Zeus : a study in ancient religion - Warburg Institute

236
Dionysos at Delphoi
three months out of the twelve. Our recently-acquired knowledge
of the Delphic calendar (fig. 162)^ enables us to be more precise.
The winter months Daidaphorios, Poitropios, and Amalios together
constituted the season of Dionysos. The Locrians, near neighbours
of the Delphians, called the second of these months not Poitropios
but Dionysios^ while the Dorian inhabitants of Chalkis, Byzantion,
and Chersonnesos spoke of the following month as Dionysios instead
of Amaliosl A comparison with the Attic calendar* will show that
in Attike too the second and third winter months were marked
by important Dionysiac festivals, the Rural Dionysia falling in
Poseideon, the Lenaia in Gamelion. But if at Delphoi winter was
reserved for Dionysos, the rest of the year belonged to Apollon.
Spring came in with the month Bysios, the seventh day of which
was kept as Apollon's birthday'. In early times—if Kallisthenes
^ F. Hiller von Gaertringen in Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc. iv. 2532. Id. ib. 2531
cites earlier literature, but omits the monograph of C. Petersen Der Delphische Festcydtis
des Apollon itnd des Dionysos Hamburg 1859. See also W. Larfeld Handbuch der
griechischen Epigraphik Leipzig 1907
Reallex.^ pp. 1135 (calendar), 1136 (bibliography).
^ Larfeld iP/. cit. p. 302 Aiovycrtos (An'cic ?).
i. 300 (bibliography), 302 (calendar), Lubker
* Id. ib. p. 301. * Stipra i. 691.
* Apollon was variously connected with the number seven, as has been shown in detail
by W. H. Roscher ' Die Heiligkeit der Siebenzahl im Kultus und Mythus des Apollon '
in Philologus 1901 Ix. 360— 368, id. Die enneadischen und hebdomadischen Fristen und
Wochen der dltesten Griechen (Abh. d. sacks. Geselhch. d. Wiss. Phil. -hist. Classe 1903
xxi. 4) Leipzig 1903 pp. 49 f., 67 n. 196, id. Die Sieben- ttttd Nettnzahl im Kultus und
Mythus der Griechen {Abh. d. sachs. Gesellsch. d. Wiss. Phil. -hist. Classe 1904 xxiv. i)
Leipzig 1904 pp. 4— 19, 23, 29 n. di. b, 68 f., 107, id. Die Hebdof/tadenlehren der
griechischen Philosophen und Arzte {Abh. d. sdchs. Gesellsch. d. Wiss. Phil. -hist. Classe
1906 xxiv. 6) Leipzig 1906 pp. 7, 21 ff., 178 f., 210—214, 219 n. 303, id. Enneadische
Studien {Abh. d. sdchs. Gesellsch. d. Wiss. Phil. -hist. Classe 1907 xxvi. i) Leipzig 1907
pp. I—170, zV/. Uber Alter, Ursprung und Bedeutung der hippokratischen Schrift vott der
Siebenzahl {Abh. d. sdchs. Gesellsch. d. Wiss. Phil. -hist. Classe 191 1 xxviii. 5) Leipzig
191 1 pp. I— 154. Roscher's investigations are valuable on account of the enormous mass of
evidence that he has digested. But his main contentions {{a) The sidereal or lunar month
of 27— 28 days was in Boiotia, Euboia, etc. divided into 4 weeks of 7 days—a division which
gave rise to periods of 7 months, 7 years, 7 generations, sevenfold offerings, rites, choruses,
groups of 7 gods, heroes, etc. {b) The sidereal or lunar month of 27—28 days was later, in
epic times, divided into 3 weeks of 9 days—a system which in myth and cult transformed
many of the older hebdomads into enneads, besides producing a fresh crop of the latter.
(c) But this second arrangement soon gave place to a third. The synodical month of
29— 30 days was divided into 3
periods of 10 days, {d) The numerical speculation of
Orphists and Pythagoreans is traced to early Ionic hylozoism of s. vi and
;-. vii B.C., and
is found to rest upon beliefs of a primitive character. The same holds good with regard
to the ancient medical teaching of critical days, months, and years) are open to dispute :
see especially the objections raised by Gruppe Myth. Lit. 1908 pp. 362—367. On the
whole it must be admitted that as yet no single or simple explanation of the sanctity
attaching to the number seven has been reached. Further discussion by H. Diels ' Ein
orphischer Demeterhymnus' in the Festschrift Theodor Goinperz dargebracht zum siebzig-
stcn Geburtstage Wien 1902 p. 8 ff., F. von Andrian ' Die Siebenzahl im Geistesleben der
Volker ' in the Mitteilungen der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft in Wien 1901 xxxi. 225 ff..