CHAPTER TEN
A Day in the Life of a Greek
Sanctuary
Beate Dignas
A Fly on the Wall
If it were less fragmentary, an inscription from Epidaurus could have offered the
perfect evidence for a description of ‘‘a day in the life of a Greek sanctuary.’’
The heading ‘‘Sacred Journal’’ (he ̄mereisia[hiera]), followed by an announcement
of daily sacrifices, is most promising, and it looks as if the ancient reader was taken
through the hours of the day and provided with a meticulous account of all cere-
monies, thereby being informed about cult equipment and layout of temple and
sanctuary. During ‘‘the first hour’’ we hear about the priest filling the incense burner
and going around all the altars, making libations in the presence of a ‘‘fire bearer.’’ In
the evening, libations take place again and snippets of text talk about ladles being held
up and about warm water, possibly for cleansing the altars (LSS25; second or third
century AD).
Unfortunately, it is generally believed that both the institution of an official
‘‘journal’’ and regulations such as the ones above were exceptional, a late custom
that characterized healing sanctuaries or those of the so-called oriental deities. In
contrast, our documentary record shows that with regard to most cults, emphasis and
attention were given to festival days and special rituals as opposed to daily procedures.
Apparently, many sanctuaries were not officially open on the majority of days of the
year and religious officials were often not required to reside or perform duties on
ordinary days, or rather those days not marked by the cult calendar. These parameters
can be seen in an inscription from Oropus, where the sanctuary of Amphiaraus was
administered in the following way:
(1) Gods. The priest of Amphiaraus shall frequent the sanctuary from the end of winter
to the plowing season, with no more than three days in between, and each month he shall
spend no less than ten days in the sanctuary. He shall instruct the temple warden
[neo ̄koros] to look after the sanctuary and its visitors according to the law...