On the Ancient Greek αγων

Abstract

The Greek word αγων (agon) means that many people assemble in some place to have a contest. Generally speaking, agon can be translated into contest, competition or disputation in modern English.Undoubtedly, nearly all the ancient civilizations have some forms of contest in a certain degree. However, it is only in Greece that agonal spirit was fully developed and became a fundamental characteristic of society and culture. In Greece, there are two kinds of contest, one is physical, including athletic sports and war, the Olympic Games belongs to this kind. The other is in mentality, including contest of drama and poem, lawsuit, politics, philosophy, and etc. All these contests follow the “first only rule”, reflecting Greek concept of philotimia (love of honour).Greek civilization ended, while the agonal spirit continued to be a special feature in the western culture afterwards.This article will expound the origin and development of the agonal spirit in Ancient Greece. At the same time, it will give an account of its social influences, and make a brief comparative study of agonal spirit between ancient China and Greece.