Uniti nel rito. I gruppi sociali come agenti del sacro nella documentazione archeologica delle colonie d’Occidente

The paper examines a particular type of associations, i.e. the civic subdivisions in the Western Greek colonies. Through epigraphic and archaeological documentation, the indicators that attest the ritual activities carried out by these groups are highlighted. Among these, there are ritual arrangements such as the system consisting of stele/cippus and votive deposit, well documented in Selinous, Metapontum, Poseidonia, Kaulonia. Even the hestiatoria or the contexts of domestic religion, however, respond to an organization for groups, not only of a strictly familiar type. A sub-groups organization can also be recognized in the Thesmophoria festival, leading us to reflect on the inclusion of women in the associative systems of the polis.