Agon
Agon is the core of the Panathenaic Games; it is contest, struggle, conflict, and proving oneself. It is found in pushing one's boundaries and achieving great feats. Only in pushing one's boundaries could one find fulfillment and develop virtue. For the Ancient Greeks, agon was most easily found in war; after all, the states of Greece were at war with one another quite often. However, war has a myriad of negative consequences and there were times when they were not at war, and so the need arose to create somewhat artificial conflict. The musical, rhapsodic, and athletic contests of the Panathenaic games fulfilled this need. The games allowed Athenians to compete with one another physically and intellectually and therefore appealed to most all Athenian citizens. These contests acted as a way for Athenians to push their boundaries, to prove to themselves and others who they really were, and to earn recognition for their successes.
The idea of agon is also used in ancient literature to define dramatic conflict between characters. This is probably what lies as the foundation for how we interpret the term "agony" today. We see agony as extreme, painful suffering - we've taken the value of this suffering out of the definition. While we don't use the term to describe the same ideas today, the idea that there is value in struggle does persist.
While winning events was clearly an accomplishment, evidenced by the winners' receiving gifts of olive oil, currency, and wreaths and their special participation in the procession, I think that the Athenians valued the actual contest more than the outcome of it. This reminds me of the popular saying today about how success is found in the journey rather than the destination. I believe this idea finds its roots in the Greeks' idea of agon.
Musical Contests
Within the various musical contests, contestants would sing, play the kithara, and play the aulos. The kithara, shown on the vase on the left, was a stringed instrument, similar to a lyre. The aulos, shown on the vase fragment on the right, was a wind instrument, similar to the flute or clarinet. Some of the contests were only instrumental or vocal and some included a combination of vocal and instrumental musicians. The prizes for each type of contest varied, so the winners of these contests received olive crowns and currency.
Rhapsodic Contests
A rhapsode is someone who recites epic poems, usually Homer during the Panathenaea. The literal translation of rhapsodes is "stitchers of song," they recite works in such a way that they have an almost hypnotic rhythm despite the fact that they were not usually accompanied by any music. The rhapsodes recited poems from memory and sometimes commented on the work once they had recited it. Their skill was evaluated by their impact on the audience, how moved they were. The prizes of the rhapsodic contests are unknown to us, but I would venture to say that they were probably similar to those of the musical competitions. This vase displays a rhapsode leaning on a staff, which they often did, and reciting a poem.
Athletic and Equestrian Contests
While the musical and rhapsodic contests seem to have been amazing, I view the athletic contests as the core of the Panathenaic Games. There were many athletic events, and they went on throughout the first few days of the Panathenaea. There were usually three age categories for each event that took place: boys (12-16 yo), "beardless," (16-20 yo), and men (20+ yo). The first of the contests was the stadion, which was afoot race consisting of a 200-yard sprint. Then came the pentathlon, which was comprised of five events: a stadion race, javelin throw, discus throw, long jump, and wrestling. After that was the wrestling contests, boxing contests, and the pankration contests, which was a sort of combination of wrestling and boxing. Another, more sacred event was the pyrrhic dancing, in which young Athenians grouped by their demes performed a dance in armor; the dance blends ballet style with warfare moves and Athena was said to have performed it in celebration of defeating the Giants. The equestrian contests were composed of the four-horse chariot race, two-horse chariot race, horse race, and javelin throw on horseback. The equestrian events also included the apobatês race, in which athletes would ride in a chariot, then jump out and run alongside the chariot for a certain distance, and then jump back into the chariot to complete the race; some scholars think that this event was a nod toward Homeric warfare. Below are amphorae which depict various athletic events; the first shows a pankration event, the second a chariot race, and the third a foot race. Amphorae were often filled with olive oil and used as trophies for the winners of the events.
The Panathenaea also included a torch race, talked about more in my Panathenaic Procession, Sacrifices, and the Peplos Ceremony article, and a boat race. Boat races were not typical to Greek contests but were a part of the festival in celebration of Athena's connection with boats and the Athenians' pride in their navy. There was also an event called the euandria, which was almost like a beauty contest, but it valued physical fitness more than our beauty contests seem to today. Some of the events that were considered more sacred were only open to Athenian citizens, but others were open to metics as well.
Reflection
The various contests were a key component of the Panathenaea. The festival was meant to celebrate Athena, and the Athenians did that as best as they knew how - they held contests that honored her in various ways from her connection with shipbuilding and the boat races to her dancing and the pyrrhic dancing event. I admire how the Athenians were so versatile in their celebrations because Athena truly was a well-rounded goddess. She was the goddess of wisdom and war and peace and had ties to weaving and craft making - she truly did it all. The Panathenaea reflects Athena's versatility, and the athletic, musical, and rhapsodic contests are an important aspect of that. While learning about the athletic contests was interesting, and we see the product of those contests in the Olympics today, I found the musical and rhapsodic contests research very intriguing. Before our discussions, I didn't realize that musical and rhapsodic contest were a part of festivals in ancient Greece, so learning more about them really captured my attention!
Sources
“Attic Panathenaic Amphora.” The J Paul Getty Museum, www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/7596/attributed-to-kleophrades-painter-attic-panathenaic-amphora-greek-attic-500-480-bc/?dz=#f53c2ec7df9828ba887f19cf54ef8bbfaf857954.
Cartwright, Mark. “Aulos.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 20 June 2020, www.ancient.eu/Aulos/.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Rhapsode.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 16 Mar. 2016, www.britannica.com/art/rhapsode.
“The Kithara in Ancient Greece.” Metmuseum.org, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/kith/hd_kith.htm.
“Neck-Amphora: British Museum.” The British Museum, www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1843-1103-34.
“Panathenaic Amphora; Prize/Trophy: British Museum.” The British Museum, www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1873-0820-370.
“PANATHENAIC FESTIVAL.” ATHENIAN DAILY LIFE, www.faculty.umb.edu/gary_zabel/Courses/Morals%20and%20Law/M+L/Plato/rligious.htm.
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