A.“ἀγώνοιρ” GDI1172.26: (ἄγω):—gathering, assembly, “ἵζανεν εὐρὺν ἀ.” Il.23.258; “λῦτο δ᾽ ἀ.” 24.1, cf. Od.8.200; “νεῶν ἐν ἀγῶνι” Il.15.428, cf. Eust.1335.57: esp. assembly met to see games, freq. in Il.23; Ὑπερβορέων ἀ. Pi P.10.30; “κοινοὺς ἀ. θέντες” A. Ag.845.
2. place of contest, lists, course, “βήτην ἐς μέσσον ἀ.” Il.23.685, cf. 531, Od.8.260, Hes.Sc.312, Pi.P.9.114, and esp. Th.5.50: prov., ἔξω ἀγῶνος out of the lists or course, i.e. beside the mark, Pi. P.1.44, Luc.Anach.21: pl., “κατ᾽ ἀγῶνας” Od.8.259.
II. assembly of the Greeks at the national games, “ὁ ἐν Ὀλυμπίῃ ἀ.” Hdt.6.127; “ὁ Ὀλυμπικὸς ἀ.” Ar.Pl.583; “Ἑλλάδος πρόσχημ᾽ ἀ.” S.El.682, cf. 699:— hence, contest for a prize at the games, ἀ. γυμνικός, ἱππικός, μουσικός, Hdt.2.91, Pl.Lg.658a, Ar.Pl.1163, cf. Th.3.104; “οἱ τῶν λαμπάδων ἀ.” Arist.Ath.57.1; ἀ. τῶν ἀνδρῶν contest in which the chorus was composed of men, opp. to παίδων or ἀγενείων (q.v.), D.21.18, etc.; ἀ. στεφανηφόρος or στεφανίτης contest where the prize is a crown, Hdt.5.102, Arist.Rh.1357a19; ἀ. χάλκεος, where it is a shield of brass, Pi.N.10.22; “ἀ. θεματικός” IG14.739 (Naples); “ἀργυρίτης δωρίτης” Plu.2.820d:—hence many phrases, ἀγῶνα καταστῆσαι establish a contest, Isoc.4.1; “τιθέναι” Hdt.5.8; “ποιεῖν” Th.3.104; “οὐ λόγων τοὺς ἀ. προθήσοντες” Id.3.67; “προηγόρευέ τε ἀγῶνας καὶ ἆθλα προυτίθει” X. Cyr.8.2.26; “προκαλούμενος ἑαυτὸν εἰς ἀ.” Id.Mem.2.3.17; τοὺς ἀ. νικᾶν ib.3.7.1; “ἐν τοῖς ἀγῶσι” Isoc.15.301; of contests in general, “εἰς ἀ. λόγων ἀφικέσθαι τινί” Pl.Prt.335a; πρὸς τίν᾽ ἀγῶνας τιθέμεσθ᾽ ἀρετῆς; E. Ion863 (lyr.); “ἀ. σοφίας” Ar.Ra.883.
III. generally, struggle, πολλοὺς ἀ. ἐξιών, of Hercules, S.Tr.159; “ξιφηφόρος ἀ.” A.Ch.584; “εἰς ἀ. τῷδε συμπεσὼν μάχης” S.Tr.20, etc; “ὁ Φίλιππος, πρὸς ὀν ἦν ἡμῖν ὁ ἀ.” D.18.67; “ποιέειν ἢ παθεῖν πρόκειται ἀ.” Hdt.7.11; ἀληθείην ἀσκέειν ἀ. μέγιστος ib.209: pl., “πραγμάτων ἀγῶνας κεκτημένων” Epicur.Sent.21; “ἄπορος ἀ.” Lys.7.2; “ὅπλων ἔκειτ᾽ ἀ. πέρι” S.Aj.936; and without περί, τῶν Ἀχιλλείων ὅπλων ἀ. ib.1240; ψυχῆς ἀ. τὸν προκείμενον πέρι struggle for life and death, E.Or.847, cf. Ph.1330; “πολλοὺς ἀ. δραμέονται περὶ σφέων αὐτῶν” Hdt.8.102; “λόγων γὰρ οὐ . . ἁγών, ἀλλὰ σῆς ψυχῆς πέρι” S.El.1492, cf.infr.5.
2. battle, action, Th.2.89, etc.
3. action at law, trial, Antipho 6.21, etc., cf. A.Eu.677, 744; “εἰς ἀγῶνα καθιστάναι ἀνθρώπους” Pl.Ap.24c, R.494e; “περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς εἰς ἀγῶνα καταστῆσαί τινα” X.Lac.8.4.
4. speech delivered in court or before an assembly or ruler, “πρεσβευτικοὶ ἀ.” Plb.9.32.4; “τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους εἰρηκότος ἀ. τούς τε δικανικοὺς καὶ τοὺς δημηγορικούς” D.H.Amm.1.3, cf.OGI567 (Attalia, ii A.D.); “ἀ. ἐσχηματισμένοι” D.H. Rh.8.1, al.
b. Rhet., main argument of a speech (opp.προοίμιον, ἐπίλογος), in pl., Syr.in Hermog.2.111, 170R., cf. Proll. Hermog.ap. Rh.4.12 W.
5. metaph., οὐ λόγων ἔθ᾽ ἁγών now is not the time for words, E.Ph.588; οὐχ ἕδρας ἀ. 'tis no time for sitting still, Id.Or. 1291; ἀ. πρόφασιν οὐ δέχεται the crisis admits no dallying, Ar.Fr. 331, cf. Pl.Cra.421d, Lg.751d; μέγας ὁ ἀ. . . τὸ χρηστὸν ἢ κακὸν γενέσθαι the issue is great . . , Id.R.608b, cf. E.Med.235; οὐ περί τινος ὁ ἀ. the question is not about . . , Th.3.44.
b. of speakers, vehemence, power, Longin.15.1, cf. 26.3.
IV. personified, Ἀγών, divinity of the contest, Paus.5.26.3.
