Grigsby, Paul R. (2017) Boiotian games : festivals, agōnes, and the development of Boiotian identity. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This thesis takes as its theme Boiotian identity as expressed and disseminated through Boiotian games and festivals. It provides a complete chronological record of the evidence for Boiotian agōnes from the seventh century BC through to the end of the third century AD - alongside that of the most important collective Boiotian festivals – and discusses the role played by these games and festivals in the creation, development, and promotion of a unified Boiotian identity, thus contributing to the wider debates on identity and Boiotian ethnogenesis.

In contrast to recent studies - which by the nature of their methodology focus on the development of a unified Boiotian identity through shared traditions - this thesis emphasises the role of the separate Boiotian poleis in the creation of a multifaceted Boiotian identity, reflecting the federal nature of the Boiotian political system. This thesis also highlights three important roles played by festivals and agōnes in the formation and development of Boiotian identity: firstly, in the development of a unified Boiotian identity (Boiotian ethnogenesis proper) through cult interactions at local - often liminal - sanctuaries during the Geometric, Archaic, and early Classical periods; secondly, in the promotion through agōnes of Boiotian identity to the wider-Hellenic world especially during the later Classical, Hellenistic, and early-Roman periods; and thirdly, in maintaining a Boiotian community following the coming of Rome and the dissolution of the Boiotian koinon after 171BC, where participation in pan-Boiotian agonistic festivals was a crucial factor in the regeneration of a quasi-political Boiotian koinon just before the Imperial era. Games and festivals, so this thesis argues, were integral in the creation, dissemination, and survival of Boiotian identity.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DF Greece
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Voiōtia (Greece) -- History, Voiōtia (Greece) -- Civilization, Games -- Greece -- Voiōtia -- History, Festivals -- Greece -- Voiōtia -- History
Official Date:	September 2017
Dates:	Date Event September 2017 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Classics and Ancient History
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Davidson, James N.
Sponsors:	Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies (London, England)
Format of File:	pdf
Extent:	323 leaves : illustrations, maps, charts, photographs
Language:	eng

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