Networks & processions
The networks of the Salutaris procession in Ephesus
When we think of a procession, we picture a group of people moving from one place to another. These people often move in a disciplined order and with many symbolic features such as distinct clothes, objects, chants and certain ways to move. Spectators, who are not familiar with the cultural and religious customs of the performing community, can easily judge this religious celebration as an oddity, thereby only paying attention at the strange things they don't understand. However, when looking with more care and patience, there is much more to see.
Image 1: A Procession arriving at the temple of Apollo on a Attic crater (fifth century BCE).
In the Hellenistic period processions gained increasing importance. They became an essential feature of every festival, which can be illustrated in the many sources that use the sentence pompe kai thysia kai agon (procession, sacrifice and games) when referring to a festival. According to Chaniotis (2013), processions can best be seen as cultural constructs because every procession requires staging and there were often many people who had to actively participate in it. Therefore, many decisions were to be made, such as the appropriate (emotional) behaviour of the participants, the route of the procession, the people who were allowed to watch and participate, and which clothes and attributes were included. Because we have evidence that these kind of questions, concerning the organisation of processions, became more significant to several poleis, and because aesthetics and choreography were taken into account, processions became more and more staged theatrically spectacles.
Luginbühl (2015) discusses how archaeology can help us to reconstruct the spatial environment of processions and how the topography of cultic sites allows us to discover the course and even the context of processional routes. The potential of this kind of approach is demonstrated by Jürgens (2017) with a case study about the procession in Magnesia-on-the-Meander in honour of Artemis Leukophryene. Based on an evaluation of the topography around the procession, the author offers a plausible reconstruction of the processional route. In doing this Jürgens also emphasizes that this route, in combination with the spatial settings and its symbolic relations, can offer us information about the Magnesian civic identity.
Luginbühl (2015) discusses how archaeology can help us to reconstruct the spatial environment of processions and how the topography of cultic sites allows us to discover the course and even the context of processional routes. The potential of this kind of approach is demonstrated by Jürgens (2017) with a case study about the procession in Magnesia-on-the-Meander in honour of Artemis Leukophryene. Based on an evaluation of the topography around the procession, the author offers a plausible reconstruction of the processional route. In doing this Jürgens also emphasizes that this route, in combination with the spatial settings and its symbolic relations, can offer us information about the Magnesian civic identity.
Despite Jürgens argument that a archaeological approach can go beyond giving just a descriptive view of how a procession went, the question of how the study of processions can help us to better understand ancient Mediterranean communities remains difficult to answer. An approach that can proof very useful in analysing processions is called social network analysis (SNA). This method contains a strong emphasis on how social entities (the nodes) are connected with each other (by ties) and in which components such connections consists (flows). When there is a lot of contact between two or more people, it can be called a strong tie network. When the interaction is scarce, the network consists of weak ties. Moreover, a group where all members have reciprocal contact with each other can be called a cluster and a person who acts as an intermediary between two persons or clusters is called a broker.
SNA offers two ways in which we can study processions. First off we can apply a network approach to the organisation of a procession by investigating the relevant people and institutions that worked together for the preparation and formed clusters. When we have a picture of who were involved in these preparations we can investigate how they worked together: which persons had the initiative, who acted as brokers and which information flows can we discover? Second, a network analysis can also be made when we look at the procession itself. To do this, we need an overview of who were included and excluded during the procession and furthermore, by exploring a distinct hierarchy in it, answer the question what kind of network it represents. Yet caution is in order here, because this network is a representation of a symbolic festival context and not an actual network, so we need to be very careful when drawing conclusions from it. The advantage of this network approach in comparison to a archeological approach, is that it's much more clear of what the results can say to us about the social structure of ancient communities around the processions. This is because network theory focuses on what (social) connections are present to us, how they were made and of which elements they consist.
SNA offers two ways in which we can study processions. First off we can apply a network approach to the organisation of a procession by investigating the relevant people and institutions that worked together for the preparation and formed clusters. When we have a picture of who were involved in these preparations we can investigate how they worked together: which persons had the initiative, who acted as brokers and which information flows can we discover? Second, a network analysis can also be made when we look at the procession itself. To do this, we need an overview of who were included and excluded during the procession and furthermore, by exploring a distinct hierarchy in it, answer the question what kind of network it represents. Yet caution is in order here, because this network is a representation of a symbolic festival context and not an actual network, so we need to be very careful when drawing conclusions from it. The advantage of this network approach in comparison to a archeological approach, is that it's much more clear of what the results can say to us about the social structure of ancient communities around the processions. This is because network theory focuses on what (social) connections are present to us, how they were made and of which elements they consist.
At the ancient site of Ephesus, a large inscription has been found of a bequest made by C. Vibius Salutaris in 104 A.D. In this source we can read among other things about a procession he conceived and made possible through his dedication of twenty images and nine statues. This procession was to be held every regular assembly, during the new year's sacrifice and during the athletic contests. The course of the procession was circular, beginning at the temple of Artemis, through the Magnesian gate to the grand theatre. When the assembly was dismissed the procession continued, walking across the Marble street, through the Koressos gate and back to the temple.
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Image 2-7: several pictures of ancient Ephesus today
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Image 8: route of the procession as outlined in the Salutaris inscription
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Because the inscription contains information about how this procession was set up and about the procession itself, it is very interesting to further investigate this source with a network approach. The bequest was proposed to the boule (the council of citizens) and to the neokorate (guardians of the temple of Artemis). The dedications were offered to these same offices but also to the gerousia (council of elders), the six Ephesian tribes, the ephebes (male adolescents), the theologoi (religious speakers), the hymnodoi (singers), the neopoioi (temple workers), the beadles (temple workers?), the future paides (children), and the paidonomoi (teachers). In case of the most important institutions and the six Ephesian tribes, the source gives us a rather detailed description of what dedications each group was getting. The Boule, for instance, were offered a golden statue of Artemis with two silver stags and two silver images, while the dedications offered to the gerousia were somewhat less impressive, consisting of a silver statue of Artemis and two silver images. With this information, something can be said about who the dominant actors were in the organisation and performance of the procession, thus creating a processional network. While this network does not go further than the polis level, one can ask the question if the Salutaris inscription can bring something more to the table, adapting a broader perspective. I will show in the next section that the answer to this is yes. |
What makes this procession, as described in the source, even more special is that, while it was dedicated to a Greek goddess and many Greek elements were visible in the procession, it was proposed by a Roman. In fact, at the time that the bequest was made, Ephesus was part of a Roman province for more than two centuries. Together with multiple statues of Artemis, Salutaris also dedicated two images of the Roman emperor Trajan and his wife Plotina. These statues were to be carried by Salutaris himself and to be placed alongside the golden statue of Artemis. During the assemblies these statues could be seen by the people of the Boule. Furthermore, there were also the dedicated images, representing the demos of Ephesus as well as that of Rome, that could be seen from the same place as the statues. This mix of Greek and Roman elements gives us the opportunity to make use of social network analysis and examine to what extend the procession was used to connect Ephesus with the Roman world. Which symbolic elements were used to enable and strengthen this connection, who were the main nodes tending to this and which connections did they have with other nodes?
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Image 9: A map with Ephesus and Rome conntected
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Social network Analysis has much to offer when applying to processions. It can help us better understand the social structure of the communities around the processions by pointing out the connections being made, how they were made and off which elements they consist. The Salutaris inscription is a suitable case study because the source gives us information about the organisation of the procession as well as the procession itself. Many people in Ephesus were involved in this and what needs to be done now is making one or more networks out of it. An additional interesting part of the inscription is that the described procession contains Greek as well as Roman elements. This gives us the opportunity to use a broader perspective and investigate how this procession pulled Ephesus into the Roman world.
D.S.A.
D.S.A.
Further reading
For more about processions and archaeology see Luginbühl, T. ‘’Ritual Activities, Processions and Pilgrimages.’’ in A companion to the archaeology of religion in the ancient world, eds. R. Raja en J. Rüpke, 41-59. Chinshester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2015 and Jürgens, K. ''Pilgrimage and Procession in the Panhellenic Festivals. Some Observations on the Hellenistic Leukophryena in Magnesia-on-the-Meander.'' in Excavating Pilgrimage Archaeological Approaches to Sacred Travel and Movement in the Ancient World, eds. T.M. Kristensen en W. Friese, 87-106. London; New York: Routledge, 2017.
For more about Hellenistic processions see Chaniotis, A. ''Processions in Hellenistic cities. Contemporary discourses and ritual dynamics.'' in cults, creeds and contests in the Greek city after the Classical age, ed. R. alston, O.M. van Nijf en C.G. Williamson, 21-47. Leuven: Peeters, 2013.
For more about Roman processions see Beard, Mary. The Roman Triumph. Cambridge: Belknap, 2009 and Östenberg, Ida. Staging the World: Spoils, Captives, and Representations in the Roman Triumphal Procession. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
For more about the Salutaris inscription, including an English translation of the inscription, see Rodgers, Guy MacLean. The Sacred Identity of Ephesos: foundation Myths of a Roman City. Routledge: Londen, 1991.
List of images
image 1: T. Luginbühl, ‘’Ritual Activities, Processions and Pilgrimages,’’ in A Companion to the Archaeology of Religion in the Ancient World, eds. R. Raja en J. Rüpke (Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2015), 48.
Image 2-7: http://www.ephesus.ws
Image 8: http://www.chs-fellows.org/2015/02/20/a-stroll-along-the-sea/
Image 9: http://ephesus-tours.pro/ephesus/maps.html
All websites are last visited 25-05-2017.
For more about processions and archaeology see Luginbühl, T. ‘’Ritual Activities, Processions and Pilgrimages.’’ in A companion to the archaeology of religion in the ancient world, eds. R. Raja en J. Rüpke, 41-59. Chinshester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2015 and Jürgens, K. ''Pilgrimage and Procession in the Panhellenic Festivals. Some Observations on the Hellenistic Leukophryena in Magnesia-on-the-Meander.'' in Excavating Pilgrimage Archaeological Approaches to Sacred Travel and Movement in the Ancient World, eds. T.M. Kristensen en W. Friese, 87-106. London; New York: Routledge, 2017.
For more about Hellenistic processions see Chaniotis, A. ''Processions in Hellenistic cities. Contemporary discourses and ritual dynamics.'' in cults, creeds and contests in the Greek city after the Classical age, ed. R. alston, O.M. van Nijf en C.G. Williamson, 21-47. Leuven: Peeters, 2013.
For more about Roman processions see Beard, Mary. The Roman Triumph. Cambridge: Belknap, 2009 and Östenberg, Ida. Staging the World: Spoils, Captives, and Representations in the Roman Triumphal Procession. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
For more about the Salutaris inscription, including an English translation of the inscription, see Rodgers, Guy MacLean. The Sacred Identity of Ephesos: foundation Myths of a Roman City. Routledge: Londen, 1991.
List of images
image 1: T. Luginbühl, ‘’Ritual Activities, Processions and Pilgrimages,’’ in A Companion to the Archaeology of Religion in the Ancient World, eds. R. Raja en J. Rüpke (Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2015), 48.
Image 2-7: http://www.ephesus.ws
Image 8: http://www.chs-fellows.org/2015/02/20/a-stroll-along-the-sea/
Image 9: http://ephesus-tours.pro/ephesus/maps.html
All websites are last visited 25-05-2017.