GAME´LIA
GAME´LIA (
γαμηλία). The
father of the bridegroom or the bridegroom himself gave a feast (
γαμηλία,
Hesych. sub voce
δεῖπνον ὃ τοῖς φράτορσιν ἐποίει ὁ
γαμῶν), accompanied by offerings
ἡ ἐπὶ
γάμῳ θυσία ἐν τοῖς φράτερσι γαμηλία, Pollux, 3.42; cf.
8.107), to the members of his phratry, or rather to the
οἰκεῖοι amongst the phratores (
γαμηλίαν εἰσενεγκεῖν ὑπέρ τινος, Dem.
c. Eubul. p. 1312.43, cf. p. 1320.69; Isae.
Or. 3 [
Pyrrh.], § § 76, 79;
Or. 8 [
Ciron.], § § 18,
20), on which occasion the bride was introduced to and enrolled amongst the
phratores. (Harpoer. s. v.
ἡ εἰς τοὺς φράτορας
εἰσαγωγὴ τῶν γυναικῶν. Cf.
Etym. M. p. 220,
50 ff.) Thus she became a sharer in her husband's
sacra. This ceremony probably took place in the month of Gamelion
(Meier,
de gentil. Attic. 2, p. 10; Mommsen,
Heortol. p. 344); see also
Athen. 5.186 b,
ὡς νενόμισται ἄγειν
συμπόσια περὶ τοὺς γάμους, τῶν τε γαμηλίων θεῶν ἕνεκα καὶ τῆς
οἱονεὶ μαρτυρίας. In Mommsen's opinion there is no
difference in meaning between
ἡ γαμηλία
and
τὰ γαμήλια (which is explained by
Eranius Philo, p. 164,
τὰ τελούμενα ἐν τῇ
ἡμέρᾳ ἐν ᾗ ὁ γάμος τελεῖται: cf. Stephanus, s. v.).
Later on
[p. 1.901]the newly-married woman was introduced to
the wives of the demotae by a feast at the Thesmophoria (
ὑπέρ τινος Θεσμοφόρια ἑστιᾶν τὰς
γυναῖκας, Isae.
Pyrrh. § 80), after which
the women of her deme might choose her to be one of the two entrusted with
the conduct of the festival (
ἄρχειν εἰς τὰ
Θεσμοφόρια, Isae.
Ciron. § 19).
Buermann (
Suppl. Jahrb. für. kl. Philol. 1878, p. 569
ff.) is of opinion that both the wife and the
παλλακὴ were betrothed (
ἐγγύησις) by the
κύριος, but
that the wife alone was introduced to the phratores (
γαμηλία); but as Philippi points out (
Jahrb.
für kl. Phil. 1879, p. 417), the distinction between
ἐγγυᾶσθαι and
γαμεῖν, as indicated by B., is not borne out by the use made
of these words by the orators.
[
L.S] [
H.H]
