The Crown Games were the apex of competition in ancient Greece. Along
with prestigious athletic contests in honor of Zeus at Olympia, they
comprised the Pythian Games for Apollo at Delphi, the Isthmian Games for
Poseidon, and the Nemean Games, sacred to Zeus. For over nine hundred
years, the Greeks celebrated these athletic and religious festivals, a
rare point of cultural unity amid the fierce regional independence of
the numerous Greek city-states and kingdoms.
The Crown Games of Ancient Greece examines these festivals in the
context of the ancient Greek world, a vast and sprawling cultural region
that stretched from modern Spain to the Black Sea and North Africa.
Illuminating the unique history and features of the celebrations, David
Lunt delves into the development of the contest sites as sanctuaries and
the Panhellenic competitions that gave them their distinctive character.
While literary sources have long been the mainstay for understanding the
evolution of the Crown Games and ancient Greek athletics, archaeological
excavations have significantly augmented contemporary understandings of
the events. Drawing on this research, Lunt brings deeper context to
these gatherings, which were not only athletics competitions but also
occasions for musical contests, dramatic performances, religious
ceremonies, and diplomatic summits--as well as raucous partying. Taken
as a circuit, the Crown Games offer a more nuanced view of ancient Greek
culture than do the well-known Olympian Games on their own. With this
comprehensive examination of the Crown Games, Lunt provides a new
perspective on how the ancient Greeks competed and collaborated both as
individuals and as city-states.
