Festivals and Legends / / Noel Robertson.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter University of Toronto Press eBook-Package Archive 1933-1999
• VerfasserIn: Robertson, Noel,
• Place / Publishing House: Toronto : : University of Toronto Press, , [2016]; ©1992
• Year of Publication: 2016
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (336 p.)

War was a constant activity, almost a staple livelihood, in the cities of ancient Greece, and many public festivals served to promote and celebrate war. They entailed reunions of the whole community, often at the new year, for enrolling citizens or conducting games. Noel Robertson focuses on such festivals in Athens, Aprta, Argos, and two smaller centres, in order to reconstruct the social conditions reflected in the festival programs and settings.He begins with a close analysis of the extant evidence, bringing together for the first time the many small, scattered indications in familiar sources. He uses in addition new epigraphic and archaeological evidence which has recently come to light at Athens.Since ritual is by definition unchanging, public festivals can disclose earlier stages of social organization. Robertson also shows how the festivals gave rise, by way of aetiology (explanatory tales or legends), to some persistent misconceptions about the past.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- Part I: Athens -- 1. The Hecatombaea, the Enrolment of Citizens, and Southeast Athens -- 2. The Synoecia, the Old Agora, and Attic Phratries -- 3. The Panathenaea, Northwest Athens, and the Enrolment of Citizens -- 4. The Oschophoria and Seafaring -- 5. The Olympieia and the Cavalry -- Part Two: Sparta -- 6. The Gymnopaediae and the Enrolment of Citizens -- 7. Polyandrion Burial and the Fate of the Dioscuri -- Part Three: Argos -- 8. The Parparonia and the Battle of Thyrea -- 9. A Festival of Cenchreae and the Battle of Hysiae -- Part Four: Messenia and Phigaleia -- 10. The Ithomaea and the Messenian Wars -- 11. A Festival of Heroes and the Ordeal of Fhigaleia -- Maps -- Index of Sources -- Index of Deities, Heroes, Shrines, Festivals -- General Index -- Backmatter