Nemea
Nemea is a historical city located in the northeastern Peloponnese region of Greece, near the Gulf of Corinth. The name "Nemea" translates to 'pasturage,' reflecting its pastoral landscape. This site is rich in mythology, notably associated with the legendary hero Heracles, who is said to have slain the Nemean Lion as his First Labor. Following this event, the Nemean Games were established, initially of local importance but elevated to Pan-Hellenic status in 573 BC, becoming a significant athletic competition held in the sanctuary of Zeus.
Archaeological findings in Nemea include artifacts from the Mycenaean and Early Iron Age periods, as well as remnants of the ancient sanctuary, which have undergone extensive excavations revealing structures such as a stadium and guest houses. The Nemean Games, celebrated for their wild celery crowns, were hosted here until shifting political dynamics led to their relocation to Argos. The area has also suffered various destructions throughout history, including during Christianization and invasions. Despite these challenges, ongoing archaeological work continues to uncover its rich past, showcasing the cultural and historical significance of Nemea in ancient Greece.
Nemea
A city on the northern border of the Argolid (northeastern Peloponnese, southern Greece) at the head of an open valley (the word means `pasturage’) and river of the same name, eleven miles from the Gulf of Corinth
A prehistoric site at Tsoungiza was nearby, and Mycenaean and Early Iron Age objects have also come to light beneath the town itself, north of the sacred area. In Greek mythology, Nemea was the scene of Heracles' First Labor, the killing of the monstrous Nemean Lion, which, after the hero's arrow had bounced harmlessly off its skin, he strangled with his bare hands.
The Nemean Games, according to one account, were founded by Heracles after he had killed the lion; though a rival tradition ascribed their establishment to Adrastus of Argos, when he led the Seven against Thebes—the theme of Aeschylus' tragedy of that name. Conducted in the sanctuary of Zeus, these Games originally possessed little more than local significance, and were under the control of the neighboring city-state of Cleonae. But in 573 BC the festivals were raised to Pan Hellenic status, and thenceforward took place in alternate years. Their prizes consisted of crowns of wild celery. By c 450 the Games were presided over by Argos, which transferred them to its own city early in the following century.
At Nemea in 394 on the outset of the Corinthian War, the Argives and Corinthians encountered a Spartan army that inflicted heavy losses on them, preventing any further offensive. Aratus of Sicyon, presiding over the Achaean League, tried unsuccessfully (according to Plutarch) to restore the Games to Nemea, a transfer that was successfully accomplished by the Roman general Lucius Mummius Achaicus (145) after his destruction of the League; although later in the Roman period Argos housed these contests once again.
Pausanias, in the second century AD, found the precinct of Zeus at Nemea in a state of total ruin. In the fourth and fifth centuries AD a Christian basilica and baptistery were built out of its stones; they suffered serious destruction from Slav invasions in the 580s. Recent excavations, however, on the site of the shrine have uncovered large amounts of pottery dating back to the eighth and seventh centuries BC. The sanctuary evidently suffered violent destruction in the later fifth century, followed by elaborate restoration. Buildings from the fourth to the second centuries north and south of the temple have now been excavated. Finds of decomposed organic material nearby may have come from a grove of cypress trees seen by Pausanias.
The adjoining open space (plateia) was bordered by a Xenon (guest house) and by a line of at least nine buildings (including the treasuries of cities participating in the Games); two of these structures were taken over by a bronze sculptors' workshop not long after 450. A hero's shrine (Heroon) has also been lately identified. A votive pit was found to contain a lead jumping weight, two iron javelin points and a very heavy iron discus, buried in 550/525. Much of the stadium, dating from 325/300, is also exposed; the clearing of its eastern side has recently been continued. A bathing establishment supplied with water through a reservoir system, with large holding troughs, is from about the same period.