À la bonne fortune. Alors que Démétrios était hiéronome, le 2 du mois de Thargelion, Alexôn fils de Damôn a fait la proposition : qu'une loi entre en vigueur pour les Gambreiotes, (5) que celles qui sont en deuil portent un vêtement gris, qui ne doit pas être sale; que les hommes et les enfants qui sont en deuil mettent aussi un vêtement gris, ou s’ils ne le souhaitent pas, un blanc. (10) Que l’on accomplisse les rites coutumiers durant trois mois pour ceux qui s'en sont allés, qu’au quatrième les hommes soient libérés du deuil, les femmes au cinquième, et il est impératif que les femmes abandonnent les soins funéraires (15) et sortent (pour rejoindre) les processions qui sont mentionnées par la loi. Que le gynéconome choisi par le peuple prie, lors des purifications (20) avant les Thesmophories, que ceux qui observent cette loi et celles qui lui obéissent jouissent bien des bonnes choses dont ils disposent, et, qu'à ceux qui ne lui obéiraient pas ou celles qui ne l'observeraient pas, (il advienne) le contraire. (25) Qu’il ne leur soit pas religieusement permis, en tant qu’impies, de sacrifier à tout dieu pendant dix ans; que celui qui sera choisi trésorier (l'année) après (celle du) stéphanéphore Démétrios inscrive cette loi sur deux (30) stèles et en érige une devant les portes du Thesmophorion, et l’autre devant le temple d’Artémis Lochia. Le trésorier doit rendre compte de la dépense générée (35) pour les stèles à la première réunion des logistai.

(traduction S. Lebreton)

This document is an official law of the city of Gambreion, a small community in the periphery of Pergamon. The law's concern is with funerary practices, something which is also in evidence in other cities, cp. esp. here CGRN 35 (Iulis on Keos). Funerary legislation also sometimes features as part of other documents or dossiers included in the present Collection, e.g. CGRN 82, Face C (Delphi). After a short preamble with enactment clauses (lines 1-5), the substance of the regulation properly begins with a consideration of the colour and appearance of the clothing required to be worn by those who are mourning (lines 5-9); it then moves on to the question of the duration of funerary rites and other commemorations (9-17), before finally turning to a prayer that must be made by the gynaikonomos (17-27).

Particularly noteworthy is the special treatment reserved for women in this legislation (cf. notably Le Guen-Pollet's commentary). Women are singled out by most of the prescriptions involved here, as they are also in the law from Iulis. Contrary to men and children, women do not have a small degree of flexibility in the colour of their clothing (lines 5-9). They are allowed more time for performing funerary rites and mourning, but are then compelled to return to civic rituals that require a mandatory procession (9-17 again). Finally, the sanction imposed on women who contravene the oath or imprecation is explicitly spelled out, again contrary to the case for men. This is a severe exclusion from sacrifice for 10 years. Other elements of the law make it clear that its intended audience was women first and foremost: the oath is to be sworn before the Thesmophoria (19-20), which also involved men, but also contained female-only events; and the law is to be inscribed in front of two primarily female sanctuaries, namely the Thesmophorion itself and the sanctuary of Artemis Lochia (whose epithet indicates that she was concerned with childbirth; cp. Ilithyia).

Lines 5-9: The first considerations of the law concern the colour of clothes worn by those grieving, which were typically sombre but not completely dark. Men and children also have the choice to wear white clothes, which were common in funerary rites: CGRN 35; cp. also the references collected in Sokolowski and Frisone.

Lines 10-13: For the νόμιμα performed for the deceased (cf. also κηδεία in line 14), cp. again the rituals described in much greater detail in the law from Iulis, CGRN 35. The duration of funerary rites and posthumous commemorations varied considerably in different communities, sometimes being as brief as a month, though here they can be more expansive, within certain limits which are imposed.

Lines 15-17: This phrase points to an existing law at Gambreion that required the mandatory participation of married women in certain processions and celebrations of the city. These may well have included the Thesmophoria itself, at which the imprecation or oath will be administered (see below), and perhaps other prominent rituals.

Lines 19-20: For the purifications prior to the Thesmophoria, involving fasting, ablutions and other preparations by the women involved, see schol. Luc. Dial. meret. 2.1, which describes the festival and its purification in some detail. See also here CGRN 78 (Piraeus).

Lines 20-25: Though ἐπεύχομαι properly refers to a prayer made by gynaikonomos, this prayer employs the typical formulary of oaths: cp. e.g. IG XI.4 1296 (Delos, mid-3rd century BC) and see esp. the oaths administered prior to the mysteries at Andania, CGRN 222, lines 1-11, 26-28.

Lines 25-27: As noted above, the barring of women from sacrifice to any god for ten years is a severe sanction. Such an exclusion from sacrifice is seldom found in the epigraphical evidence: cf. SEG 6, 786 (Mopsuestia, Imperial), lines 16-17: καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ μὴ | ἐξὸν αὐτῷ ποιῆσαι κατὰ μηδένα | τρόπον, and cp. also Aischin. 3.110 (cited by Sokolowski). For discussions of religious terminology (‘not ὅσιον’, ἀσεβέω), cf. Parker, Delli Pizzi and Peels.

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