The Greek City and its Games: Notes on the Olympic Boule and the Actian Boule in the Roman Imperial Period

Abstract

The agones were administered jointly by the sanctuary that hosted them and the city on which it depended. In Roman imperial times, Greek cities used these ceremonies to increase their prestige and visibility in relation to other civic communities. This is why many games were created ex novo in Greek-speaking territories. Some of these agons became so famous in the Roman Empire that its cities used their names to designate some of their institutions, such is the case of the Olympic Boulé and the Actian Boulé. This article will analyse the functions attributed to both institutions, expressly indicating their relationship with the agones, and will study the possible members that made up the Actian Boulé.