a smaller history of greece-第4节

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ed　at　Olympia；　on　the　banks　of　the　Alpheus；　in　the　territory　of　Elis。　　The　origin　of　the　festival　is　lost　in　obscurity；　but　it　is　said　to　have　been　revived　by　Iphitus；　king　of　Elis；　and　Lycurgus　the　Spartan　legislator；　in　the　year　776　B。C。；　and；　accordingly；　when　the　Greeks　at　a　later　time　began　to　use　the　Olympic　contest　as　a　chronological　era；　this　year　was　regarded　as　the　first　Olympiad。　It　was　celebrated　at　the　end　of　every　four　years；　and　the　interval　which　elapsed　between　each　celebration　was　called　an　Olympiad。　　The　whole　festival　was　under　the　management　of　the　Eleans；　who　appointed　some　of　their　own　number　to　preside　as　judges；　under　the　name　of　the　Hellanodicae。　　During　the　month　in　which　it　was　celebrated　all　hostilities　were　suspended　throughout　Greece。　　At　first　the　festival　was　confined　to　a　single　day；　and　consisted　of　nothing　more　than　a　match　of　runners　in　the　stadium；　but　in　course　of　time　so　many　other　contests　were　introduced；　that　the　games　occupied　five　days。　　They　comprised　various　trials　of　strength　and　skill；　such　as　wrestling　boxing；　the　Pancratium　（boxing　and　wrestling　combined）；　and　the　complicated　Pentathlum　（including　jumping；　running；　the　quoit；　the　javelin；　and　wrestling）；　but　no　combats　with　any　kind　of　weapons。　　There　were　also　horse…races　and　chariot…races；　and　the　chariot…race；　with　four　full…grown　horses；　became　one　of　the　most　popular　and　celebrated　of　all　the　matches。

The　only　prize　given　to　the　conqueror　was　a　garland　of　wild　olive；　but　this　was　valued　as　one　of　the　dearest　distinctions　in　life。　　To　have　his　name　proclaimed　as　victor　before　assembled　Hellas　was　an　object　of　ambition　with　the　noblest　and　the　wealthiest　of　the　Greeks。　　Such　a　person　was　considered　to　have　conferred　everlasting　glory　upon　his　family　and　his　country；　and　was　rewarded　by　his　fellow…citizens　with　distinguished　honours。

During　the　sixth　century　before　the　Christian　era　three　other　national　festivalsthe　Pythian；　Nemean；　and　Isthmian　games　which　were　at　first　only　local　became　open　to　the　whole　nation。　The　Pythian　games　were　celebrated　in　every　third　Olympic　year；　on　the　Cirrhaean　plain　in　Phocis；　under　the　superintendence　of　the　Amphictyons。　　The　games　consisted　not　only　of　matches　in　gymnastics　and　of　horse　and　chariot　races；　but　also　of　contests　in　music　and　poetry。　　They　soon　acquired　celebrity；　and　became　second　only　to　the　great　Olympic　festival。　　The　Nemean　and　Isthmian　games　occurred　more　frequently　than　the　Olympic　and　Pythian。　　They　were　celebrated　once　in　two　yearsthe　Nemean　in　the　valley　of　Nemea　between　Phlius　and　Cleonaeand　the　Isthmian　by　the　Corinthians；　on　their　isthmus；　in　honour　of　Poseidon　（Neptune）。　　As　in　the　Pythian　festival；　contests　in　music　and　in　poetry；　as　well　as　gymnastics　and　chariot…races；　formed　part　of　these　games。　　Although　the　four　great　festivals　of　which　we　have　been　speaking　had　no　influence　in　promoting　the　political　union　of　Greece；　they　nevertheless　were　of　great　importance　in　making　the　various　sections　of　the　race　feel　that　they　were　all　members　of　one　family；　and　in　cementing　them　together　by　common　sympathies　and　the　enjoyment　of　common　pleasures。　　The　frequent　occurrence　of　these　festivals；　for　one　was　celebrated　every　gear；　tended　to　the　same　result。

The　Greeks　were　thus　annually　reminded　of　their　common　origin；　and　of　the　great　distinction　which　existed　between　them　and　barbarians。　　Nor　must　we　forget　the　incidental　advantages　which　attended　them。　　The　concourse　of　so　large　a　number　of　persons　from　every　part　of　the　Grecian　world　afforded　to　the　merchant　opportunities　for　traffic；　and　to　the　artist　and　the　literary　man　the　best　means　of　making　their　works　known。　　During　the　time　of　the　games　a　busy　commerce　was　carried　on；　and　in　a　spacious　hall　appropriated　for　the　purpose；　the　poets；　philosophers；　and　historians　were　accustomed　to　read　their　most　recent　works。

The　habit　of　consulting　the　same　oracles　in　order　to　ascertain　the　will　of　the　gods　was　another　bond　of　union。　　It　was　the　universal　practice　of　the　Greeks　to　undertake　no　matter　of　importance　without　first　asking　the　advice　of　the　gods；　and　there　were　many　sacred　spots　in　which　the　gods　were　always　ready　to　give　an　answer　to　pious　worshippers。　　The　oracle　of　Apollo　at　Delphi　surpassed　all　the　rest　in　importance；　and　was　regarded　with　veneration　in　every　part　of　the　Grecian　world。　　In　the　centre　of　the　temple　of　Delphi　there　was　a　small　opening　in　the　ground；　from　which　it　was　said　that　a　certain　gas　or　vapour　ascended。　　Whenever　the　oracle　was　to　be　consulted；　a　virgin　priestess　called　PYTHIA　took　her　seat　upon　a　tripod　which　was　placed　over　the　chasm。　　The　ascending　vapour　affected　her　brain；　and　the　words　which　she　uttered　in　this　excited　condition　were　believed　to　be　the　answer　of　Apollo　to　his　worshippers。　　They　were　always　in　hexameter　verse；　and　were　reverently　taken　down　by　the　attendant　priests。　　Most　of　the　answers　were　equivocal　or　obscure；　but　the　credit　of　the　oracle　continued　unimpaired　long　after　the　downfall　of　Grecian　independence。

A　further　element　of　union　among　the　Greeks　was　the　similarity　of　manners　and　character。　　It　is　true　the　difference　in　this　respect　between　the　polished　inhabitants　of　Athens　and　the　rude　mountaineers　of　Acarnania　was　marked　and　striking；　but　if　we　compare　the　two　with　foreign　contemporaries；　the　contrast　between　them　and　the　latter　is　still　more　striking。　　Absolute　despotism　human　sacrifices；　polygamy；　deliberate　mutilation　of　the　person　as　a　punishment；　and　selling　of　children　into　slavery；　existed　in　some　part　or　other　of　the　barbarian　world；　but　are　not　found　in　any　city　of　Greece　in　the　historical　times。

The　elements　of　union　of　which　we　have　been　speaking　only　bound　the　Greeks　together　in　common　feelings　and　sentiments：　　they　never　produced　any　political　union。　　The　independent　sovereignty　of　each　city　was　a　fundamental　notion　in　the　Greek　mind。　　This　strongly　rooted　feeling　deserves　particular　notice。　　Careless　readers　of　history　are　tempted　to　suppose　that　the　territory　of　Greece　was　divided　among　comparatively　small　number　of　independent　states；　such　as　Attica；　Arcadia；　Boeotia；　Phocis；　Locris；　and　the　like；　but　this　is　a　most　serious　mistake；　and　leads　to　a　total　misapprehension　of　Greek　history。　　Every　separate　city　was　usually　an　independent　state；　and　consequently　each　of　the　territories　described　under　the　general　names　of　Arcadia；　Boeotia；　Phocis；　and　Locris；　contained　numerous　political　communities　independent　of　one　another。　　Attica；　it　is　true；　formed　a　single　state；　and　its　different　towns　recognised　Athens　as　their　capital　and　the　source　of　supreme　power；　but　this　is　an　exception　to　the　general　rule。



CHAPTER　IV。

EARLY　HISTORY　OF　PELOPONNESUS　AND　SPARTA；　DOWN　TO　THE　END　OF　THE　MESSENIAN　WARS；　B。C。　668。

In　the　heroic　age　Peloponnesus　was　occupied　by　tribes　of　Dorian　conquerors。　　They　had　no　share　in　the　glories　of　the　Heroic　age；　their　name　does　not　occur　in　the　Iliad；　and　they　are　only　once　mentioned　in　the　Odyssey；　but　they　were　destined　to　form　in　historical　times　one　of　the　most　important　elements　of　the　Greek　nation。　　Issuing　from　their　mountain　district　between　Thessaly；　Locris　and　Phocis；　they　overran　the　greater　part　of　Peloponnesus；　destroyed　the　ancient　Achaean　monarchies　and　expelled　or　reduced　to　subjection　the　original　inhabitants　of　the　land；　of　which　they　became　the　undisputed　masters。　　This　brief　statement　contains　all　that　we　know　for　certain　respecting　this　celebrated　event；　which　the　ancient　writers　placed　eighty　years　after　the　Trojan　war　（B。C。　1104）。　　The　legendary　account　of　the　conquest　of　Peloponnesus　ran　as　follows：The　Dorians　were　led　by　the　Heraclidae；　or　descendants　of　the　mighty　hero　Hercules。　　Hence　this　migration　is　called　the　Return　of　the　Heraclidae。　　The　children　of　Hercules　had　long　been　fugitives　upon　the　face　of　the　earth。　　They　had　made　many　attempts　to　regain　possession　of　the　dominions　in　the　Peloponnesus；　of　which　their　great　sire　had　been　deprived　by　Eurystheus；　but　hitherto　without　success。　　In　their　last　attempt　Hyllus；　the　son　of　Hercules；　had　perished　in　single　combat　with　Echemus　of　Tegea；　and　the　Heraclidae　had　become　bound　by　a　solemn　compact　to　renounce　their　enterprise　for　a　hundred　years。　　This　period　had　now　expired；　and　the　great…grandsons　of　HyllusTemenus；　Cresphontes；　and　Aristodemusresolved　to　make　a　fresh　attempt　to　recover　their　birthright。　　They　were　assisted　in　the　enterprise　by　the　Dorians。　　This　people　espoused　their　cause　in　consequence　of　the　aid　which　Hercules　himself　had　rendered　to　the　Dorian　king；　AEgimius；　when　the　latter　was　hard　pressed　in　a　contest　with　the　Lapithae。　　The　invaders　were　warned　by　an　oracle　not　to　enter　Peloponnesus　by　the　Isthmus　of　Corinth；　but　across　the　mouth　of　the　Corinthian　gulf。　　The　inhabitants　of　the　northern　coast　of　the　gulf　were　favourable　to　their　enterprise。　Oxylus；　king　of　the　AEtolians；　became　their　guide；　and　from　Naupactus　they　crossed　over　to　Peloponnesus。　　A　single　battle　decided　the　contest。　　Tisamenus；　the　son　of　Orestes；　was　defeated　and　retired　with　a　portion　of　his　Achaean　subjects　to　the　northern　coast　of　Peloponnesus；　then　occupied　by　the　Ionians。　He　expelled　the　Ionians；　and　took　possession　of　the　country；　which