Peace as Victory in War: the Cult of "Nike" in Fifth Century Athens
Keywords:
Nike, Eirene, Peace of Callias, Myrrhine.
Abstract
In this article we analyze the cult of Nike in Athens in fifth century BC in relation to war and specifically to peace as a claim to victory in warlike conflicts. We review the cult of Nike since the beginning of the century but, we will especially address into the controversy of the architectural project of the Nike temple in connection with the famous peace of Callias (449) and with the institution of the democratic priesthood of Athena Nike held by Myrrhine. During the decade of 440, peace was created as a victory, a theme that survived during the Peloponnesian War as we see in documents of that time, such as Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. The mythical and cultic elaborations of war and peace highlight the role that Greeks grant the peace as affirmation of victory.Downloads
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How to Cite
Valdés Guía M. A. (2017). Peace as Victory in War: the Cult of "Nike" in Fifth Century Athens. Gerión. Revista de Historia Antigua, 35(1), 41-56. https://doi.org/10.5209/GERI.56954
Issue
Section
Varia
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