Athletes and Artists in the Roman Empire: The History and Organisation of the Ecumenical Synods

416 Pages·2023·4.23 MB·English

by  Bram Fauconnier

ATHLETES AND ARTISTS IN
THE ROMAN EMPIRE
This is the first comprehensive study of the associations of athletes
and artists in the Roman empire. The xystic synod of athletes and
the thymelic synod of artists were the only ancient associations that
operated on a pan-Mediterranean scale. They were active from south-
ern Gaul to Syria and Egypt and were therefore styled ‘ecumenical
synods’. They played a key role in Greek festival culture during the
imperial period: not only did they defend the professional interests
of their members, but they also contributed to the organisation of
competitions and the maintenance of the festival network. Due to
their cultural activities, their connections with the imperial court and
their ramified social networks, they left a distinctive stamp on Greco-
Roman elite culture during the Principate. Drawing on all available
documentation, this book offers new insights into the history and
workings of these remarkable associations.
Bram Fauconnier is a specialist on the associations of competitors
in the Roman empire. Having obtained his PhD from the University
of Amsterdam (2018), he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at
Ghent University. He currently teaches at Heilig Hart Institute in
Heverlee, Belgium.

ATHLETES AND ARTISTS
IN THE ROM AN EMPIR E
The History and Organisation of the Ecumenical Synods
BRAM FAUCONNIER
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www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781009202831
doi: 10.1017/9781009202855
© Bram Fauconnier 2023
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions
of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take
place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
First published 2023
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Fauconnier, Bram, 1988– author.
Title: Athletes and artists in the Roman Empire : the history and
organisation of the ecumenical synods / Bram Fauconnier.
Description: Cambridge ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2022. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022027073 | ISBN 9781009202831 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781009202855 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Athletics – Rome – Societies, etc. – History. |
Art – Rome – Societies, etc. – History. | Festivals – Rome | Civilization,
Greco-Roman
classification: LCC GV573 .f38 2022 | DDC 796.0937–dc23/eng/20221101
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022027073
isbn 978-1-009-20283-1 Hardback
Cambridge University Press & Assessment has no responsibility for the persistence
or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this
publication and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will
remain, accurate or appropriate.
To Sharyne, Jasmien and Nina

Contents
List of Figures page ix
List of Maps x
Acknowledgements xi
Note on Abbreviations xii
Introduction 1
Artists, Athletes and the Roman Oikoumene 1
The Evidence 3
Names and Titles 6
The Scope of This Book 12
Part I History 17
1 Hellenistic Artists’ Associations 19
Festivals 22
Politics 26
Religion 30
The Coming of Rome 31
2 The Emergence of the Ecumenical Synods of Competitors 34
First Attestations 35
Mediterranean Integration and the Emergence of the Festival Network 49
The Roman Context 57
Conclusion 69
3 The Development of the Ecumenical Synods in
the First Century ad 71
The Athletes 71
The Artists 90
Conclusion 101
vii
viii Contents
4 All Roads Lead to Rome 103
5 On Tour through the Festival World 117
Core 118
Periphery 135
Conclusion 166
6 The Decline of the Ecumenical Synods 169
Part II Organisation 181
7 Internal Organisation 183
On Confederacies and Local Branches 184
On Assemblies, Representatives and Headquarters 186
The Officials of the Xystic Synod 195
The Officials of the Thymelic Synod 212
Artists and Athletes: A Comparison 217
The Finances of the Ecumenical Synods 221
The Ecumenical Synods and the Emperor 229
The Ecumenical Synods and City-Based Associations of Competitors 238
Conclusion 246
8 The Members of the Ecumenical Synods 249
The First-Class Competitors: Technitai/Athletai Hieronikai Stephanitai 249
Competitive Support: Epistatai, Phonaskoi and Synagonistai 267
Practical, Administrative and Religious Support 269
Conclusion 272
9 The Professional Interests of the Ecumenical Synods 274
Privileges 274
Local Support 300
Conclusion: Concessions through Connections 306
10 The Organisation of the Festival Network 308
The Synods and the Organisation of Single Agones 308
The Synods and the Agonistic Circuit 316
Conclusion 321
General Conclusion 323
Appendix i: The Members of the Ecumenical Synods 332
Appendix ii: The Titles of the Ecumenical Synods 361
References 369
Index Locorum 394
Subject Index 396
Figures
0.1 Terracotta plaque with depictions of Herakles and athletes
in a gymnasium, first or second century ad page 11
4.1 The south-western exedra of the baths of Trajan 109
5.1 The so-called temple of Diana in the Jardin de la Fontaine
in Nîmes 164
8.1 Artistic disciplines of members of the thymelic synod 259
8.2 Artistic disciplines (imperial age) in Stefanis 1988 260
ix