Classical Studies 2300 Lecture 15: Lecture 15 Isthmian Games.docx

• School: Western University
• Department: Classical Studies
• Course: Classical Studies 2300
• Professor: Charles Stocking

Document Summary

Events: footraces, pentathlon, pankration, equestrian events, mousikos agon. Poseidon: brother of zeus, god of sea and horses. Earliest evidence of sanctuary 1050 bce: focus of early sanctuary: ritual, communal dining. Not the same level of competitiveness as olympia more of a place of gathering. City-state of corinth controlled the sanctuary of isthmia. Early tyranny colonies of syracuse and corcyra. Early classical period: good relationship with athens and sparta; spartan ally. Dispute between athens and sparta over megara peloponnesian war. Corinthian war: athens + thebes + corinth + persia vs. sparta & allies. Victory crown: pine (later changed to celery to mimic nemean games) 1 st mythic foundation of isthmian games melikertes/palaimon. Hermes gave dionysis to ino (sister of semele, mother of dionysis) Ino throws melikertes into a basin of boiling water and then dumps the basin and corpse into the sea, jumping in as well they are transformed into sea gods: ino becomes leukothea, melikertes becomes palaimon.