neocorus
Sign in to saveAlso known as neokoros, Neokoros
thumb|right|Roman-era Roman provincial currency|civic coin of [[Ephesus, showing a bust of Emperor Elagabalus and priding itself of being "alone of all, four times " ()]] ' (), plural ' (), was a sacral office in Ancient Greece associated with the custody of a temple. Under the Roman Empire, the neocorate became a distinction awarded to cities that had built temples to the emperors or had established cults of members of the Imperial family.
~3 min read
Article
5 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Temple office
- Honorific for cities
- Notes
- Bibliography
thumb|right|Roman-era Roman provincial currency|civic coin of [[Ephesus, showing a bust of Emperor Elagabalus and priding itself of being "alone of all, four times " ()]] ' (), plural ' (), was a sacral office in Ancient Greece associated with the custody of a temple. Under the Roman Empire, the neocorate became a distinction awarded to cities that had built temples to the emperors or had established cults of members of the Imperial family.
==Etymology== The term () probably derived from 'temple' + 'to sweep', thus literally a temple-sweeper. A number of variants are attested: , , , , , or . The term meant the custodian of a temple, analogous to a sacristan. Similar terms used instead of were (), (), and ().