The surprisingly long history of the Olympics of Antioch (AD 212-520)

Abstract

The Olympics of Antioch were – as far as we know – the last surviving agon of antiquity and definitely the most prominent in Late Antique literature. This paper aims to counter the tendency to discuss them as separate from the imperial-age agones. The first section underlines how the Olympics of Antioch were simply an addition to a preexisting set of Antiochene contests, and how similar they were to other local Olympics. The second section presents some factors that made this ordinary agon stand out. It contains a brief discussion of the positive role that Antioch had as capital of Syria and of the diocese of the Orient on the contest’s Late Antique development. This section’s main focus is the rationale behind and the consequences of the choice of Daphne as its venue. A survey of the sporting accommodation in the city and at Daphne makes clear that, at the time of the games’ foundation, Daphne was not the obvious choice from a logistical point of view. But, as the example of the oldest Olympics could show, the road between the organizing city and the sanctuary of choice was not considered a hurdle. The lengthy procession drew the people in and created an idealized image of the city and its entire community. It created a strong link between the Olympics and the Antiochene identity, which made the festival impervious to the breakdown of the wide agonistic network of contests. The epilogue argues that the ban by Justin I in a particularly riotous period was probably meant to be temporary, but the natural disasters of the 520s made a return of the beloved festival impossible.