Δήμοι (fr. 146)

471

Discussion Lambert 1993. 164; Telo 2007. 632-3
Citation context An Atticist note traced by Theodoridis to Pausanias. Very
similar material, but without reference to Eupolis, is preserved at Hsch. o
325 οίνιστήρια· Άθήνησιν οί μέλλοντες έφηβεύειν, πριν άποκείρασθαι τον
μαλλόν, είσέφερον Ήρακλεΐ μέτρον ο’ίνου, καί σπείσαντες τοΐς συνελθούσιν
έπεδίδουν πίνειν. ή δε σπονδή εκαλείτο οίνιστήρια (“oinisteria: Those who
are about to become ephebes in Athens, before they cut their tresses, used to
offer a fixed quantity of wine to Heracles, and after they poured a libation,
they offered some to their companions to drink. The libation was called an
oinisteria”), and is traced back to Pamphilus (fr. 24 Schmidt) at Ath. 11.494f
οί μέλλοντες άποκείρειν τον σκόλλυν έφηβοι, φησί Πάμφιλος, είσφέρουσι
τω Ήρακλεΐ μέγα ποτήριον πληρώσαντες ο’ίνου, δ καλοϋσιν οίνιστηρίαν,
καί σπείσαντες τοΐς συνελθοϋσι διδόασι πιεϊν (“the ephebes who are about
to cut off their fringe of hair, says Pamphilus, fill a large cup of wine, which
they call an oinisteria, and take it into Heracles’ sanctuary, and after they pour
libation they offer it to their companions to drink”). Poll. 3.52 and 6.22 (quoted
in Interpretation) may ultimately go back to the same source.
Interpretation The ritual in question appears to be a preliminary portion of
the Κουρεώτις (cognate with κείρω, “shear”), which Phot, κ 1031 = Suda κ 2179
defines as “the third festival”—i. e. the third day—“of the Apatouria, when the
boys cut their hair and are enrolled in their phratries”. See also Poll. 3.52 ή δ’
ύπέρ των εις τούς φράτορας είσαγομένων παίδων ο’ίνου έπίδοσις οίνιστήρια
εκαλείτο (“the offering of wine on behalf of the boys being introduced into
their phratries was called an oinisteria’)·, 6.22 ή δ’ οίνιστήρια ο’ίνου δόσις
υπέρ των παίδων έν τοΐς φράτερσιν (“and the oinisteria is an offering of wine
on behalf of the boys in their phratries”); cf. Pl. Tim. 21b; Poll. 8.107; Hsch. a
5842; κ 3843; Phot, γ 26; κ 960, 1028; Deubner 1932. 233-4; Ziehen 1937; Cole
1984. 233-5; Lambert 1993. 161-72; Lawton 2007. 57-9, and see in general on
the ephebia Pelekidis 1962. The sanctuary of Heracles in which the offering
was made must be the one associated with the gymnasion in Cynosarges (for
which, see fr. 65 n.).
For οίνιστήρια (cognate with οίνος, “wine”), cf. the festival-names
Άνθεστήρια, Προχαριστήρια, Συγκομιστήρια.