Papers by Sebastian Scharff
Beyond the Big Four. Local Games in Ancient Greek Athletic Culture , 2024
OUP, 2023
Starting from the observation that an athletic victor from Aphrodisias is praised for the remarka... more Starting from the observation that an athletic victor from Aphrodisias is praised for the remarkable fact that he received his victor prize ‘from the hands of the emperor’, this chapter asks if, how and why athletic representation changed from the Hellenistic to the Roman imperial period and what part material culture (i.e. victor inscriptions) played in this process. It analyses how Roman emperors of roughly the first three centuries ad used athletic festivals as a means of establishing a channel of communication with the people of the Greek-speaking parts of the empire. It is also looks at the manners in which emperors were present at these festivals and investigates how they intervened in the agonistic circuit. The final section takes the athletes’ perspective and reveals four new trends in the self-presentation of athletes of the Roman imperial period: the expansion of the frame of reference (‘first of the inhabited earth’), an explicit reference to multiple citizenships and council memberships, an emphasis on the victor’s status as part of an empire-wide aristocracy (‘father of senators’), and a prominence of the motif of the athlete’s proximity to the emperor. No doubt, the way athletes of the imperial period wanted their victories to be understood clearly changed in comparison to their predecessors. Athletes were now part of an empire that was composed of almost the entire inhabited earth. Their self-presentation is indicative of this aspect.
Building on the general notion that localism is a relational
force, formulated and voiced in juxt... more Building on the general notion that localism is a relational
force, formulated and voiced in juxtaposition to the local of others, this chapter floats the concept of competitive localism: the term signals not only the role of athletics as a feeder of local sentiments, but accentuates the local ways of doing sports as well as the traces the competition leaves
in the political arena. The chapter first identifies the idiosyncratic fea-
tures of Sparta’s agonistic culture, among them the discouragement
of boxing and a certain fondness for female and team competitions.
Local commemoration practices reverberated the different outlook of
athletics. Scharff’s discussion of Spartan Hellenistic victor epigrams
suggests a strong emphasis on polis ideologies, couched in a constella-
tion that segued freely from politics to athletics and back; it appears,
indeed, that athletic competitions were subject to the desire to boast
about the local way of life first and foremost. Evidently, the force
of Sparta’s athletic jingoism was so compelling that it transpired in
neighbouring Messenia also. The study of evidence from there dem-
onstrates that the theme of victory in athletic competition played a
crucial role in the building of a Messenian identity of place. A curious
episode from 226 BCE, which Scharff examines in conclusion to this
chapter, vividly reminds readers of King Kleomenes’ deliberate and
somewhat bizarre attempts to translate Spartan claims for military
power into the language of locally enshrined athletics.
Erga-Logoi, 2023
* This article was made possible by generous financial support from the European Union (project: ... more * This article was made possible by generous financial support from the European Union (project: «Federalism and Border Management in Greek Antiquity», ERC 2021 COG PR. No. 101043954). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. I would also like to thank my colleagues Elena Franchi and Claudio Biagetti who discussed an earlier version of this paper with me. As the two anonymous reviewers of this article, they provided constructive comments that helped this article take shape. 1 Chaniotis 1988.
Hormos, 2023
This article was made possible by generous financial support from the European Union (project: "F... more This article was made possible by generous financial support from the European Union (project: "Federalism and Border Management in Greek Antiquity", ERC 2021 COG PR. No. 101043954). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. I would also like to address my sincere thanks to my colleagues Elena Franchi and Claudio Biagetti who discussed an earlier version of this paper with me. Two
Routledge eBooks, Oct 25, 2021
The essay is about ancient Greek horse and chariot races. The architecture of Greek hippodromes w... more The essay is about ancient Greek horse and chariot races. The architecture of Greek hippodromes was very rudimentary, but-at least at Olympia-the organizers put much effort in constructing a starting mechanism which was meant to guarantee all starters equal chances for winning. Concerning the prizes, symbolic prizes were common as well as valuable prizes. In ancient Greece, it was the owner of the horses who counted as the participant. The jockeys' and charioteers' strength and skill obviously had a strong impact on the outcome of the race, but they are very rarely mentioned in the ancient texts. Equestrian victors had two means of representation at their disposal: the erection of agonistic victor monuments or the commission of epinikia. It is equally true for both forms of representation that the way the victor was showcased was not up to the artistic license of the poets, but was controlled by the victors. Victory poetry was poetry on commission for which the victors reached deeply into their pockets. The poems dealt with important political implications. This is why epinikia and victory monuments constitute amazing pieces of evidence for the ancient historian, since they allow him to reconstruct the protagonist's view.
The Classical Review
Granted all these are problems that are more peripheral to L.'s central thrust of proving the lar... more Granted all these are problems that are more peripheral to L.'s central thrust of proving the largely theoretical point that many Athenians and Greeks were behaving little differently than homo oeconomicus (p. 222), and in this task L. has done a fine job.
Virtual Halls of Fame. Imagined Communities of Equestrian Victors in the Hellenistic Period, 2019
Les épreuves hippiques et les chevaux Les odes hippiques de Pindare, par Nadine Le Meur The stray... more Les épreuves hippiques et les chevaux Les odes hippiques de Pindare, par Nadine Le Meur The stray charioteer: Athletic connotations in the shaping of tragic Orestes, par Nikos Manousakis Organisateurs de concours et épreuves hippiques, par Clément Sarrazanas Logistics and requirements for overseas participants in the Olympic Games: The example of Sicily, par Sandra Zipprich Spectacle hippique et spectacle gymnique en Grèce ancienne : approche comparée et effet Carpentier, par Jean-Manuel Roubineau Le cheval de course : invention zootechnique ou création culturelle ?, par Christophe Chandezon Samphoras and Koppatias. The brand-name horses of Sikyon and Corinth, par Stamatis A. Fritzilas Heroes and hooves: Outstanding horses in Posidippus' Hippika, par Christian Mann Identification of some winners in the keles race in Posidippus' epigrams, par Filippo Canali De Rossi Virtual halls of fame. Imagined communities of equestrian victors in the Hellenistic period, par Sebastian Scharff Vainqueurs, dédicaces et politique Concours hippiques et politique : un sport d'élite, entre promotion personnelle et intérêt public, par Athina Dimopoulou Too many horses: A dedication by Alcibiades revisited, par Angeliki Kosmopoulou Agones hippikoi and votive offerings, par Heide Frielinghaus Ἀφιπποδρομά, προσδρομή, ἀφιππολαμπάς et σκοπὸς ἱππέων, par Fernando García Romero Ἑρμῆς Ἵππιος. Hermes and his association with horses, par Martin Schäfer Bibliographie Index Résumés Liste des auteurs Table des matières
Grenzüberschreitende institutionalisierte Zusammenarbeit von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart, 2019
The International Journal of the History of Sport, 2020
The essay is about ancient Greek horse and chariot races. The architecture of Greek hippodromes w... more The essay is about ancient Greek horse and chariot races. The architecture of Greek hippodromes was very rudimentary, but—at least at Olympia—the organizers put much effort in constructing a starting mechanism which was meant to guarantee all starters equal chances for winning. Concerning the prizes, symbolic prizes were common as well as valuable prizes. In ancient Greece, it was the owner of the horses who counted as the participant. The jockeys’ and charioteers’ strength and skill obviously had a strong impact on the outcome of the race, but they are very rarely mentioned in the ancient texts. Equestrian victors had two means of representation at their disposal: the erection of agonistic victor monuments or the commission of epinikia. It is equally true for both forms of representation that the way the victor was showcased was not up to the artistic license of the poets, but was controlled by the victors. Victory poetry was poetry on commission for which the victors reached deeply into their pockets. The poems dealt with important political implications. This is why epinikia and victory monuments constitute amazing pieces of evidence for the ancient historian, since they allow him to reconstruct the protagonist’s view.
Conference Presentations by Sebastian Scharff
Freie Universität BERLIN, TOPOI, OCTOBER 11-12, 2018
Topoi Building Dahlem
Hittorfstr. 18
14195 ... more Freie Universität BERLIN, TOPOI, OCTOBER 11-12, 2018
Topoi Building Dahlem
Hittorfstr. 18
14195 Berlin
Organizers
Francesco Mari (Berlin)
Christian Wendt (Bochum)
Kontakt
[email protected]
Editions by Sebastian Scharff
hrsg. v. C. Antonetti - P. Funke - L. Kolonas in Zusammenarbeit m. D. Baldassarra, C. Biagetti, E... more hrsg. v. C. Antonetti - P. Funke - L. Kolonas in Zusammenarbeit m. D. Baldassarra, C. Biagetti, E. Cavalli, F. Crema, K. Freitag, M. Haake, K. Hallof, K. Knäpper, S. Scharff, D. Summa
hrsg. v. C. Antonetti - P. Funke in Zusmmenarbeit m. D. Baldassarra, E. Cavalli, F. Crema, K. Fre... more hrsg. v. C. Antonetti - P. Funke in Zusmmenarbeit m. D. Baldassarra, E. Cavalli, F. Crema, K. Freitag, M. Haake, K. Knäpper, S. Scharff
Books by Sebastian Scharff
This is a study of Hellenistic athletics from the perspective of the victors. By analyzing agonis... more This is a study of Hellenistic athletics from the perspective of the victors. By analyzing agonistic epigrams as poetry on commission, it investigates how successful athletes and horse owners and their sponsors wanted their victories to be understood. Based on the identification of recurring motifs that exceed the conventions of the genre, a multiplicity of agonistic cultures is detected on three different levels-those of the polis, the region and the empire. Kings and queens used athletics in order to legitimate their rule, cities tried to compensate for military defeats by agonistic successes, and victorious aristocrats created virtual halls of fame to emphasize their common regional identity. Without a doubt, athletic victories represented far more than just leisure activities of Hellenistic noblemen. They clearly mattered in terms of politics and social status.
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Papers by Sebastian Scharff
force, formulated and voiced in juxtaposition to the local of others, this chapter floats the concept of competitive localism: the term signals not only the role of athletics as a feeder of local sentiments, but accentuates the local ways of doing sports as well as the traces the competition leaves
in the political arena. The chapter first identifies the idiosyncratic fea-
tures of Sparta’s agonistic culture, among them the discouragement
of boxing and a certain fondness for female and team competitions.
Local commemoration practices reverberated the different outlook of
athletics. Scharff’s discussion of Spartan Hellenistic victor epigrams
suggests a strong emphasis on polis ideologies, couched in a constella-
tion that segued freely from politics to athletics and back; it appears,
indeed, that athletic competitions were subject to the desire to boast
about the local way of life first and foremost. Evidently, the force
of Sparta’s athletic jingoism was so compelling that it transpired in
neighbouring Messenia also. The study of evidence from there dem-
onstrates that the theme of victory in athletic competition played a
crucial role in the building of a Messenian identity of place. A curious
episode from 226 BCE, which Scharff examines in conclusion to this
chapter, vividly reminds readers of King Kleomenes’ deliberate and
somewhat bizarre attempts to translate Spartan claims for military
power into the language of locally enshrined athletics.
Conference Presentations by Sebastian Scharff
Topoi Building Dahlem
Hittorfstr. 18
14195 Berlin
Organizers
Francesco Mari (Berlin)
Christian Wendt (Bochum)
Kontakt
[email protected]
Editions by Sebastian Scharff
Books by Sebastian Scharff
force, formulated and voiced in juxtaposition to the local of others, this chapter floats the concept of competitive localism: the term signals not only the role of athletics as a feeder of local sentiments, but accentuates the local ways of doing sports as well as the traces the competition leaves
in the political arena. The chapter first identifies the idiosyncratic fea-
tures of Sparta’s agonistic culture, among them the discouragement
of boxing and a certain fondness for female and team competitions.
Local commemoration practices reverberated the different outlook of
athletics. Scharff’s discussion of Spartan Hellenistic victor epigrams
suggests a strong emphasis on polis ideologies, couched in a constella-
tion that segued freely from politics to athletics and back; it appears,
indeed, that athletic competitions were subject to the desire to boast
about the local way of life first and foremost. Evidently, the force
of Sparta’s athletic jingoism was so compelling that it transpired in
neighbouring Messenia also. The study of evidence from there dem-
onstrates that the theme of victory in athletic competition played a
crucial role in the building of a Messenian identity of place. A curious
episode from 226 BCE, which Scharff examines in conclusion to this
chapter, vividly reminds readers of King Kleomenes’ deliberate and
somewhat bizarre attempts to translate Spartan claims for military
power into the language of locally enshrined athletics.
Topoi Building Dahlem
Hittorfstr. 18
14195 Berlin
Organizers
Francesco Mari (Berlin)
Christian Wendt (Bochum)
Kontakt
[email protected]
Sebastian Scharff holds a postdoctoral research fellowship in the Department of Humanities at the University of Trento. He has published extensively on ancient athletics, including a coedited volume on Athletics in the Hellenistic World (2016).
Sebastian Scharff untersucht mit den Schwurgötterlisten griechischer Staatsverträge, dem Eidritual und der Praxis der Aufstellung von Verträgen in Heiligtümern genau die Elemente griechischer Religiosität, derer man sich bediente, um die zwischenstaatlichen Beziehungen abzusichern, die sich im antiken Griechenland vielerorts in einem dauerhaft prekären Zustand befanden. Über die Absicherung konkreter Verträge hinaus kam dem Eid damit eine immens wichtige Rolle in der Kommunikation zwischen Staaten zu. Der Autor analysiert detailliert, wie, wann und warum man im zwischenstaatlichen Verkehr des antiken Griechenlands mit Eiden argumentierte. Quellengrundlage sind erstmals alle epigraphisch und historiographisch überlieferten griechischen Vertragseide von der archaischen Zeit bis zum Tag von Eleusis (168 v. Chr.).
The contributions collected in this volume offer a multifaceted, if preliminary, illustration of ancient diplomatic good faith, focusing primarily on Greek, Persian-Achaemenid, and Roman cultures, but also on the Hellenistic kingdoms and the Parthian Empire.
In a different, yet equally vibrant context, Jakob A.O. Larsen (“Federation for Peace in Ancient Greece”. Classical Philology 39, 145-62) started from the same question and analysed more or less the same ancient Greek cases. Larsen was writing in 1944, as the world was being ravaged by war and searching for a way out. Could federal bodies promote peace? Like Boak, Larsen also looked to the ancient Greeks with hope, but unlike Boak, he allowed himself a degree of optimism even with regard to the ancients.
The “federation for peace” dilemma has dominated studies on federalism in general (not just ancient federalism) and has run through post-World War II Europe, the Cold War, and the nascent European Union. Moreover, federation for peace has been the hope to which many have clung in the face of crumbling nations, the dramas of ethnic conflicts and the challenge of religious conflicts. Something had to exist to keep nations united in peace. That something seemed to be federalism.
Investigations into Greek Federal States have also been guided by this question. Articulate and nuanced answers have been developed, although these have scarcely been conclusive. The evidence does not seem to allow for clear-cut conclusions, but that is not the decisive point. The important aspect is that we are still looking for answers to the same question, namely Boak’s question: did federalism promote peace?
FeBo does not seek an answer to that question because it starts from the assumption that with regard to Ancient Greece the question we should be asking is a different one, and it focuses on borders: how did the Greek federal states deal with the problem of internal (intra-federal) and external borders? Did border management policies aim at peaceful coexistence per se or rather at a balance of power and stability? Did they take into account economic, ethnic, cultural, athletic and religious cross-border networks?
Since intra-federal and external borders must necessarily be approached from different research perspectives and with divergent questions, FeBo organises two series of FeBinars, each with another focus, one on internal (The Management of Internal Borders by Federal States), the other on external borders (Crossing Federal Borders: Ancient and Modern).
The inaugural lecture delivered by Hans Beck, “Interpolis cooperation and competition: the case of Southern Boiotia” - 7 March 2023, initiates both series since it focuses on a case study involving both intra-federal and extra-federal borders. Here is the abstract:
Ancient Greek ethnos states were notoriously unstable creatures. The ties of regional belonging were open to dynamic change, political allegiances often volatile. The lands south of Thebes, across the Asopos river and into the folds of Mt Kithairon provide the curious case of a terrain where the vectors of local and regional interaction converged; ongoing rivalries between Thebes and Plataia are but one example. Hans Beck’s talk delves deep into the lived environment of the Asopos valley, a region that exercised a mythopoetic pull over the ethnos of the Boiotians but that also fueled concupiscence. From there it was only a few kilometers to the borderlands with Attica, which wielded their own impact upon the perfusing force of interpolis cooperation and competition in this core region of mainland Greece.