Aristocracy and Athletics in Archaic and Classical Greece

Athletics represented an important institution through which the Greek aristocracies sought to maintain their privileged political position. Victory, however, had always involved the use of those in lower classes, such as charioteers, jockeys, and trainers. In the late archaic and early classical period, the relationship between the victors and these helpers changed radically, which threatened the political value of athletics, and thus undermined the utility of the institution for aristocrats. Nigel Nicholson examines how aristocrats responded to these changes through a study of victory memorials.