CLA 1101 Lecture 10: Lecture 10
16 Sep 2018
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LECTURE 10: Panhellenism - Athletics; Delphi - oracle of Apollo
Panhellenism
● It is the greeks national identity - an important aspect of colonization
● Throughout Dark Ages - individual settlements of Greece were isolated from one another
- Local differences prevailed such as dialect, pottery, border clashes & neighbouring states were rarely on friendly
terms
● Once greeks seek to find new colonies & forced to deal w/true foreigners who spoke differ language, practice differ
customs & worshipped unknown gods - minor differences w/ their neighbourhood back in Greece seem to fade
- While overall cultural similarities were highlighted & celebrated
- This particularly expressed in 2 sites: Olympia & Delphi
Olympia
- Lies within territory of Elis in northwest Peloponnese along the banks of Alpheios river
- It’s the sanctuary of Zeus father of gods & most powerful of deities
- Regarded as inviolate & all greeks gathered here to worship
- Part of festivals include several days of athletic contests (renowned throughout antiquity & revived in modern times)
- Here greeks come together from all over Mediterranean to compete, sacrifice, show off & engage in business
- Within the sanctuaries was row of small temple-like treasuries built by individual cities - where they put the gifts
given by cities or citizens to Zeus
- decorated w/ gems and built to display wealth & prestige of sponsoring city
- It’s a measure of importance of Olympia to colonizers that these little buildings were sponsored not by neighbouring
states but by greek cities founded in Sicily, Italy & Western Mediterranean
Delphi
- Lies on the steep southern slopes of Mt Parnassos in central greece
- It’s the sanctuary of Apollo god of light & music
- Special priestess inhaled vapours rising from a cleft in the mountain & succumbed to prophetic frenzy through which
god Apollo spoke
- There was close connection between sanctuary, colonizing movement & its resulting Panhellenism
- here they seek advice & sometimes at the command of oracle
- Like Olympia, the site has also little treasuries to honour the god & reflect the pull for distant colonies
- Has an even stronger Panhellenic character than Olympia: because it was not administered by only 1 state but by a
committee known as amphikteony
- Amphikteony is made of representatives elected from many cities (example of corporate activity)
The Panhellenic festivals
● 4 sanctuaries in the greek world rose to status because of Athletic contests which were part of festival programme
- Olympia, Delphi, Nemea & Isthmia - known as the Panhellenic games
- Held every 4 or 2 years; open to & attended by all greeks
● Periodonikes: a victory in all four
● Games were held at hundred of local festivals - by early Roman period there was 146 cities sponsoring 266 games
(but these 4 were only the international events)
● Accompanied by sacred truce, they provided occasions - which is rare among independent greek states for diplomacy
& for more informal business and social contacts
● Organized athletic games have origin in funeral rites
- For ex those sponsored by Achilles at funeral of his friend Patroklos
● All 4 were held at sanctuaries of Olympian gods & have funeral aspect in honour of a local hero
Olympia, home of the earliest games
- First games were held in 776 BC which then followed the programme of events developed at Olympia
- Said that 776 BC was refounding of their earlier games which collapsed at chaos of Dark Ages
- Games were held at sanctuary of Zeus for 50 years - only event was to race a light fire on altar
- This race was the premier event where victor’s names used as part part of dating formula
Document Summary
Lecture 10: panhellenism - athletics; delphi - oracle of apollo. It is the greeks national identity - an important aspect of colonization. Throughout dark ages - individual settlements of greece were isolated from one another. Local differences prevailed such as dialect, pottery, border clashes & neighbouring states were rarely on friendly terms. Once greeks seek to find new colonies & forced to deal w/true foreigners who spoke differ language, practice differ customs & worshipped unknown gods - minor differences w/ their neighbourhood back in greece seem to fade. While overall cultural similarities were highlighted & celebrated. This particularly expressed in 2 sites: olympia & delphi. Lies within territory of elis in northwest peloponnese along the banks of alpheios river. It"s the sa(cid:374)(cid:272)tuary of zeus father of gods & (cid:373)ost po(cid:449)erful of deities. Regarded as inviolate & all greeks gathered here to worship. Part of festivals include several days of athletic contests (renowned throughout antiquity & revived in modern times)
