The Soteria () were ancient festivals held in many Greek cities from the 3rd century BC. They honoured the saviour (
Soter Soter derives from the Greek epithet (''sōtēr''), meaning a saviour, a deliverer; initial capitalised ; fully capitalised ; feminine Soteira (Σώτειρα) or sometimes Soteria (Σωτηρία).
Soter was used as:
* a title of gods: Poseidon ...
) of a danger and could be dedicated to all the gods or only one (mainly
Zeus
Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D ...
''Soterios''). Heroic men regarded as deliverers were sometimes associated to the divinities, e.g.
Aratus
Aratus (; grc-gre, Ἄρατος ὁ Σολεύς; c. 315 BC/310 BC240) was a Greek didactic poet. His major extant work is his hexameter poem ''Phenomena'' ( grc-gre, Φαινόμενα, ''Phainómena'', "Appearances"; la, Phaenomena), the fi ...
at
Sicyon
Sicyon (; el, Σικυών; ''gen''.: Σικυῶνος) or Sikyon was an ancient Greek city state situated in the northern Peloponnesus between Corinth and Achaea on the territory of the present-day regional unit of Corinthia. An ancient mona ...
.
The most famous Soteria in antiquity were those held at
Delphi
Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The oracle ...
. They had been instituted to commemorate the victory over the
Celt
The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...
invader
Brennus
Brennus or Brennos is the name of two Gauls, Gaulish tribal chief, chieftains, famous in ancient history:
* Brennus (4th century BC), Brennus, chieftain of the Senones, a Gallic tribe originating from the modern areas of France known as Seine ...
(279 BC).
They were composed of sports and musical competitions. Many cities were invited to the Delphi’s Soteria. In 246 BC, the
Aetolian confederacy
The Aetolian (or Aitolian) League ( grc-gre, Κοινὸν τῶν Αἰτωλῶν) was a confederation of tribal communities and cities in ancient Greece centered in Aetolia in central Greece. It was probably established during the early Hellen ...
reorganized the festivities in order to equal others ancient games (e.g. the
Pythian games
The Pythian Games ( grc-gre, Πύθια;) were one of the four Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece. They were held in honour of Apollo at his sanctuary at Delphi every four years, two years after the Olympic Games, and between each Nemean and I ...
).
References
Sources
*''The Oxford Classical Dictionary'' edited by S.Hornblower, A.Spawforth (1996)
Festivals in ancient Greece
Delphi
Hellenistic Greece
Ancient Greek athletic festivals
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