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A well-known Greek apophthegm explains: "What is a god?" -"Wielding of power".Here is a key to the understanding of the ruler cult and emperor cult, but also to the explanation of cultic honours awarded to citizens in Greek cities.The power of these was so great and unmanageable (in succession of or even besides the mighty kings) that it could be conceived and expressed best in religious terms. 1 In fact, the wealthy notable citizens dominated the political life in their cities in the Hellenistic and Roman imperial periods and determined the well-being of their fatherland by their generous benefactions.I intend to present in this article an overview of the cultic honours given to benefactors in the Greek cities of Asia Minor and above all of the benefactions in reward of which these honours were granted.I limit my subject to benefactors who were citizens.I exclude kings, generals, Roman magistrates and other officials who did not belong to the citizen body. 2 I leave aside the collective cult of euergetai and the cult of the Romans, koinoi euergetai.3 Since Asia Minor has produced the largest number of examples, a study of this area might reveal the essentials of the phenomenon.What a benefactor is, needs no explanation.What cultic honours are, is not so clear.When a benefactor receives a priest, sacrifices, a cult statue in a temple, there can be no doubt.But if there is only a contest or festival named after him or organized in his honour, if sacrifices are offered near his grave on a memorial day, if there is only a public building named after him, the case is not evident.I have limited my overview to the cases which are fairly 1 S. Price, Rituals and power.The Roman imperial cult in Asia Minor (Cambridge 1984), 52; the apophthegm is cited on 234.See also M. Sartre, L 'Orient romain (Paris 1991), 117. 2 To the last category belong Banabelos and Lachares, officials in the service of Achaios, a member of the Seleucid family (oiicovoµciiv and EKA.Oytc:rni~)-They were honoured by the inhabitants of Neon Teichos and Kiddiou Kome near Laodikeia on the Lykos in 267 BC with the yearly sacrifice of a ram for each one of them (Th.Corsten, /.Laodikeia am Lykos I, 1). 3 For the euergetai, see L. Robert, Revue des Etudes Grecques 94 (1981), 358-360; Bulletin de Correspondance Hellenique 50 (1926), 499-500 (= OMS I, 63-64); A.D. Nock, Essays on religion and the ancient world I (Oxford 1972;
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