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Chapter 3 - Athlete and Polis

The Hellenistic City as an Agonistic Community of Fame

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 March 2024

Sebastian Scharff
Affiliation:
Università degli Studi di Trento, Italy
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Summary

This chapter unites a multiplicity of individual case studies on the relationship between athletic victors and their hometowns. In Rhodes, the impressive Olympic victories of the second century were based upon a strong aristocracy that served as a guarantor of the success at a time when the political influence of the city diminished after the Third Macedonian War. In a similar manner, third-century Theban victors compensated for their city’s political ill fortune by presenting their hometown as a young and vital community. In Sparta and Messene, competitive constellations were transferred from the political arena to the agonistic sphere. Victor epigrams from both poleis formed part of a political discourse whose pillars were represented by Spartan polis ideology on the one hand and Messenian emphasis on autonomy on the other. All in all, it becomes clear that the polis remained the most important point of reference in the self-presentation of Hellenistic athletes.

Type
Chapter
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Hellenistic Athletes
Agonistic Cultures and Self-Presentation
, pp. 66 - 200
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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  • Athlete and Polis
  • Sebastian Scharff, Università degli Studi di Trento, Italy
  • Book: Hellenistic Athletes
  • Online publication: 16 March 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009199926.004
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  • Athlete and Polis
  • Sebastian Scharff, Università degli Studi di Trento, Italy
  • Book: Hellenistic Athletes
  • Online publication: 16 March 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009199926.004
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Athlete and Polis
  • Sebastian Scharff, Università degli Studi di Trento, Italy
  • Book: Hellenistic Athletes
  • Online publication: 16 March 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009199926.004
Available formats
×