The death of
Hyacinthus was celebrated at
Amyclae
Amyclae or Amyklai () was a city of ancient Laconia, situated on the right or western bank of the Eurotas, 20 stadia south of Sparta, in a district remarkable for the abundance of its trees and its fertility. Amyclae was one of the most celebr ...
by the second most important of Spartan festivals, the Hyacinthia (Ancient Greek / ''Hyakínthia'')
in the Spartan month Hyacinthius in early summer.
Proceedings of Hyacinthia
The Hyacinthia lasted three days. Their details have been passed down to us through the descriptions in
Athenaeus
Athenaeus of Naucratis (, or Nαυκράτιος, ''Athēnaios Naukratitēs'' or ''Naukratios''; ) was an ancient Greek rhetorician and Grammarian (Greco-Roman), grammarian, flourishing about the end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd century ...
and
Didymus. The first day was given over to mourning for the death of the
hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...
: sacrifices were offered to the dead, banquets were stark and without pomp or decoration, and the sacrificial breads were very plain.
The second day was one of celebration for his rebirth. The young people played the
cithara and the
aulos, and sang of the glory of Apollo. Others participated in horse races. Numerous choirs competed in town, singing country songs and dancing. Amyclae was also the location of parades of carts decorated by the girls and women of Sparta. Numerous sacrifices were offered, exclusively goats, with the occasion of the κοπίς, kopis, banquets where the citizens invited their friends and relatives. The
helots had the right to participate in the celebrations, as did any foreigners: "They treat not only their countrymen, but any foreigners who happen by" (Athenaeus, IV, 138F). The kopis took place under special tents known as (''skēnaí''), a characteristic trait of ancient country festivals.
The third day is not described in detail, it is possible that it was more
solemn, or that mysteries were held. It is also known that for this holiday, the Spartan women wove a
chiton ( / ''chitōn'', or "tunic") which is then offered to the god—a tradition similar to the peplos offered to
Athena
Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...
at
Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
upon the occasion of the
Panathenaic Games.
The Hyacinthia was a major Spartan holiday.
Xenophon
Xenophon of Athens (; ; 355/354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian. At the age of 30, he was elected as one of the leaders of the retreating Ancient Greek mercenaries, Greek mercenaries, the Ten Thousand, who had been ...
, in the ''Hellenics'' IV, 5, 11, reports that the Spartans interrupted their campaigns in order to be able to return to
Laconia
Laconia or Lakonia (, , ) is a historical and Administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparti (municipality), Sparta. The word ...
so as to participate.
Pausanias writes that they even negotiated a truce especially for this purpose. According to
Thucydides
Thucydides ( ; ; BC) was an Classical Athens, Athenian historian and general. His ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts Peloponnesian War, the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been d ...
, upon the peace of
Nicias, Athens, in order to prove its good will towards Sparta, promised to assist at the celebrations.
See also
*
Carneia
*
Gymnopaediae
Bibliography
*
Louis Gernet, « Frairies antiques », ''Anthropologie de la Grèce antique'', Flammarion, coll. « Champs », 1999 ();
* Edmond Lévy, ''Sparte : histoire politique et sociale jusqu’à la conquête romaine'', Seuil, coll. « Points Histoire », Paris, 2003 ();
* Michael Pettersson, ''Cults of Apollo at Sparta: The Hyakinthia, the Gymnopaidiai, and the Karneia'', Paul Åströms Forlag, Stockholm, 1992 ();
* William Wayte et G.E. Marindin, ''A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities'', éditions William Smith, 1890.
References
{{Reflist
Festivals in ancient Sparta
Observances on non-Gregorian calendars