Isthmian Games

The Isthmian Games (Greek Ίσθμια Isthmia ) were competitions in ancient Greece, named after the Isthmus of Corinth, where they were celebrated in honor of Poseidon. They were among the Panhellenic Games.

A sacred pine grove comprised the sanctuary of the Isthmian Poseidon and the battle grounds: the Hippodrome for the races with horses, a stadium for the race, a major theater for the musical competitions and the Kraneion, a handsome gymnasium.

Its foundation is partly Poseidon, Theseus partly attributed and they were probably already very crowded early, because even Solon put any Attic winner in the Isthmian games a reward of 100 drachmas from; they received with varying validity to the Roman Imperial period.

Your celebration returned every two years ( Isthmiade ) again, each in the second and fourth year of an Olympiad, probably in the summer and spring. It contained the main ingredients of the great festivals: the gymnic Agon ( competition ), especially in race, ring and boxing, pankration and Pentathlon consisting (see also aerobics ); Furthermore, the chivalrous, wagon and horse racing comprehensive, and later the arts, the rhetorical and poetic or musical presentations had.

In addition to these "big" Isthmian there were " minor ", such as Ancyra, Nicaea.

Since the Isthmus was dominated by the polis of Corinth, was this also to the judges office. After the destruction of Corinth in 146 BC it took to rebuild the city the Sikyonians.

The victor's wreath was in the older celebration of elderberry, later, some time after the restoration of Corinth, from pine branches. In addition, the palm was served, and there were public Bekränzungen and public praise of individual men and deserving of entire states.

The Isthmian Games are the light of the observations of Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 LUT where the Apostle writes about the uncompromising commitment to the Gospel, as well as for Friedrich Schiller's The Cranes of Ibycus.