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ANCIENT PYTHIAN AND OLYMPIC GAMES
The Pythian Games were one of four Pan-Hellenic Games held in ancient Delphi at the same time as the ancient Olympics. Before Theodosius, Emperor of the Byzantine Empire, banned all Pan-Hellenic Games, events in sports, theatre, music, poetry, and art were held every four years to honour the god Apollo. In ancient Greece, the art competition was a symbol of peace, and it took place each year in about 582 BC, just before the Olympic Games. The games have comparable social significance, and six months before the events begin, the organisers announce the Delphi Peace Accord. Over time, Delphi evolved into a gathering spot, a neutral venue for networking and conflict resolution, and a contributor to the fields of art, culture, cultural heritage, and education. According to literary and epigraphic evidence, the Pythian Games were held on the seventh day of the month Boukatios, which was the second month following the summer solstice in Delphi’s lunar calendar.
The first Pythian Games, held in 586 B.C., were a quadrennial celebration second only to the Olympic Games in terms of chronology and popularity. The Delphic sporting event followed the Olympic pattern in general. The Pythian Games were notable for including artistic competitions, notably evidenced by the presence and popularity of the Delphi Theatre, which hosted the musical competitions. The Apollo sanctuary is close to the Delphi stadium and theatre, demonstrating the prominence of the Delphi musical festival. Praying too Apollo was the earliest event. Kithara singing was introduced to the aulos, or flute, at the first Games in 586 B.C. In 558 B.C., the festival’s final event was kithara performing. All of the music competitions took place in a theatre with a specially constructed platform. The judges chose the winners after each contestant performed the identical composition.
The ancient Pythian Games were an attempt in 6th-century Ancient Greece to promote peace and harmony.
Poetry and prose competitions were also organised in Delphi. A panel of judges decided the winners, though it’s evident that crowd reaction influenced the judges’ decisions. The Games included drama acting competitions, which may have included both individual performers and participation in a full-scale theatre production. From the 5th century B.C. onwards, winning at Olympia was the peak of athletic achievement in ancient Greece, whereas winning in the Delphi music and art competitions was the peak of artistic achievement in ancient Greece. The Olympic festival did actually include artistic and intellectual performances. When philosophers read, poets, artists, and sculptors presented their work. Interestingly, the winner of the Delphi events competed in the Olympic Games’ jumping events, but there were no artistic competitions. Olympia’s ambiance included the arts, as well as peddling, magic shows, and other diversions. The Pythian Games, like the Olympic Games today, were a marriage of mind and body.
The Pythian Games were the first to include women in artistic categories, and only the modern Olympics reflect this. Women used to compete in Olympia, not the Olympics, in athletics. An inscription on the lone surviving female base from Delphi names three female competitors: Caesarea, Tralles, and Corinth. Women competed in the poetry and prose competitions. The Pythian Games were said to promote the harmony of body, mind, and soul.