ABSTRACT
As syncretisms strengthened during the Hellenistic period, so too did Artemis take on more aspects of a city goddess, especially in the Greek east. The earliest literary evidence we have for Artemis as a city goddess comes from the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, where the poet claims that among the things that Artemis loves, such as archery and dancing, is a city of just men. To begin, the use of the word hierodoulos was far more common in the eastern reaches of the Hellenistic and Roman empires than in the west. Such freed slaves were called hieros/hiera sacred to the deity to whom they were released, and later the term hierodule became common as well, especially in the east. In the archonship of Aristonikos, Eudamos, son of Aristodamos, dedicated as sacred (hiera) his slave by name Sosikha to Artemis Eilithyia, on the condition that she remain with him while he lives.
