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The Phokian City of Panopeus/Phanoteus, Three New Rupestral Inscriptions, and the Cippus of the Labyadai of Delphi

The Phokian City of Panopeus/Phanoteus, Three New Rupestral Inscriptions, and the Cippus of the Labyadai of Delphi

Three unpublished rupestral inscriptions from the Phokian town of Panopeus/Phanoteus are presented here. Number 1 is a Late Archaic text concerning the distribution of parts of sacrificial animals as established by the legendary Phanotos (eponym of the town) for his daughter, Boupyga. Of special interest, this text is the original of a copy set up by the Labyadai in ca. 400–350 B.C.E. at Delphi, where it was found during the French excavations before 1895. Our commentary thus compares the original text of the Late Archaic period with the copy made about 100–150 years later. Inscription number 2, also a Late Archaic text, seems to be a dedication of the Phanoteans to the eponymous hero Phanoteus. Number 3 is a Hellenistic dedication to Dionysos. Finally, the article analyzes the three main variant forms of the toponym, the ethnicon, and the heronym (Panopeus, Phanoteus, and Phanopeus) and the possible links between the variants; the mythic history of eastern Phokis; and the position of the city Panopeus/Phanoteus and its proximity to the Boeotians.

The Phokian City of Panopeus/Phanoteus, Three New Rupestral Inscriptions, and the Cippus of the Labyadai of Delphi

By Denis Rousset, John Camp, and Sophie Minon

American Journal of Archaeology Vol. 119, No. 4 (October 2015), pp. 441–463

DOI: 10.3764/aja.119.4.0441

© 2015 Archaeological Institute of America