3 ) ΗΡ, ΝΗ;

4 ) ΩΝ;

5 ) ΗΜΕ, ΩΝ;

6 ) ΩΝ;

8 ) ΗΜ, ΝΓ, ΩΝΚ, ΑΤ.

The dedication serves as a kind of report shedding light on the festivals of the goddess, celebrated by the female part of the population. It mentions the customary sacrifices and processions, but also the gathering of flowers (probably connected with the goddess’s spring festival), banquets for the women citizens and members of the council, and the “sweetening” — the distribution of sweets and sweetened wine. As with other inscriptions related to the temple and its cult, the impression is that the veneration of the Pontic Mother was expressed mainly through public rituals (or at least those publicly attested) rather than through mysteries restricted to a small circle of initiates. The priestess bears a Thracian name, although her patronymic is Greek. From the final phrase of the text, one may conclude that her ancestors also held similar offices; of course, the emphasis on “the custom of the fathers and forefathers” may equally reflect her desire to affirm belonging to local traditions. It is also noteworthy that in many families, Thracian names were preferred for women, while men bore the more common Greek or Roman ones. The husband of Zouke is identified as a priest of the city’s principal god, Dionysos, which may suggest a connection with one of the old Dionysopolitan priestly lineages.