Nul n’entre ici s’il n’est purifié. Corps, gestes et souillure dans les prescriptions cathartiques de la période archaïque à la période romaine

Abstract

In Ancient Greece, some texts that were engraved on stone were cold cathartic prescriptions that regulated access to sanctuaries by editing purity regulations. These cathartic prescriptions came from the Greek word dating from the archaic period until the Roman one. This was to keep people who were polluted out of the sacred space. In this religious context, contact with blood or death, childbirth or abortion, sexual intercourse or eating certain foods could pollute the body. In case of such pollutions, regulations specified different ways to purify oneself, like washing oneself, sacrificing or letting the pollution disappear with time. The aim of the paper is to study the most common purifications by observing more precisely the vocabulary of the prescriptions, even if they are quite elliptic. The article will observe if there is a link between the type of pollution or the sanctuary and the ways of being purified. It will also study the purification required for the different genders and/or social status and. It will also examine if there is an evolution with time.