The  Pan-Hellenic festivals

The festival was basically a religious gathering to celebrate the gods worshipped in common by all Hellenes, primarily Zeus. There were three other major pan-Hellenic festivals, the Pythian, the Nemean, and the Isthmian, all of which included fairs, but the festival at Olympia became pre-eminent by 572 BC, when Elis and Sparta entered into an alliance under which Elis was in charge of the event itself while Sparta enforced the sacred truce.

The Pythian Games

Location : sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi, and  celebrated the god's victory over the monster Python.

Nature of the festival : were an artistic, rather than an athletic celebration.

Contests included singing, lyre playing, flute playing, and dramatic performances.

After the First Sacred War, Delphi was liberated from the control of the city-state of Krisa by the Amphyctionic League. The Amphyctions then reorganized the festival and added athletic contests to the program of the festival. These games were the same as at Olympia, with the exception of the four-horse chariot race and the boys' competitions.

Prize : a wreath of laurel or bay leaves at Delphi.

(as at Olympia, victors were not given monetary prize)

The Isthmian Games

Location:  sanctuary of Poseidon at Isthmia.

They probably began as a celebration of the new order of Corinth after the demise of the Kypselid tyranny. They were thought to have been originated by the mythical Corinthian king Sisyphos or the mythical Athenian king Theseus as funeral games for the hero Melikertes. The Isthmian Games were controlled throughout their history by the city-state of Corinth.

Nature of the festival : primarily athletic , as at Olympia

However, later musical and dramatic competitions were added.

Award: a wreath of pine, and later one of wild celery.

The Nemean Games

Location: the sanctuary of Zeus at Nemea

Origin : two foundation myths are existed  as at Olympia

• The first is that Herakles established the games after disposing of the Nemean lion.

• The second is that they were begun as the funeral games of the child Opheltes.

Originally, the games were controlled by the city-state of Kleonai, but they were later taken over by Argos.

Nature of the festival : primarily athletic , as at Olympia

Award: a wreath of wild celery.

Other Pan-Hellenic Games

• the Delian Games on the Cycladic island of Delos

• and the Panathenaic Games in the city-state of Athens.

However, while victory in these competitions still held honour, the four major Pan-Hellenic Games carried much more prestige.