The Classical Quarterly· 2026Q2
DIVINE BINDING ON DELOS: THE DELIAN ARETALOGY OF SARAPIS AND LOCAL CURSE PRACTICE
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- Q2SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
The Delian aretalogy of Sarapis depicts the god as a tongue-binder, a characteristic common to judicial curse tablets and binding spells, integrating local curse practices with the god's cult on Delos.
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Key points
- The Delian aretalogy of Sarapis characterizes the god as a tongue-binder.
- This 'tongue-binding' attribute aligns with local judicial curse tablets and binding spells.
- The cult of Sarapis on Delos incorporated local curse practices and ritual networks.
- Egyptian migrants presented Sarapis's power in a way that resonated with the local Delian context.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract This article shows that the Delian aretalogy of Sarapis portrays Sarapis as a tongue-binder, familiar from judicial curse tablets and binding spells, and interprets Sarapis’ display of aretê by binding within a Delian setting in light of material remains of curse practice on the island and the Cyclades. Even as Egyptian migrants and devotees of Sarapis asserted an ancestral Egyptian pedigree, they presented the god’s power in a way that resonated locally and inscribed their cult into ritual networks on Delos.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. The Classical Quarterly, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Archeology (Arts and Humanities)
ArcheologyArts and Humanities