{"id":6193,"date":"2026-08-10T13:30:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T10:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journal.phaselis.org\/?p=6193"},"modified":"2026-08-10T13:50:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T10:50:36","slug":"pha-0196","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journal.phaselis.org\/en\/2026\/pha-0196","title":{"rendered":"Meter and Agdistis in Roman Phrygia: Theological Identification and Differentiation in Epigraphic Evidence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Roma D\u00f6nemi Phrygia\u2019s\u0131nda Meter ve Agdistis: Epigrafik Veriler I\u015f\u0131\u011f\u0131nda Teolojik \u00d6zde\u015fle\u015fme ve Ayr\u0131\u015fma<\/span><\/p>\n

DEN\u0130Z SEV\u0130ND\u0130K ERTEN<\/strong>
\n\"\" https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7027-8719<\/a><\/sub><\/p>\n

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PHASELIS<\/em> XII (2026) 91-122
\n<\/strong>DOI<\/strong>: 10.5281\/zenodo.21257393<\/a>
\nReceived Date<\/strong>: 22.04.2026 | Acceptance Date<\/strong>: 02.07.2026
\nOnline Publication Date<\/strong>: 10.08.2026<\/p>\n

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Abstract<\/strong>: This article examines the cult of Agdistis in Roman-Period Phrygia, a deity of particular significance for the history of religions. The extant inscriptions are first evaluated, after which the goddess’s importance for the inhabitants of ancient Phrygia, her place in social life, and the character and geographical distribution of her cult are analysed. The central question, pursued through selected examples, is whether Agdistis in Phrygia (whether named alongside Meter or not) in fact represents Meter, that is, whether a direct syncretic relationship obtained between them, or whether she should rather be understood as the local mountain goddess known from early mythological traditions as a hermaphroditic being who was later castrated and thereby became female. According to the epigraphic evidence currently available, most dedications derive from Midas City\/Yaz\u0131l\u0131kaya, site of the sanctuary of Agdistis. Some appear to have been offered for the protection of family members, though in most cases the reason is not stated. A statuette from the site has been interpreted as either Agdistis or Kybele, while an object now in Madrid, possibly of the same provenance, depicts Kybele enthroned between two lions with an inscribed dedication to Meter-Agdistis. The material falls into four groups. In the first, Meter and Agdistis appear together without the conjunction kai, a formulation that points to syncretism. In the second, Agdistis is attested independently, under her own name. The third comprises inscriptions in which the two are linked by kai, together with objects on which they are rendered as separate divine figures. The fourth consists of dedications to Meter alone.<\/p>\n

Keywords<\/strong>: Phrygia, Religion, Goddess, Cult, Agdistis, Meter<\/p>\n

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\u00d6z<\/strong>: Bu makale, dinler tarihi a\u00e7\u0131s\u0131ndan \u00f6zel bir \u00f6neme sahip olan Agdistis’in Roma D\u00f6nemi Phrygia’s\u0131ndaki k\u00fclt\u00fcn\u00fc incelemektedir. \u00d6ncelikle mevcut yaz\u0131tlar de\u011ferlendirilmekte, ard\u0131ndan tanr\u0131\u00e7an\u0131n antik\u00e7a\u011f Phrygia’s\u0131n\u0131n sakinleri i\u00e7in ta\u015f\u0131d\u0131\u011f\u0131 \u00f6nem, toplumsal ya\u015famdaki yeri ve k\u00fclt\u00fcn\u00fcn niteli\u011fi ile co\u011frafi da\u011f\u0131l\u0131m\u0131 analiz edilmektedir. Se\u00e7ilmi\u015f \u00f6rnekler \u00fczerinden ele al\u0131nan temel soru, Phrygia’daki Agdistis’in (Meter ile birlikte an\u0131ls\u0131n ya da an\u0131lmas\u0131n) ger\u00e7ekte Meter’i temsil edip etmedi\u011fi, yani ikisi aras\u0131nda do\u011frudan bir senkretik ili\u015fkinin bulunup bulunmad\u0131\u011f\u0131; yoksa onun daha ziyade erken mitolojik geleneklerden hermafrodit bir varl\u0131k olarak bilinen, sonradan had\u0131m edilerek di\u015fil h\u00e2le gelen yerel da\u011f tanr\u0131\u00e7as\u0131 olarak m\u0131 anla\u015f\u0131lmas\u0131 gerekti\u011fidir. H\u00e2lihaz\u0131rda mevcut olan epigrafik verilere g\u00f6re adaklar\u0131n \u00e7o\u011fu, Agdistis kutsal alan\u0131n\u0131n bulundu\u011fu Midas Kenti\/Yaz\u0131l\u0131kaya’dan gelmektedir. Bunlar\u0131n bir k\u0131sm\u0131 aile bireylerinin korunmas\u0131 amac\u0131yla sunulmu\u015f g\u00f6r\u00fcnmekte, ancak \u00e7o\u011fu \u00f6rnekte ada\u011f\u0131n nedeni belirtilmemektedir. Ayn\u0131 yerden ele ge\u00e7en bir heykelcik ya Agdistis ya da Kybele olarak yorumlanm\u0131\u015f; h\u00e2lihaz\u0131rda Madrid’de bulunan ve muhtemelen ayn\u0131 yerden gelmi\u015f olan bir eserde ise Kybele iki aslan aras\u0131nda taht\u0131nda otururken tasvir edilmi\u015f olup, \u00fczerindeki yaz\u0131tta Meter-Agdistis’e sunulan bir adak kay\u0131tl\u0131d\u0131r. Ele al\u0131nan malzeme d\u00f6rt \u00f6bekte toplan\u0131r. \u0130lkinde Meter ile Agdistis, aralar\u0131nda kai ba\u011flac\u0131 bulunmaks\u0131z\u0131n birlikte an\u0131l\u0131r ve bu kullan\u0131m senkretizme i\u015faret eder. \u0130kincisinde Agdistis kendi ad\u0131yla, ba\u011f\u0131ms\u0131z bi\u00e7imde kar\u015f\u0131m\u0131za \u00e7\u0131kar. \u00dc\u00e7\u00fcnc\u00fcs\u00fcn\u00fc, iki tanr\u0131\u00e7an\u0131n kai ba\u011flac\u0131yla birbirine ba\u011fland\u0131\u011f\u0131 yaz\u0131tlar ile ayn\u0131 eser \u00fczerinde ayr\u0131 birer tanr\u0131sal fig\u00fcr olarak tasvir edildikleri \u00f6rnekler olu\u015fturur. D\u00f6rd\u00fcnc\u00fcs\u00fc ise yaln\u0131zca Meter’e sunulan adaklar\u0131 kapsar.<\/p>\n

Anahtar Kelimeler: <\/strong>Phrygia, Din, Tanr\u0131\u00e7a, K\u00fclt, Agdistis, Meter<\/p>\n

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