TheNemean Games (Ancient Greek:Νέμεα or Νέμεια) were one of the fourPanhellenic Games ofAncient Greece, and were held atNemea every two years (or every third).
With theIsthmian Games, the Nemean Games were held both the year before and the year after theAncient Olympic Games and thePythian Games in the third year of the Olympiad cycle. Like the Olympic Games, they were held in honour ofZeus. They were said to have been founded byHeracles after he defeated theNemean lion; another myth said that they originated as the funeral games of a child namedOpheltes. However, they are known to have existed only since the 6th century BC (from 573 BC, or earlier). The winners received a wreath of wildcelery leaves from the city ofArgos.
The various legends concerning its origin are related in theargumenta of thescholiasts to theNemea ofPindar, with which may be comparedPausanias,[1] andApollodorus.[2] All these legends, however, agree in stating that the Nemean Games were originally instituted by theSeven against Thebes in commemoration of the death ofOpheltes, later called Archemorus. When the Seven arrived at Nemea and were very thirsty, they metHypsipile, who was carrying Opheltes (Greek: Ὀφέλτης), the child of the priest ofZeus and of a queen named Eurydice. While his nurse Hypsipyle showed the heroes the way to the nearest well, she left the child behind lying in a meadow, which during her absence was killed by adragon. When the Seven on their return saw the accident, they slew the dragon and instituted funeral games to be held every third year. Other legends attribute the institution of the Nemean Games toHeracles, after he had slain theNemean lion. The alternative tradition was that he had either revived the ancient games, or at least introduced the alteration by which they were from this time celebrated in honor of Zeus.
Pindar stated that the games were afterwards celebrated in honor of Zeus.[3] Initially, the games were warlike in character and only warriors and their sons were allowed to take part in them. Later on, however, they were thrown open to all the Greeks. The games took place in a grove betweenCleonae andPhlius.[4] The various events, according to Apollodorus,[5] werehorse-racing,running in armour in the stadium,[6]wrestling,chariot racing anddiscus,boxing,spear-throwing andarchery, as well asmusical contests.[7] The prize given to the victors was originally a wreath ofolive branches, but afterwards a wreath of greencelery. The location of the Nemean Games varied at different times among Cleonae,Corinth, andArgos. They were sometimes called the Cleonaean Games after the first location. The judges who awarded the prizes were dressed in black robes, and an instance of their justice, when theArgives presided, is recorded by Pausanias.[8]
Regarding the time of year the Nemean Games were celebrated, the scholiast on Pindar[9] merely states that they were held on the 12th of the month ofPanemos, though in another passage he makes a statement which contradicts this assertion. Pausanias[10] speaks of winter Nemean Games, and distinguishes them from others which were held in summer. It seems that for a time the celebration of the Nemean Games was neglected, and that they were revived inOlympiad 51.4 (573 BC), from which timeEusebius dates the first Nemead. Henceforth, they were for a long time celebrated regularly twice in every Olympiad, both at the start of every second Olympic year in the winter, and soon after the start of every fourth Olympic year in the summer. About the time of theBattle of Marathon it became customary inArgolis to reckon according to Nemeads.
The Hellenistic Stadion (with a vaulted entrance tunnel dated to about 320 BC, according toStephen G. Miller, 2001, pp. 90–93) has recently been discovered. The Games, under Macedonian control, returned to Nemea at the end of the 4th century BC. In 208 BC,Philip of Macedonia was honored by the Argives with the presidency at the Nemean games,[11] andQuintius Flamininus proclaimed at the Nemean Games the freedom of the Argives.[12] The emperorHadrian restored the horse-racing of boys at the Nemean Games, which had fallen into disuse. But after his time they do not seem to have been much longer celebrated, as they are no longer mentioned by any of the writers of the subsequent period.
The participants to these parts competed in thenude.
Taking place in ahippodrome, these were the only events wherewomen could take part,[15] not because they were allowed to ride, but because it was the owner of a horse or chariot rather than the rider or charioteer who was considered the victor. This even allowedcities to participate by funding equestrian teams.
So far no ancienthippodrome has been recovered, so the given lengths are assumptions.
The Society for the Revival of the Nemean Games was founded in 1994, after more than 20 years of archaeological excavation at Nemea. The contemporary games are more of a re-enactment than an actual sporting event,[16] held every four years since 1996, are a form of popular education in history, as well as a counter to the commercialism of the modern Olympics. Races are organized according to age and gender, open to international participation. No medals are awarded, only crowns of palm branches and wild celery.
In 2008, some 600 people clad in tunics raced barefoot in the ruins of the ancient stadium on 21 June. Two races were staged for the runners aged from 10 to 80, one of 100 metres (110 yards) and the other of 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi). The most striking feature of this attempt was the revival of theHoplitodromos race.
The last Nemead was held on 11 and 12 June 2016.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
