In Praise of Greek Athletes : Echoes of the Herald's Proclamation in Epinikian and Epigram

by: Miller, P.J.

In Praise of Greek Athletes

Echoes of the Herald's Proclamation in Epinikian and Epigram

Author: Peter J. Miller, University of Winnipeg, Canada

In ancient Greece both epinikian songs and inscribed epigrams were regularly composed to celebrate victory at athletic festivals. For the first time this book offers an integrated approach to both genres. It focuses on the ultimate source of information about athletic victory, the angelia or herald's proclamation. By examining the ways in which the proclamation was modified and elaborated in epinikian song and inscribed epigram, Peter Miller demonstrates the shared features of both genres and their differences. Through a comprehensive analysis of the metaphor of the herald across the corpus, he argues that it persists across form, medium, and genre from the Archaic to the Hellenistic period, and also provides a rich array of close readings that illuminate key parts of the praise of athletes. This title is part of the Flip it Open Programme and may also be available Open Access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.

Offers an innovative comparative analysis of epinikian song and epigram, genres which have typically only been studied apart
Provides close readings and full translations of every agonistic epigram from 800-300 BCE
Enables a fresh understanding of how the athletic environment of Greek sports affects the texts that celebrate victory

Table of Contents
Introduction: Announcing Athletic Victory
1. Messages and Heralds
2. Epinikian Elaborations
3. Epigrammatic Elaborations
Conclusion.

In Praise of Greek Athletes : Echoes of the Herald's Proclamation in Epinikian and Epigram

by: Miller, P.J.

• ISBN-13: 9781009365956 / 978-1-00-936595-6
• ISBN-03: 1009365959 / 1-00-936595-9
• Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2024