Herean games

The legends concerning the origins of the games, as reported by Pausanias, are absent of any factual historical figures, which otherwise could have been used to estimate a date. We can make an educated guess that the Heraean Games began sometime after the start of the Olympic Games in BC, since they both took place in the Olympic stadium. There are no records to indicate an accurate date for the end of the Heraean Games.

Educated guesses would put their end sometime during the first few centuries AD at the latest, as the Roman emperor Theodosius banned the Panhellenic games and other religious festivals in AD. Only women could compete in the Heraean Games; Pausanias specifies virgins.

As opposed to competing in the nude like competitors in the male-only Panhellenic games , the women wore knee-length tunics that left the right shoulder and breast exposed, as pictured below. These tunics were typical garb for men performing physical labor, and as such these women competing in the Heraean Games were, in essence, dressing like hard-working men.

Kings of Sparta who are my father and brothers Kyniska, victorious with a chariot of swift-footed horses, have erected this statue. I declare myself the only woman in all Hellas to have won this crown. Apelleas son of Kallikles made it. See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!

GR News. Greek News. One big difference, however, is the dress worn by competitors of each respective competition. Victors of the Heraean Games were also adorned with different rewards than their Olympian counterparts.

Typical awards included lavish foods, crowns made of fruit and olives and carvings in statues. Though better than no awards, these tokens pale in comparison to the Olympic spoils. There is much disagreement over the exact level of influence these games had on gender equality as a whole. Most historians do believe, however, that something like the Heraean Games could only have taken place in a nation poised for social advancement. Currently the only source of information regarding this festival is a set of writings from the Greek geographer Pausanias 2nd century AD.

In addition to detailing information from his writings, this article will point out which pieces of information are educated speculation and will dispel pieces of information that are commonly repeated but are unfounded. The ancient Heraean Games were a series of athletic festivals exclusively for women, held in honor of the Greek mythological goddess Hera.

Much like some of the Panhellenic games , the Heraean Games took place every four years. It is unknown at which point in the four-year Olympiad cycle these games took place, or whether the Greeks considered it part of the Olympiad cycle at all. The Greek geographer Pausanias confirmed these games took place in the same stadium as the ancient Olympic Games. As the latter track measured about