Description
A mid-3rd-century BC inscription details an Olympic festival conducted by the Thessalians which was probably celebrated on a peak of Mount Olympos according to a scholiast of Apollonios of Rhodes. The areas of Aiolis,Magnesia on the Maiander, and Kos were recognized in the inscription for sacrificing in honour of Zeus Olympios and Thessalos, for which act the Thessalians decreed the right of ateleia (tax exemption), epigamia (intermarriage), and politeia (citizenship). The site of the sanctuary described in the above inscription may be situated on the peak of Agios Antonios on Mount Olympos. Rescue excavations on the site revealed remains from a peak sanctuary (3rd c. BC-5th c. AD), centred around an ash altar which contained burnt organic remains, ceramics, coins, stelai, and statuary. Inscriptions from the site make it the undoubted location for a sanctuary of Zeus Olympios. The placement of a new Thessalian festival in a border region shared by Thessaly and Macedon, presents an interesting case study in Thessaly’s foreign and domestic affairs. This paper seeks to answer the following questions:
1) What political conditions prompted the institution of this festival and the establishment of this sanctuary?
2) How did the newly instituted Thessalian Olympics provide a means for the Thessalians to expand/restrict their international relations?
3) What potential socio-political impacts did the creation of a Thessalian festival in a border region have on Thessaly’s inhabitants and neighbours?
4) What do the finds at the peak sanctuary at Agios Antonios indicate concerning Thessaly’s interrelations with foreign communities?
By situating the epigraphic, archaeological, and spatial data for the sanctuary and the festival in the context of Thessalian participation in pan-Hellenic affairs, we demonstrate that Thessaly at times displayed a certain resistance to particular expressions of pan-Hellenism, instead opting to assert their own definitions of what it meant to be Greek.
| Period | 14-May-2022 |
|---|---|
| Event title | Classical Association of Canada Annual Meeting |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | London, Canada, OntarioShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |