ἀριστοφάνους Σχόλια Μελάνθιος ἐν τῷ Περὶ μυστηρίων προφέρεται τῆς χαλκῆς στήλης καὶ ἀντίγραφον, ἐν ᾗ ἐπεκήρυξαν καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς ἐκδιδόντας Πελλανεῖς, ἐν ᾗ γέγραπται καὶ ταῦτα· ἐὰν δέ τις ἀποκτείνῃ Διαγόραν τὸν Μήλιον, λαμβάνειν ἀργυρίου τάλαντον· ἐὰν δέ τις ζῶντα ἀγάγῃ, λαμβάνειν δύο.

Fragments on Eleusinian Mysteries by Melanthius the Historian

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