NE´MEA
NE´MEA (
Νεμέα) was a
valley in Argolis, between Kleonae and Phlius. It was the reputed scene of
many famous mythical events. Here (it was said) Argos had watched Io: and
here Herakleês slew the lion. Pausanias (
2.15,
2) relates that in his time the den
of the Nemean lion was pointed out in a mountain range, a little less than
two miles from Nemea. And here too, in historic times, stood a splendid
temple of Nemean Zeus, with a sacred enclosure (
ἄλσος, not to be rendered “grove” ), in which
the Nemean games (
Νέμεα or
Νέμεια) were held (
Strab. viii. p.377). Pindar describes the locality of these
games by a variety of imaginative expressions: e. g.
Νεμεαίου ἐν πολυυμνήτῳ Διὸς ἄλσει (
Nem. 2.4, 5);
ἀσκίοις
Φλιοῦντος ὑπ᾽ ὠγυγίοις ὄρεσιν (
Nem. 6.45, 46);
χόρτοις ἐν
λέοντος (
Olymp. 13.44). The valley of Nemea from
its situation belonged naturally to the people of Kleonae, who for a long
time were presidents of the games (
ἀγωνοθέται). But, before Olymp. 53, 1, the Argives obtained
possession of the temple and the presidency at the games. At a later time
the Kleonaeans recovered the right of presiding, but did not retain it
(Pind.
Nem. x.;
Paus.
2.15,
3).
In
prehistoric times we find the institution of the
Nemean festival connected with the expedition of the Seven against Thebes
(Apollodor. 3.6, 4), or with the slaying of the Nemean lion by
Heraklês (Schol. Pind.
Nem.). Writers
who held the former opinion uniformly describe the festival as an
ἀγὼν ἐπιτάφιος, established to commemorate
the youth Archemoros, who was killed by a serpent (Apollodor.
l.c.), but differ as to the particular Archemoros
whose death was thus honoured. Some represented him to have been the son of
Lycurgus, king of Nemea, while others (among whom was Aeschylus) related
that he was the son of Nemea, daughter of Asopus (Schol. Pind.
Nem.). Apollodorus in the passage referred to gives
the names of the victors, together with the contests, in which they were
victorious at the first Nemean games. The second celebration of these games
is attributed by Pausanias (
10.25,
2,
3) to the Epigoni.
As regards the first
historic occurrence of the
festival, we have but scanty evidence. In its local character it had no
doubt been in existence from immemorial antiquity; but not until long after
the Olympic games had become famous did those of Nemea rise to the rank of a
Pan-Hellenic festival. Eusebius dates the first Nemead from Olymp. 53, 2:
but it is probable from the dissertation of G. Hermann, whose conclusions
are supported by Boeckh, that the series of historical Nemeads began in the
winter of Olymp. 51 (Boeckh,
C. I. i. n. 34, p. 53). The
Nemean games, like the Isthmian, in this respect were biennial (
ἀγὼν τριετηρικός), i. e. two complete years
elapsed between each festival. Accordingly they fell twice within the
Olympic period, occurring alternately in winter and summer in the second and
fourth years respectively of each Olympic
πεντετηρίς. We read in the Schol. to Pindar's Nemean odes that
they took place on the 12th of the month Pan[ecedil]mos (
μηνὶ πανέμῳ δωδεκάτῃ), but such authority
helps us but little in settling the matter.
The games comprised musical, gymnic, and equestrian contests (
ἀγὼν μουσικός, γυμνικός, ἱππιλός). (
Plut. Phil. 11;
Paus.
8.50,
3; Schol. Pind.
Nem.) The
gymnic contests at
Nemea, as regards the subjects of competition, corresponded closely with
those at Olympia. The following are expressly mentioned:--The simple
foot-race (
γυμνὸν στάδιον) for men and
boys; the wrestling bout (
πάλη) for men and
boys; the
πένταθλον for men and boys; the
παγικράτιον for men and boys (Pind.
Nem. passim;
Hdt.
6.92,
9.75). That boxing (
πυγμαχία) was a subject of competition may be
inferred from
Paus. 8.40,
3. We learn further from Pausanias (
2.15,
2) and Pindar that, besides the
simple foot-race, the Nemean games included the armour-race (
ὁπλίτης δρόμος) and the long race (
ὁ δόλιχος--
notice
accent). In the
equestrian contests we know
that Alcibiades, Chromios of Aetna, and Polyklês of Sparta (
Paus. 1.22,
6) were
victorious.
That the games occupied more than one day may be inferred from
Liv. 27.31, where he uses the words
per dies festos in reference to them.
The Argives, as has been said above, ultimately supplanted the Kleonaeans as
presidents of the Nemean festival, but they occasionally delegated this
function to military chieftains, like Philip of Macedon or Titus Quintius
Flamininus (
Liv. 27.30,
34.41). In a late. inscription the officers who actually
presided are referred to as Hellanodikae (
Ἑλλανοδίκαι). Boeckh conjectured that these were twelve in
number, while those who discharged the like duty at Olympia, and bore the
same title, numbered only ten (Boeckh,
C. I 1126, p. 581).
Like the other great Pan-Hellenic festivals, the Nemean was an
ἀγὼν στεφανίτης, i. e. one in which the victor
obtained a wreath in token of his victory. The Nemean wreath was, according
to some accounts, at first woven of olive-sprays (
ἐλαία), the garland of green parsley (
χλωρὰ σέλινα) having replaced it afterwards; according to
others, the parsley wreath, was the original prize (as it continued to be
throughout historical
[p. 2.228]times) on account of its
special fitness, as an emblem of mourning, to be associated with the memory
of Archemoros. But a different myth, already alluded to, represents
Heraklês, when he instituted the games after overcoming the lion,
as having also appointed the parsleywreath to be the victor's reward. And
this latter account seems to have been present to the mind of Pindar, for he
speaks of the wreath as
βοτάνα λέοντος
(
Nem. 6.71, 72).
During the celebration of each Nemean festival a cessation of hostilities
(
ἐκεχειρία, σπονδαί) between
belligerents was an imperative duty (cf.
ἐν
ἱερομηνίᾳ Νεμεάδι,
Pind. N. 3.2, with
schol.). A sacred embassy, too, was on these occasions sent by each of
the several Hellenic states to Nemea, with offerings to Nemean Zeus
(Demosth.
Meid. p. 552.115).
Historians, as well as late coins and inscriptions, testify that the (still
so called) Nemean games came to be regularly held in Argos (
Plb. 5.101,
5;
Diod. 19.64;
Liv.
30.1; Boeckh,
C. I. 234, p. 356). On a comparatively
early occasion, indeed, Argos had been the scene of the festival. For the
circumstances,
vid.
Plut. Arat. 28. Local festivals, named after
the great Nemean, were established in many places, e. g. at Aetna in Sicily
(Schol.
Pind. O. 13.158) and at Megara
(Schol.
Pind. O. 7.157). That Nemea were
also instituted at Anchialos in Thrace may be inferred from a medal stamped
under Caracalla, bearing the name
ΝΕΜΑΙΑ (instead of the usual
ΝΕΜΕΙΑ); and, from the fact of its bearing also the
word
ΞΕΟΨΗΠΙΑ, the further inference
has been drawn that the Thracian Nemea were founded in honour of Sept.
Severus. (For more detailed information respecting Nemea, see Krause,
Pythien, Nemeen, u. Isthmien, whose guidance has been
mainly followed in the present article.)
[
J.I.B]