The sacrificial rituals of Greek hero cults in the Archaic to the early ...

Eschara and escharon 49
would be called a bomos tephras. It is interesting to note that all the other
altars mentioned by Pausanias in the same section are called bomoi, even
though they were made of ashes or, as in one case, of the blood of the
animal victims. 123
The use of eschara for a simple kind of altar is probably what is
alluded to by the Athenian Kultschriftsteller Ammonios of Lamptrai (prob.
2nd–1st centuries BC), who wrote a study of altars and sacrifices, Perì
bwm÷n kaì jusi÷n, which is preserved only in occasional fragments in
later sources. 124 Of particular interest as regards eschara is the information
quoted in the Perì Ãmoíwn kaì diafórwn léxewn, 125 where it is stated that,
according to Ammonios, there is a di�ference between bomos, hestia and
eschara. Ammonios is quoted as saying that “bomoi, on the one hand,
have bases, while eschara is what is established on the ground for regular
use, and the elaborate ones are called hestiai, while megaron is a hestia
enclosed in a building”. 126 The original text by Ammonios has probably been
abbreviated and the only thing that can be said definitely is that Ammonios
indicates that there was a di�ference between bomos and eschara regarding
the appearance. It seems probable that eschara, in this context, refers to an
altar or a location where sacrifices took place, not just a hearth or a place for
a fire.
Considering the information found in Ammonios and Pausanias, it seems
as if eschara could also, at least from the Hellenistic period onwards, refer
to a simple altar, with an appearance di�ferent from a bomos, particularly
in Attica. A final passage to be mentioned will be found in the Aethiopica
of Heliodoros (1.18.4). The text describes the temple of Isis at Memphis,
where the bomoi and escharai were full of all kinds of animals, dripping
with blood. 127 If we are to understand the terms as meaning two kinds of
altars, they were both found in the same temple and received the same kind
of o�ferings.
123 Paus. 5.13.8–11 and 5.14.8–10. Ash-altars: Olympian Zeus, Olympian Hera and Ge at
Olympia, Zeus at Pergamon and Hera on Samos. Altar of blood: Apollon at Didyma.
124 See FGrHist 361 F 1, commentary p. 118–120; Tresp 1914, 91, fr. 48.
125 1st-2nd century AD, but preserved in a later reworking; see the discussion above, in
connection with Neanthes of Kyzikos, p. 45, n. 110.
126 FGrHist 361 F 1a (ap. Ammon. Di�f. s.v.bwmóv [Nickau 1966, no. 113]):bwmoìmèngàro°
tàvprosbáseivÏqontev,Çsqáradè pròvtänbiwtikänginoménhqræsinÇpìgæv,tàdèpolutelæ
Æstíai,tòdèmégaron periwikodomhménhÆstía,ÏnjatàmustikàtævDåmhtrov. Ammonios is
quoted also by Harpokration, Photios and Suda, who give slightly di�ferent information.
127 This context echoes Soph. Ant. 1016.