SPORT, VICTORY
COMMEMORATION AND ELITE
IDENTITIES IN ARCHAIC AND
EARLY CLASSICAL ATHENS
By Zinon Papakonstantinou
Summary: In archaic and classical Athens, and in keeping with a wider pattern observable
around the Greek world, social elites dominated top-flight sport. As a result, sport was in-
strumental in articulating perceptions and identities of elite status. Following their victories
sixth and fifth-century Athenian sport victors expended considerable resources on the con-
struction of athletic commemorative landscapes, thus effectively appropriating sport as an
elite signifier. In this paper I expound on the import of practices of victory commemoration
by Athenian elites during the archaic and early classical periods. I argue that Athenian prac-
tices of athletic victory commemoration were symptomatic of wider power struggles but
contrasted to gradually shifting notions, that emerged during the late archaic period, on the
value and utility of sport.
INTRODUCTION
Sport and bodily culture were pre-eminent constituents in the cultural self-
definition of Greeks throughout antiquity. The archaic period was especially
crucial in this process and it can be convincingly asserted that by the end of
the sixth century athletics was a central and highly regarded feature of daily
All ancient dates are BCE unless otherwise noted.
Zinon Papakonstantinou ‘Sport, Victory, Commemoration and Elite Identities in Archaic and Early Classical Ath-
ens’ C&M () -. © Museum Tusculanum Press · www.mtp.dk · www.au.dk/classica