Two Observations on Corcyraean institutions and calendar

A lost inscription from Corcyra (IX 12 .4, 798) informs us about a foundation set up by two prominent individuals, Aristomenes and Psylla. The very detailed text is divided into two parts: the indications given by the benefactors about the use of the fund (payment of artists during the Dionysia) are followed by a long decree of the council regulating its administration. The money is to be loaned until the sum of capital and interest reaches a certain amount, and only then it must be used for the recruitment of artists. We examine two specific issues: a) the meaning of the term καρυκτά, for which we propose a different interpretation than the one commonly accepted; b) the temporal sequence of the foundation’s management and its consequences on our knowledge of the Corcyraean calendar.