Zeus Epacrios

Can someone explain the details of this Epithet of Zeus?

AgathonZante wrote:Can someone explain the details of this Epithet of Zeus?

It's a title. It means 'lofty' or 'high above.'

Would I be right to say that the details beyond that are fairly self-explanatory?   

The epithet derives from "epi akrios", literally "upon the hight/high place". As far as I know this is an epithet of Zeus at Erchia, a deme of Attika. Zeus Epakrios had an altar on Mt. Hymettos, and the cult to Zeus Epakrios seems to have been separate from the cult of Zeus Hymettios, which was also located on the same mountain. The altar of Zeus Epakrios was I believe on the very summit of the mountain, and lay unused for a while, even though the altar of Zeus Hymettios remained in use. Offerings were made to Zeus Epakrios at Erchia on the 16th of Thargelion, according to a ritual calendar found at Erchia.

J_Agathokles wrote:The epithet derives from "eli akrios", literally "upon the hight/high place". As far as I know this is an epithet of Zeus at Erchia, a deme of Attika. Zeus Epakrios had an altar on Mt. Hymettos, and the cult to Zeus Epakrios seems to have been separate from the cult of Zeus Hymettios, which was also located on the same mountain. The altar of Zeus Epakrios was I believe on the very summit of the mountain, and lay unused for a while, even though the altar of Zeus Hymettios remained in use. Offerings were made to Zeus Epakrios at Erchia on the 16th of Thargelion, according to a ritual calendar found at Erchia.

Different minor, local shrines with different associate titles, in varying use over passing time; to call the cults *separate* is likely a bit of over-hairsplitting, and the remains and references few, anyway. Hymettus was itself, in essence, a Jovian shrine overall, with an emphasis largely on weather-associated powers of the deity, with each individual fane given its own focal title, as would be expected.  

Ἐπάκριος is a general referent, rather than a local designation like Ὑμηττιος. Any mountaintop Jovian power would be functionally an Ἐπάκριος in semantics.

In any case, the upper reaches of Hymettus are closed to public access – so the relevance is perhaps most to historians and archaeologists.

Thank you, J_Agathokles.