ABSTRACT
A priest or priestess never had a general competence; (s)he was always the minister of a particular deity in a particular sanctuary. The ritual observances were handed down by tradition; in every other way the officiant was responsible to the political authority. Some priesthoods were hereditary, some were filled by election or appointment. Some were for life, others for a fixed term of years. The priest of Dionysus naturally has the place of honour, but many other priesthoods are accorded reserved and the special seats. The same can be observed less extensively in other theatres, at the Oropus, for instance. Sometimes priests might be accorded special places in processions. The practical, economic, and prestigious importance of priesthoods is to be seen in the record of a dispute over the religious prerogatives between two branches of an aristocratic family, the Salaminioi.
