ENTRY TYPE
General |
SUMMARY
Alexander the Great introduced the attribution of cult-type honours to the ruler. From the beginning of the 3rd century BC onwards this practice was adopted by the monarchs and successors of Alexander, who were honoured in a god-like manner, with sacrifices, altars, statues, temples, priests, processions, festivals, epithets, etc. The cult was organized on two levels. On the city level, the cult was established through a decree as a token of thanksgiving for the benefactions of the ruler. Dynastic cults, however, were also established by the rulers themselves, to whom a divine substance was attributed. The main ritual was the sacrifice of an animal or the libation over an altar. The temples were usually built in the large cities and priests existed mainly in cities which had temples dedicated to the ruler. The celebrations for the rulers usually bore the name of the honoured person and they comprised processions, sacrifices and games. The epithets which accompanied the ruler’s name reflected the reasons and the conditions under which a cult was established, whereas many cities gave to a tribe or a month his name in his honour. |
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