Omphalos und Brunnen B 35 im Kerameikos von Athen

Die Orakelstätte des Paian im Heiligtum der Artemis Soteira

Abstract

At the end of the 2nd or beginning of the 3rd century A.D., the sanctuary of Artemis Soteira in the Athenian Kerameikos was refurbished. This involved a transformation (or expansion) into an oracle site of (Apollo) Paian, with a remarkable re-use of older sculptures and building material. In this context, two wells were installed (B 19 and B 35), bearing inscriptions on their clay cylinder shafts which makes both of them exceptional. B 35 was lined with 19 clay cylinders and covered with a marble curbstone, topped with an omphalos. All components of the monument bear inscriptions of the same content. The main version of the inscription, a modified hexameter, reads: Ἐλθέ μοι, ὦ Παιάν, φέρων τὸ μαντεῖον ἀληθές.
In well B 19 further north, only the first and fifth cylinders bear inscriptions. The inscription from the omphalos well is repeated below the rim of the first cylinder; a second inscription comprised a prayer to Pan, Men, and the nymphs. The third inscription was a greeting to the nymphs. Opposite a third fountain in the courtyard of the sanctuary (B 18), the relief of a hydrophoros was set into the sanctuary’s enclosure wall. Overall, the new discovery raises many questions, not least concerning the cult practice. It provides insight into a late antique oracle site in Athens, a unique epigraphical feature, the significance and function of omphalos monuments, and into the importance of water in oracle cults.