The supreme gods of the Bosporan Kingdom : : Celestial Aphrodite and the Most High God / / by Yulia Ustinova.

• Superior document: Religions in the Graeco-Roman world, volume 135
• VerfasserIn: Ustinova, Yulia
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, 1999.
• Year of Publication: 1999
• Language: English
• Series: Religions in the Graeco-Roman world ; v. 135.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (381 pages) :; illustrations, maps.

This is the first systematic study of the cults of the Bosporan Kingdom, which existed in South Russia in the first centuries AD. The research is based on a variety of sources: archaeological evidence and inscriptions, largely unknown to the non-Russian readers, as well as historical and literary texts. The religion of the Bosporus is viewed in this monograph as a blend of Greek and indigenous Iranian traditions. Its first part is dedicated to the cult of Celestial Aphrodite. The second part examines the controversial cult of the Most High God and its alledged Jewish affinities. The book, illustrated with thirty figures, is an important contribution to the understanding of the religious life in Greek colonies, and the history of Eastern Mediterranean in Late Antiquity.

Table of Contents

Preliminary material -- INTRODUCTION -- INTRODUCTION -- THE GREEK GODDESSES OF THE BOSPORUS IN THE SIXTH-EARLY FIRST CENTURIES BC -- THE LOCAL GODDESSES -- THE GREAT GODDESS OF THE BOSPORUS IN THE LATE FIRST CENTURY BC-THE FOURTH CENTURY AD -- INTRODUCTION -- CULT ASSOCIATIONS ON THE BOSPORUS -- THEOS HYPSISTOS AND JUDAISM -- THE MOST HIGH GOD AND SABAZIOS -- THE MOST HIGH GOD OF THE BOSPORUS AND IRANIAN TRADITION -- SUMMARY -- ABBREVIATIONS -- BIBLIOGRAPHY -- ADDENDA -- INDEX -- SOURCES OF THE PLATES -- PLATES AND MAPS.