The Hello and welcome back to the history of ancient Greece.

Episode 21, Athletics and the Pan-Hellenic Games.

The ease with which poets, thinkers, artists, and ideas moved from city to city across the wide expanse of the Mediterranean

is a token of how culturally unified the Greek world was, even as it remained politically

divided. In Pan-Hellenic gatherings played the most important

role in shaping the concept of the cultural unity of the Greeks. Their contests and rituals

foster the idea of Greekness, of sharing the same language, religion, customs and values.

Indeed, they had the avowed purpose of knitting together the Greeks in peaceful celebration.

These friendly competitions were regularly attended by the Greek elites, and served to strengthen

ties with both the home cities, and were much about Greek politics, religion, and culture as they were of athletic skill.

In fact, during the celebration of the games, a common truce was enacted called Eke-Karea, which literally means laying down of the arms,

stating that Warren states were forbidden from fighting during these events,

so that the athletes and spectators could travel to and

from the game safely.

Also, legal disputes stopped and death penalties were forbidden.

Three runners, known as Spondoforoi, were sent forth to each participant city at the onset of each set of games, to announce the beginning of the truce.

The truce lasted up to three months and for the most part was observed.

Thucydides rights of a situation once when the Spartans were disqualified from

competing and were fined for assaulting a nearby town during the period of Ekacaria.

Furthermore, new alliances were often announced during the ceremonies.

Religiously, priests offered elaborate sacrifices to the gods, and culturally sculptors and poets also gathered at the games to display their works to patrons.

The Olympic Games evolved into the most influential athletic and cultural stage in ancient Greece, and arguably in the ancient world.

...