A Look into Ancient Athenians' Religious Life
The Panathenaea was an excellent display of the Athenian's adoration of Athena. I love how the Ancient Athenians included such a wide variety of activities in their celebration of religion; this makes the Panathenaic festival seem so inclusive to me, there are events that everyone can enjoy. It's amazing for us to be able to learn about this great festival through artifacts because it allows us to take a peek into the values of the Athenians. I would venture to say that the Athenians probably didn't consider the amazing impact that their festivals would have on people centuries later.
One interesting thing that I stumbled upon during my Panathenaea research is a webpage about the Pantrinitonia, a mock Panathenaic Procession held by the students of Trinity College in Connecticut in 2013. Whether this event was held for a certain class or subject, I'm not sure, but I found it really cool! It seems that a professor organized it the entire event and students participated. While the festival had many components, just as the Panathenaea did, I found the procession most interesting. The group marched around each of the important landmarks on their campus. The Pantrinitonic Procession ended on Trinity College's quad, the heart of their campus. Though this seems like a small event, it is amazing that people take the time to reenact something that was so central to the Ancient Athenians. You can read more about the Pantrinitonia here!
The Olympics
Though Greece lost its independence to the Roman Empire in the 2nd Century BCE, the Olympic Games continued for many years. However, there were alterations. The Romans did not have the same reverence for agon as the Greeks did and therefore treated the Games with less respect. The Romans changed the sites of the Games, but otherwise stayed out of them - they did not train for or compete in the Greek contests. The Greeks, as we know, valued the Games for their opportunity for self-development and contest; the Romans, on the other hand, viewed the Games as just that - games. This is displayed in the story of Emperor Nero, who decided he would participate in a chariot race, proceeded to fall off his vehicle, but crown himself the victor anyway. Romans did have gladiator shows and chariot racing, but they weren't of the same caliber as the Greek competitions. A great way to look at the differences in the views of the Romans and Greeks is the purpose of their festivals. The Greeks created the Games as a way for athletes to compete to prove themselves, while the Romans created their festivals as a form of entertainment for crowds. While the Roman emperors permitted the continuation of the Games for some time, eventually Theodosius I put an end to them in 400 CE due to their pagan associations.
Pierre, baron de Coubertin, is most widely credited with beginning the movement to revive the Olympic Games in the late 1800s, though it took the work of many to create the franchise we know today. Eventually, the plans were set into place and the first Olympics were to be held the first week of April of 1896 in Athens, Greece; this date also coincided with Greece's independence day. Since then, the Olympics have only grown; winners, and even just participants, of the Olympic Games are now considered by many to be the top athletes in the world.
Quick Facts:
The 5 ringed flag is meant to be representative of the 5 parts of the world that the Olympics brings together
The motto of the Olympics, “Citius, altius, fortius,” Latin for “Faster, higher, stronger,” embodies the Ancient Greeks' belief of agon
While today's Olympic flame does not have roots in the ancient Olympic Games, the torch race was a major part of the Panathenaic Festival in Athens. Today's torch relay has become quite the spectacle, in 2004 the torch began in Olympia, passed through all seven continents, and ended in Athens.
Fraternity and Sorority Programs
The topic of Fraternity and Sorority programs entered my mind as we discussed the Panhellenic Games. After all, Panhellenic is a very familiar word to me - I serve on Mercer's Panhellenic Executive Board. However, before this class, I hadn't really given the roots of the word much thought in terms of Ancient Greece. It seems that fraternities began as student organizations to discuss current events and literature outside the confines of classrooms, a sort of discussion that was resemblant of those that occurred in Ancient Greece. This is why the organizations were first coined "Greek" and as they progressed, members grew closer and began to rely on one another for social support as well as academic. That then devolved into the Fraternity and Sorority programs that we know today, most of which are meant to be dedicated to scholarship, leadership development, service, and fellowship. I'll be the first to step up and say that how dedicated organizations today are to those ideals, and those of the Ancient Greeks, certainly varies; however, I do feel that the Greek letter organizations at Mercer stand for them fairly well.
I've always enjoyed learning about the history of my sorority - I'm a member of Alpha Delta Pi, the first women's fraternity, and learning about the first women to found a fraternity is pretty inspiring. However, I really hadn't given much thought to the history beyond 1851, the history that dates all the way back to Ancient Greece. I do find myself leaning on the women in my organization to assist me and inspire me to do well in school, but I can't say that I find myself in deep philosophical conversations with them on the daily. The idea that Greek life was coined so because of the organizations' likeness to the important conversations happening in Ancient Greece seems to me to be a bit of a stretch for what they've become today. However, I do like the idea that we use the word "Panhellenic" to describe the various councils of sororities. Though we don't hold athletic competitions up to snuff with the Ancient Panhellenic Games (I'd say our intramurals bear more similarity to the Romans' idea of what athletic events should be: entertainment), we do find a common identity in the Panhellenic council. We work together to fundraise for the National Panhellenic Conference's recognized philanthropy, the Circle of Sisterhood, we host events for our local community, we encourage scholarship, and we encourage fellowship among women from all sororities. In the sense that we come together to do things we are passionate about, I think that we do our best to live up to the Ancient Greeks' use of the word "Panhellenic."
Sources
“PANTRINITONIA.” PANTRINITONIA 2013, commons.trincoll.edu/pantrinitonia/procession/.
“Social Fraternities and Sororities - History, Characteristics of Fraternities and Sororities, Reforms and Renewal.” StateUniversity.com, education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2429/Social-Fraternities-Sororities.html.
Young, David C., and Harold Maurice Abrahams. “Olympic Games.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 25 Mar. 2020, www.britannica.com/sports/Olympic-Games.
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