Agonothetes
In ancient Greece, an agonothetes (plural agonothetai; Ancient Greek: ἀγωνοθέτης) was the president or superintendent of one of the sacred Panhellenic Games. Alternative names for the same role included athlothetes, particularly in Athens.
At first the person who instituted the games and defrayed the expenses was the agonothetes; but in the great public games, such as the Olympic Games and Pythian Games, these presidents were the representatives of different states, or were chosen from the people in whose country the games were celebrated; thus at the Panathenaic Games at Athens ten athlothetae were elected for four years to superintend the various contests.[1]
In English, by confusion with the native -s plural form, the singular agonothete and plural agonothetes are sometimes encountered.
Bibliography
[edit]- Begass, Christoph (2024). "’Großzügig’, ‘gerecht’ und ‘vielfach geehrt’? Zur Selbstdarstellung der Agonotheten in Hellenismus und Kaiserzeit" [‘Generous’, ‘just’ and ‘often honoured’? On the self-presentation of agonothetes in the Hellenistic and Imperial periods]. In: Begass, Christoph; Mann, Christian; Tentori Montalto, Marco (eds.). Money and honor in ancient athletics. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, ISBN 9783515136341.
- Sarrazanas, Clément (2021). La cité des spectacles permanents: organisation et organisateurs des concours civiques dans l'Athènes hellénistique et impériale [The city of permanent spectacles: organisation and organisers of civic competitions in Hellenistic and Imperial Athens]. 2 vol., Bordeaux: Ausonius Editions, ISBN 9782356133977.
References
[edit]- ^ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Agonothetes". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 380.
