Pythian Games

The principle of competition played a huge role in the life of Hellas and pervaded many areas of activity of the Greeks: politics , trade , sports , art and religion ^{[2] [3]} . Of particular importance were the agons - pan - Greek games that helped strengthen the Hellenic national identity. Barbarians - strangers - participation in the pan-Greek Games was strictly prohibited.

Four ancient Greek holidays were widely known: the Pythian Games, the Ancient Olympic Games , the Isthmian Games and the Nemean Games . The general Greek character of these Games was emphasized by special prizes for the winners - wreaths from the branches of various symbol plants , since in Hellas wreaths were considered a particularly honorable award.

The Pythian Games were held in honor of Apollo , the god of sunlight, harmony, the patron of the arts and muses , who announced the will of Zeus to people ^[4] . According to myths , these Games were established by Apollo himself in honor of his victory over the dragon Python ^[5] . After the victory, the epithet "Pythian" was added to the name of Apollo, and the priestesses-soothsayers of his temple in Delphi were called Pythia ^[6] .

The reason for the regular holding of the Pythian Games is the First Holy War against the harbor of Cyrus for the right of pilgrims to duty-free visit the sanctuary in Delphi. The history of the Pythian Games can be traced back to 582 BC. e. , thanks to the found inscriptions in honor of Aristotle and Kallisfen . After the end of the Holy War, the management of the Games passed to the Delphic Amfiktioniya - the Council of twelve Greek tribes. Since then, the Games began to be held in the late summer once every four years, respectively, a year before the Olympic Games. Small Pythia coped annually. The main venue for the Pythian Games is the plain at Delphi, where the amphitheater and stadium are located. There is also evidence that in addition to the Great Pythian Games in Delphi, many cities celebrated the Small Games. “From the inscriptions it is known about 24 cities, mostly in Asia, where such festivities took place” ^[6] .

Initially, the Pythian Games consisted only of the musical competitions of the Kifared , performing pean in honor of Apollo. In 590 BC e. to singing to the accompaniment of kifara , added singing to the accompaniment of the flute and separately playing the flute, as well as gymnastic and equestrian competitions. Unlike other major antique holidays, musical disciplines constantly maintained their dominant importance at the Pythian games in Delphi , despite the spectacular athletic competitions, quadriga races and horse racing ^{[1] [7] [8]} included in their program.

During the Pythian Games, competitions of philosophers, the so-called Seven Wise Men , who became famous throughout Hellas, were also held ^[9] .

The Holy World, established at the time of the Games, guaranteed both participants and spectators a safe trip to Delphi and back home. We also received references to the enthusiasm and enthusiasm with which the audience received the participants of the competition. A large number of people flocked to Delphi, which brought huge incomes to the city ^[3] . At the time of the Games, Agora became a representative trading place for art goods.

The Pythian games were primarily games of honor. The winner was awarded a wreath of laurel - a tree dedicated to Apollo ^[1] . The branches of the laurel for them were brought from the sacred grove of the Tempei Valley . Sometimes the winners received special honors and statues. Particularly notable was the honor in his hometown. Policies actively supported their representatives so that they could succeed during the Games.

These ancient Games were mentioned in their writings by Plutarch , Ovid , Herodotus , Diodorus . The lyric poet Pindar composed laudatory songs - encomies , including those in honor of the winners of the Pythian Games ^[10] .

With the adoption of Christianity at the end of the 4th century , all the Panellin games ceased to be held, since they were pagan holidays celebrating various gods.

Many testimonies of that time and documents telling about the Pythian Games were destroyed by human violence or natural disasters. But all the saved sources emphasize the splendor and brilliance of the Games. The notes made by Aristotle give us an idea of ​​the festivities.

The games lasted from six to eight days and began with a sacred theatrical performance, recreating the victory of Apollo over Python. During the solemn procession in the temple of Apollo, a great festive sacrifice was performed. On the fourth day after the feast, the Games began.

Musical and theatrical competitions were held in the theater of Delphi, and athletic competitions were held in the stadium of Delphi. Due to the highlands of Delph, chariot races took place on the plain of Chris .

Artistic disciplines:

• Anthem to the god Apollo
• Competitions in playing the flute and kifar, with or without singing
• Competitions in theater and dance
• Exhibitions and sales of art products on the agora

Due to devastating earthquakes and under a layer of later sediments, the city of Delphi and the sanctuary of Apollo practically disappeared from the face of the earth. In the XVII century, English and French researchers unsuccessfully searched for the whereabouts of the ancient Delphi. Only in the 1870s, archaeologists from Germany and France began systematic excavations, which eventually led to the fact that Delphi again appeared to the world ^[11] .

Archaeological materials shed new light on the history of the Pythian Games. Among them were several hymns to Apollo with an ancient notation , which enriches our ideas about the music of different times and peoples ^[12] .

In the first half of the 20th century, on the scale of one country - Greece, two ethnographic Delphic festivals were held in 1927 and 1930 at the initiative of the Greek poet Angelos Sikelianos , supported by his American wife Eva Palmer . In the ancient amphitheater Delphi, a theatrical performance of Aeschylus ’s tragedy “Chained Prometheus” ^[13] took place, at the stadium there were competitions of athletes, wrestlers, horsemen, etc. ^{[14] [15]} . Despite its popularity, the idea of ​​continuing the Delphic Festivals did not receive state support for a long time due to the onset of the global economic crisis and a general decline in financial opportunities. Modern festivals in Delphi, renewing this tradition, also belong to the category of ethnographic shows and are primarily aimed at tourists ^[16] .

Currently, since 1997, various Delphic Games have been held .

Under the name "Pythian Games" in St. Petersburg there are cycles of concert concerts in which composers and musicians compete, and the winners are determined by the audience ^{[17] [18] [19]} .

• Schukarev A.N. Pythian Games // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. - Pavlenkov F., 1907.
• Soviet historical encyclopedia. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia. Ed. E. M. Zhukova. 1973-1982.
• Musical Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, Soviet composer. Ed. Yu. V. Keldysh. 1973-1982.
• Ancient culture: literature, theater, art, philosophy, science. Glossary / Edited by V. N. Yarho. M., 1995.
• M.L. Gasparov. Entertaining Greece: Tales of Ancient Greek Culture.— M .: 1996. ISBN 5-86793-008-4
• I.A. Lisovy, K.A. Revyako. The Ancient World in Terms, Names and Titles: A Dictionary of History and Culture of Ancient Greece and Rome / Scientific. ed. A.I. Nemirovsky. - 3rd ed. - Mn: Belarus, 2001.
• The ancient world. Dictionary dictionary. EdwART 2011.
• Krause: Die Pythien, Nemeen und Isthmien . Leipzig 1841. (German)
• Kirchhoff: Über die Zeit der pythischen Festfeier. in: Berichte der Berliner Akademie. Berlin 1864. (German)
• H.-P. Mederer: "Lasst die dröhnende Harfe uns wecken". Die Schauplätze der Wettkämpfe und Siegesfeiern in Pindars Epinikien . In: Antike Welt 8 . 2003. S. 433-440. (German)
• A. Mommsen: Delphika . Leipzig 1878. (German)

• E.V. Hertsman. Pythias. Music of Ancient Greece and Rome (neopr.) . “ Aletheia, ” St. Petersburg, pp. 150–158 (1995). Date of treatment November 19, 2015.