Nemea
Encyclopedia
Nemea is an ancient site near the head of the valley of the River Elissos
in the northeastern part of the Peloponnese
, in Greece
. Formerly part of the territory of Cleonae
in Argolis
, it is today part of the prefecture
of Corinthia
. The small village of Archaia Nemea (formerly known as "Koutsoumadhi" and then "Iraklion") is immediately southwest of the archaeological site, while the new town of Nemea
lies to the west.
Here in Greek mythology
Heracles
overcame the Nemean Lion
of the Lady Hera
, and here during Antiquity
the Nemean Games
were played, in three sequence, ending about 235 BCE, celebrated in the eleven Nemean odes of Pindar
.
, Nemea was ruled by king Lycurgus
and queen Eurydice. Nemea was famous in Greek myth as the home of the Nemean Lion
, which was killed by the hero Heracles
, and as the place where the infant Opheltes
, lying on a bed of parsley
, was killed by a serpent while his nurse fetched water for the Seven
on their way from Argos
to Thebes
. The Seven founded the Nemean Games
in his memory, according to its aition, or founding myth, accounting for the crown of victory being made of parsley or the wild form of celery
and for the black robes of the judges, interpreted as a sign of mourning. The Nemean Games were documented from 573 BC, or earlier, at the sanctuary of Zeus
at Nemea.
At the temenos, the grave of Opheltes was surrounded by open-air altars and enclosed within a stone wall. The sanctuary's necessary spring was named Adrasteia
: Pausanias wondered whether it had the name because an "Adrastus" had "discovered" it, but Adrasteia, the "inescapable one", was a nurse of the infant Zeus in Crete. The tumulus
nearby was credited as the burial mound of his father, and the men of Argos
had the privilege of naming the priest of Nemean Zeus, Pausanias
was informed when he visited in the late second century CE. In his time the temple, which he noted was "worth seeing", stood in a grove of cypresses
; its roof had fallen in and there was no cult image
within the temple. Three limestone
columns of the temple of Nemean Zeus of about 330 BC have stood since their construction, and two more were reconstructed in 2002. As of late 2007, four more are being re-erected. Three orders of architecture were employed at this temple, which stands at the end of the Classic period and presages this and other developments of Hellenistic architecture, such as the slenderness (a height of 6.34 column diameters) of the Doric columns
of the exterior. The site around the temple has been excavated in annual campaigns since 1973: the great open-air altar, baths
, and ancient accommodations for visitors have been unearthed. The temple stands on the site of an Archaic period
temple, of which only a foundation wall is still visible. The stadion has recently been discovered. It is notable for its well-preserved vaulted entrance tunnel, dated to about 320 BC, with ancient graffiti on the walls.
The material discovered in the excavations is on display in an on-site museum constructed as a part of the University of California
's excavations.
The Battle of the Nemea River
was fought between Sparta
and her allies the Achaians, Eleians, Mantineians, and the Tegeates against a coalition of Boetians, Euboeans, Athenians, Corinthians, and Argives. This was to be the last clear-cut victory that Sparta enjoyed. The tactics were similar to all other Greek hoplite
battles, except that when the armies were arrayed, with the Spartans having the customary honor of being on the right, the army drifted right as it advanced. This was not good for the Spartan allies, as it exposed the soldiers to a flanking attack, but it gave the Spartans the opportunity to use their superior coordination and discipline to roll up the flank of the Athenians, who were stationed opposite. The result of the battle was a victory for Sparta, even though her allies on the left suffered significant losses. This willingness to accept losses on the left flank for flanking position on the right was a dramatic change from typical conservative hoplite military tactics.
, approximately 30 kilometers southwest of Corinth
, the region was first noted for its winemaking by Homer
who called it Ampelóessa, "full of vines." Today, the appellation of Nemea is the most important red wine AOC
of southern Greece and arguably of all of Greece. In Nemea, the indigenous Greek Agiorgitiko
grape is used and produces wines famous for their deep red color with violet and blue hues, complex aroma and long, velvety palate.
Elissos
The Elisos is a river that flows entirely in Corinthia in the northeastern Peloponnese in Greece.-Geography:The river begins in the mountains of Nemea to the south and are filled with rocks and grasslands with traces of trees, it enters the valley with Nemea and into the mountains of mixed...
in the northeastern part of the Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
, in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Formerly part of the territory of Cleonae
Cleonae
Cleonae or Cleonæ or Kleonai may refer to any of several ancient cities, including:*Archaies Kleones formerly Cleonae, in Argolis, now in Corinthia prefecture, Greece*Cleonae on Mount Athos...
in Argolis
Argolis
Argolis is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula.-Geography:...
, it is today part of the prefecture
Prefectures of Greece
During the first administrative division of independent Greece in 1833–1836 and then again from 1845 until their abolition with the Kallikratis reform in 2010, the prefectures were the country's main administrative unit...
of Corinthia
Corinthia
Corinthia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese. It is situated around the city of Corinth, in the north-eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula.-Geography:...
. The small village of Archaia Nemea (formerly known as "Koutsoumadhi" and then "Iraklion") is immediately southwest of the archaeological site, while the new town of Nemea
Nemea (town)
Nemea is a town in Corinthia, Greece, and the seat of municipality with the same name . It is located a few kilometres west of ancient Nemea, with a population of under five thousand people.-Economy:...
lies to the west.
Here in Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
overcame the Nemean Lion
Nemean Lion
The Nemean lion was a vicious monster in Greek mythology that lived at Nemea. It was eventually killed by Heracles. It could not be killed with mortal weapons because its golden fur was impervious to attack...
of the Lady Hera
Hera
Hera was the wife and one of three sisters of Zeus in the Olympian pantheon of Greek mythology and religion. Her chief function was as the goddess of women and marriage. Her counterpart in the religion of ancient Rome was Juno. The cow and the peacock were sacred to her...
, and here during Antiquity
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
the Nemean Games
Nemean Games
The Nemean Games were one of the four Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece, and were held at Nemea every two years ....
were played, in three sequence, ending about 235 BCE, celebrated in the eleven Nemean odes of Pindar
Pindar
Pindar , was an Ancient Greek lyric poet. Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian described him as "by far the greatest of the nine lyric poets, in virtue of his inspired magnificence, the beauty of his thoughts and figures, the rich...
.
Myth, legend and history
In Greek mythologyGreek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, Nemea was ruled by king Lycurgus
Lycurgus of Nemea
Lycurgus was the mythological king of Nemea, son of Pheres and Periclymene, brother of Admetus. He was the husband of Eurydice and father of Opheltes. His tomb was in the grove of the Nemean Zeus....
and queen Eurydice. Nemea was famous in Greek myth as the home of the Nemean Lion
Nemean Lion
The Nemean lion was a vicious monster in Greek mythology that lived at Nemea. It was eventually killed by Heracles. It could not be killed with mortal weapons because its golden fur was impervious to attack...
, which was killed by the hero Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
, and as the place where the infant Opheltes
Opheltes
Opheltes is a boy from Greek mythology, the son of the Nemean king Lycurgus and Queen Eurydice."When their son was born, Lykourgos consulted the oracle at Delphi in order to find out how he might insure the health and happiness of his child...
, lying on a bed of parsley
Parsley
Parsley is a species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region , naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as an herb, a spice and a vegetable.- Description :Garden parsley is a bright green hairless biennial herbaceous plant in temperate...
, was killed by a serpent while his nurse fetched water for the Seven
Seven Against Thebes
The Seven against Thebes is the third play in an Oedipus-themed trilogy produced by Aeschylus in 467 BC. The trilogy is sometimes referred to as the Oedipodea. It concerns the battle between an Argive army led by Polynices and the army of Thebes led by Eteocles and his supporters. The trilogy won...
on their way from Argos
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
to Thebes
Thebes, Greece
Thebes is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. It played an important role in Greek myth, as the site of the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and others...
. The Seven founded the Nemean Games
Nemean Games
The Nemean Games were one of the four Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece, and were held at Nemea every two years ....
in his memory, according to its aition, or founding myth, accounting for the crown of victory being made of parsley or the wild form of celery
Celery
Apium graveolens is a plant species in the family Apiaceae commonly known as celery or celeriac , depending on whether the petioles or roots are eaten: celery refers to the former and celeriac to the latter. Apium graveolens grows to 1 m tall...
and for the black robes of the judges, interpreted as a sign of mourning. The Nemean Games were documented from 573 BC, or earlier, at the sanctuary of Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
at Nemea.
At the temenos, the grave of Opheltes was surrounded by open-air altars and enclosed within a stone wall. The sanctuary's necessary spring was named Adrasteia
Adrasteia
In Greek mythology, Adrasteia was a nymph who was charged by Rhea with nurturing the infant Zeus, in secret in the Dictaean cave, to protect him from his father Cronus .-Zeus:Adrasteia and her sister Ida, the nymph of Mount Ida, who also...
: Pausanias wondered whether it had the name because an "Adrastus" had "discovered" it, but Adrasteia, the "inescapable one", was a nurse of the infant Zeus in Crete. The tumulus
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
nearby was credited as the burial mound of his father, and the men of Argos
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
had the privilege of naming the priest of Nemean Zeus, Pausanias
Pausanias (geographer)
Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. He is famous for his Description of Greece , a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece from firsthand observations, and is a crucial link between classical...
was informed when he visited in the late second century CE. In his time the temple, which he noted was "worth seeing", stood in a grove of cypresses
Sacred grove
A sacred grove is a grove of trees of special religious importance to a particular culture. Sacred groves were most prominent in the Ancient Near East and prehistoric Europe, but feature in various cultures throughout the world...
; its roof had fallen in and there was no cult image
Cult image
In the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents...
within the temple. Three limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
columns of the temple of Nemean Zeus of about 330 BC have stood since their construction, and two more were reconstructed in 2002. As of late 2007, four more are being re-erected. Three orders of architecture were employed at this temple, which stands at the end of the Classic period and presages this and other developments of Hellenistic architecture, such as the slenderness (a height of 6.34 column diameters) of the Doric columns
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
of the exterior. The site around the temple has been excavated in annual campaigns since 1973: the great open-air altar, baths
Thermae
In ancient Rome, thermae and balnea were facilities for bathing...
, and ancient accommodations for visitors have been unearthed. The temple stands on the site of an Archaic period
Archaic period in Greece
The Archaic period in Greece was a period of ancient Greek history that followed the Greek Dark Ages. This period saw the rise of the polis and the founding of colonies, as well as the first inklings of classical philosophy, theatre in the form of tragedies performed during Dionysia, and written...
temple, of which only a foundation wall is still visible. The stadion has recently been discovered. It is notable for its well-preserved vaulted entrance tunnel, dated to about 320 BC, with ancient graffiti on the walls.
The material discovered in the excavations is on display in an on-site museum constructed as a part of the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
's excavations.
The Battle of the Nemea River
In 394 BC394 BC
Year 394 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Tribunate of Camillus, Poplicola, Medullinus, Albinus, Mamercinus and Scipio...
The Battle of the Nemea River
Battle of Nemea
The Battle of Nemea was a battle in the Corinthian War, between Sparta and the allied cities of Argos, Athens, Corinth, and Thebes. The battle was fought in Corinthian territory, at the dry bed of the Nemea River...
was fought between Sparta
History of Sparta
The History of Sparta describes the destiny of the ancient Dorian Greek state known as Sparta from its beginning in the legendary period to its forced incorporation into the Achaean League under the late Roman Republic, its conquerors, in 146 BCE, a period of roughly 1000 years...
and her allies the Achaians, Eleians, Mantineians, and the Tegeates against a coalition of Boetians, Euboeans, Athenians, Corinthians, and Argives. This was to be the last clear-cut victory that Sparta enjoyed. The tactics were similar to all other Greek hoplite
Hoplite
A hoplite was a citizen-soldier of the Ancient Greek city-states. Hoplites were primarily armed as spearmen and fought in a phalanx formation. The word "hoplite" derives from "hoplon" , the type of the shield used by the soldiers, although, as a word, "hopla" could also denote weapons held or even...
battles, except that when the armies were arrayed, with the Spartans having the customary honor of being on the right, the army drifted right as it advanced. This was not good for the Spartan allies, as it exposed the soldiers to a flanking attack, but it gave the Spartans the opportunity to use their superior coordination and discipline to roll up the flank of the Athenians, who were stationed opposite. The result of the battle was a victory for Sparta, even though her allies on the left suffered significant losses. This willingness to accept losses on the left flank for flanking position on the right was a dramatic change from typical conservative hoplite military tactics.
Wine region
Located in the Peloponnese next to the new town of NemeaNemea (town)
Nemea is a town in Corinthia, Greece, and the seat of municipality with the same name . It is located a few kilometres west of ancient Nemea, with a population of under five thousand people.-Economy:...
, approximately 30 kilometers southwest of Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
, the region was first noted for its winemaking by Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
who called it Ampelóessa, "full of vines." Today, the appellation of Nemea is the most important red wine AOC
AOC
AOC may refer to:*Aeronautical Operational Control, a group of applications used for communication of an aircraft with its airline or service partner pendants on the ground...
of southern Greece and arguably of all of Greece. In Nemea, the indigenous Greek Agiorgitiko
Agiorgitiko
Agiorgitiko is one of the two widely-grown heat-resistant Greek wine-making grape varieties, the other being Xynomavro. It is a red variety that has traditionally been grown in the Nemea region of the Peloponnese...
grape is used and produces wines famous for their deep red color with violet and blue hues, complex aroma and long, velvety palate.
Further reading
- Carl BlegenCarl BlegenCarl William Blegen was an American archaeologist famous for his work on the site of Pylos in modern day Greece and Troy in modern day Turkey...
, "The American Excavation at Nemea, Season of 1924", Art and Archaeology 9, 1925 - B. H. Hill, The Temple of Zeus at Nemea (Princeton 1966)
- Darice E. Birge, Lynn H. Kraynak, and Stephen G. Miller, Nemea I, Topographical and Architectural Studies: The Sacred Square, the Xenon, and the Bath (Berkeley and Los Angeles 1992)
- Stephen G. Miller, Nemea II: The Early Hellenistic Stadium (Berkeley and Los Angeles 2001)
- Stephen G. Miller, Nemea: A Guide to the Site and the Museum, 2nd ed. (Athens 2004)
- Robert C.Knapp and John D. Mac Isaac, Nemea III: The Coins (Berkeley and Los Angeles 2005)
External links
- Nemea Center for Classical Archaeology page
- Temple of Zeus Reconstruction Project page
- Society for the Revival of the Nemean Games page (in Modern Greek)
- UC Berkeley page on Nemea
- Ministry of Culture page on the site
- Nemea Valley Archaeological Project, with pictures
- Nemea Security and Standardized Compliance Services
- Nemea. A Guide to the Site and Museum