Il culto del fondatore nella documentazione epigrafica

This paper focuses on the very scarce epigraphic evidence related to the cult of the ‘founders of colonies’, that means, more precisely, on the votive inscription of Mnasithales to Antiphamos, from Gela, and the inscribed dedications from the archegesion of Anios, in Delos. These highly interesting documents allow us to discuss about the roots of the heroic status of the founders and about the relationship between the cult of the founder and the votive inscriptions.