Hans Beck (University of Münster)
Mystery cults are riddled with mysteries. The cult of the Kabiroi near Thebes is no exception. Pausanias opens his section on the Kabirion (9.25.5) with the observation that he cannot speak about τὰ δρώμενα in the rites performed at the Kabirion. Then, from 9.25.6, reverential silence passes over into surveilled speech and Pausanias elaborates on the origins of the cult: he declares that Demeter gave the τελετή to Prometheus, one of the Kabiroi, who passed them on to subsequent elite families in Thebes, whose main protagonists are referenced (9.25.6-10). Pausanias’ report is typically taken as evidence for a Theban mystery cult (Bremmer 2014, Schachter 1981-1994 and 2016), but there is little to substantiate it. The site has been excavated in different campaigns, but it continues to be only poorly understood. Its relation with Thebes and the surrounding region is open to debate. To aggravate the situation, basic questions about the divine nature of Kabiroi pertain.
This contribution takes a new whack at the problem. Starting from a survey of the (meagre) literary sources prior to Pausanias, I will examine the body of epigraphic evidence. In addition to the famous bull inscriptions from the site (commencing in the 8th century BCE), dedications to the Kabiroi are attested on a high volume of sherds. In some early cases, the offering was made by a priest, which attests to the existence of a corresponding office or board (IG VII 3646, 3684, 3686, from the late 6th century?). A small number of καλός graffiti on painted ceramics and glassware from the Classical period (IG VII 3596 and 3597, 4122) correspond with the symposiastic theme of other media from the sanctuary.
The scarce crop changes only with the appearance of the first stone inscriptions (3rd century). In a document that acknowledges the deposit of funds, a college of priests is attested, so-called ἱαρειαδδοί. They are superseded by an ἄρχων and assisted by two καβιριαρχαί and a secretary, γραμματίδδος (IG VII 2420; Wolters and Bruns 1940: 27.4). In another text (IG VII 2428), the καβιριαρχαί are assisted by twelve παραγωγεῖες. The function of these offices is critical to the understanding of the cult.
The study of the epigraphic material casts a spotlight on the cult. Upon close examination, there is little to substantiate the existence of revelation rituals or the initiation into secret truths. How did Pausanias then arrive at his conclusion of τελετή in the Kabirion? In the final section to my talk, I will reconcile the divergent trajectories of Pausanias on the one hand, and the sources prior to his Periegesis on the other hand. It will be shown how the cult in Thebes was gradually infused with ideas of elite distinction and exclusion. Over time, the ritual practice evolved into a curious notion of secrecy, one that was discursive rather than real, and that benefitted those who claimed the very traditions for themselves Pausanias had heard from his epichoric informants.