Scambonidae or Skambonidai ( grc, Σκαμβωνίδαι) was a

deme In Ancient Greece, a deme or ( grc, δῆμος, plural: demoi, δημοι) was a suburb or a subdivision of Athens and other city-states. Demes as simple subdivisions of land in the countryside seem to have existed in the 6th century BC and ear ...

of ancient Attica, located in the city of

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. It was located within the

Themistoclean Wall The Themistoclean Wall ( el, Θεμιστόκλειον τείχος), named after the Athenian statesman Themistocles, was built in Athens, Greece during the 5th century BC as a result of the Persian Wars and in the hopes of defending against fur ...

, north of the

Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

Etymology

In the past it was believed that this deme was closely related to that of Melite because of its name: according to tradition, in fact, Myrmex or

Dius In Greek mythology, the name Dius (Ancient Greek: Δῖος "divine") may refer to: *Dius, a son of Priam. He fell in the Trojan War. *Dius, a Dorian leader who rivaled with Oxylus over the land of Elis, and eventually was beaten. *Dius, a son o ...

, the father of Melite who would give the name to the other deme, built a street called Scambonidae. Today, however, it is believed that the name of the deme derives from its streets that, due to the hilly nature of the place, were full of curves ( grc, σκαμβός, skambós, "crooked").

Description

The sacred calendar of Scambonidae, dating back to 460 BCE, is the oldest of its kind and also represents the first decree of a deme found to date. It regulates some religious issues, including the distribution of sacrificial meats and the participation of the deme in some festivals in the city. It also orders the distribution of the meat of the sacrifices to

Leos Leos may refer to: People * Aiden Leos, crime victim * Leos Carax, French film director, critic, and writer * Leos Moskos (1620–1690), painter and educator * Leoš Firkušný, Czech musicologist * Leoš Friedl (born 1977), Czech tennis player * ...

to the citizens and to the Meteci. The presence of a square in the deme is also attested. The deme had a sanctuary of Leos and an altar of

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

and

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...

. The site of Scambonidae is located in the northern part of modern

People

Alcibiades Alcibiades ( ; grc-gre, Ἀλκιβιάδης; 450 – 404 BC) was a prominent Athenian statesman, orator, and general. He was the last of the Alcmaeonidae, which fell from prominence after the Peloponnesian War. He played a major role in t ...

, Athenian statesman, orator, and general * Axiochus, Athenian politician

References

Populated places in ancient Attica Former populated places in Greece Demoi {{AncientAttica-geo-stub