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The sacrificial rite of the Sanctuary of Poseidon, an ancient tradition that runs through Greek history, reveals the political struggles within the city-states, the military struggles between the city-states, and the contradictions between the mother and child states. Over time, however, these rituals quietly gave birth to a panhellenic trend that intertwined with individualism within the city-state. The Sanctuary of Poseidon has a long history of sacrificial activities as a panhellenic center of worship. Activities such as sacrificial ceremonies and exhibits of offerings in the classical period helped to increase their sense of identity not only with the Corinthians, but also with the citizens of the city-states. Especially in the face of invasions by enemies from outside the Greek world, these rituals helped to further form a national identity for Greece as a whole and promoted the development of panhellenic thought.
The Corinthians have always controlled the Isthmus Holy Lands, but the rituals here are not limited to the Corinthian city-states. Some ships came from other areas, and some even from the eastern side of the isthmus to the Attica region, which is enough to show the breadth of its influence. As a sign of reverence for the gods, by the end of the 8th century BC, the sanctuary of Poseidon began to receive some high-value tributes. Among these tributes, helmets, shin armor, cuirasses, swords, spears and other military equipment were particularly important, not only demonstrating the wealth and military skills of the contributors, but also expressing their devotion and gratitude to the gods. A considerable part of them were the trophies offered by Corinthian soldiers during their triumphant victory after the battle. It is noteworthy that in terms of the number of consecrated weapons and armor, the Sanctuary of Poseidon is second only to the Sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia. By the seventh century BC, the number of weapons and armor increased greatly, especially from the end of the ancient style to the early classical period, the number of tribute reached its peak, and archaeologists excavated more than 400 helmet fragments alone, most of which belonged to the middle of the 5th century BC. This period coincided with Corinth's accession to the Peloponnian Withdrawal League and his participation in the Greco-Persian War, and the internal and external strife of the Greek world reached a fever pitch.
However, a fire caused devastating damage to the temple. With the reconstruction of the temple in 450 BC, the sacrifice continued until it was destroyed again by fire around 390 BC. This sacrificial activity and the consequent display of the spoils of war had a strong political propaganda color in the Corinthian Isthmus in classical times. In the classical period, Corinth and other city-states displayed weapons such as helmets, shields, and cuirasses in convenient locations to show passers-by from various city-states and regions the bravery of Greek warriors on the battlefield and the strength of the city-states. At the same time, whether participating or just stopping to watch, the citizens of each city-state will be subtly infected, and a sense of love and pride in the city-state will be born, thereby enhancing their sense of identity with the city-state.
At the same time that the sacrificial activities of the sanctuary of Poseidon were at their peak, the Greek city-states also faced unprecedented challenges from the Persian Empire. The invasion of the Persian army provoked strong anger among the Greek city-states, sacrifices further strengthened their unity, and panhellenism for a time prevailed over individualism. In 480 BC, the Greek coalition achieved the great victory of Salamis, offering three captured Phoenician ships to the gods, one of which was sacrificed on the Isthmus of Corinth. In this process, the external hatred of the Corinthians overwhelmed the internal strife of the city-state, deepened their identification with the Greek nation, and common hatred and unity became the mainstream ideology, prompting the Corinthians to actively participate in the war against Persian aggression.
Greece has not formed a politically unified state, individualism has been prevalent for a long time, and even strengthened in the struggle for hegemony of the city-states, but strife and contradiction do not negate the common national consciousness and sentiment rooted in the hearts of the Greeks. The emergence of the Panhellenic Games created conditions for the formation of a sense of national identity among Greeks, and has long been an important link for Greeks to maintain their national identity. With the formation of the Panhellenic Games in Olympia, Delphi, Neminea, the Isthmus and other places, the Greeks gradually realized a national identity that transcended the identity of subgroups such as city-states, tribes, and supratribal alliances, that is, panhellism. In this process, although the identification of subgroups such as the city-state still maintains a strong individualism, in order to achieve the identity of the larger group, it is necessary to overcome individualism to a certain extent, and the subgroup identity must be compromised with the national identity.
The religious sphere became an important tool for achieving this compromise. The Panhellenic Games, with their deep religious and cultural background, were the only choice for building a Panhellenic identity and promoting the sharing of a common language, religion, values and customs among Greeks. Only citizens belonging to the city-states of the Greek nation were eligible to participate in the Panhellenic Games, which became a criterion for distinguishing Greek and non-Greek people. Isocrates praised the value of the Panhellenic Games in maintaining and strengthening Greek national identity. In the classical period, because the Greek people were accustomed to participating in the Pan-Greek Games such as the Isthmus Games, they could not help but be surprised when they realized that the Greek Games were very different from the Games of other peoples and civilizations. For example, historic ancient Egypt gave rise to various sports early on, but mainly a symbolic activity in the service of the pharaohs. The purpose was to show that the monarch was in good health, and that no one really dared to compete with him, that is, the movement in ancient Egypt was a one-sided activity, not a greek-style confrontational movement.
In the city-state political system, citizens were relatively equal, so the Greek race emphasized and reflected the spirit of openness and equality, and even Corinth, where the aristocracy had always been relatively strong, was very different from the Eastern monarchy with strict hierarchical boundaries. Because of this, citizens of all walks of life, regardless of their origin, can feel the spirit of freedom and equality in the city-state in participating in and watching sports competitions, and also feel the great difference between themselves and other peoples. Before the Greco-Persian War, the Greek people tended to define themselves "from within", looking for similarities between different groups within them, so as to construct a common ancestor. With the defeat of the huge Persian Empire with the smallest state, this victory against foreign races stimulated the national pride and contempt of foreign races of the Greek people, prompting the Greek people to focus on defining themselves from the "outside" of the group, and the Greek people constructed and distinguished between the free and rational "self" and the servile, barbaric "other", which in turn strengthened the pan-Greek corruption of national identity.
Despite the conflicts and conflicts of interest between Corinth and other city-states, during the Isthmus Games, the states observed a truce, the Isthmus and nearby battles were suspended, and athletes from both warring sides temporarily put aside their hatred and participated in the Games together. For example, in 412 BC, Corinth and Athens were at war during the Peloponnesian War, but Corinth still invited Athens to participate in the Isthmus Games that year, and Athens was also invited to participate. In 490 BC, Corinth and Argos had merged, and the two states jointly hosted the Isthmus Games. Because the local and overseas Historians share pan-Greek corruption feelings in participating in the Pan-Greek Rotten Games, and the Pan-Greek Rotten Games such as the Isthmus Games also provide a place for communication between Corinth and overseas sub-states, these phenomena are the result of the influence of Pan-Greek Corruption. As the Isthmus Games promoted the growing prevalence of pan-Greek corruption, the Corinthians strengthened their identification with the Greek nation.
At the same time, because the Isthmus Games in the classical period have always been under the control of the Corinth, which is conducive to improving the cultural status of Corinth, and the Games reflect the political competition between the city-states, once the Corinthian athletes win the competition, it will also bring glory to the city-state, which further enhances the pride of the Corinthian people and the reputation and cultural influence among the Greek states. Under the influence of Pan-Greek Corruption, the national identity of the Greek people has gradually strengthened, and as an important member of the Greek states, Corinth has taken the initiative in this national identity with its own strength, control over the Isthmus of Corinth and the identity of the organizer of the Isthmus Games, which can play a strong appeal, which is especially significant in the turbulent classical period.
Different from the uncivilized barbarians, it is also different from the Eastern peoples such as the historical Egypt. For the Greek people, this difference reflects the difference between the self and the other, which in turn deepens the Greek people's strong sense of identity with their own nation.
The Isthmus Games is not only a sporting event, but also an expression of national identity. Although the Isthmus of Corinth has always been at a geopolitical point and disputes between different city-states are frequent, during the Isthmus Games, a common Greek spirit runs through it, the rivalry of the city-states is temporarily put aside, and national identity takes precedence over the interests of the city-state.
Over time, the Isthmus Games became a symbol of pan-Greek corruption, attracting athletes and spectators from all over Greece. Although the event focuses on sports, the sense of national identity is even more pronounced. Every Greek citizen who participates in the Isthmus Games can feel that they are part of the Greek people, no matter what city-state they come from.
And Corinth, as the host city-state of the Isthmus Games, rose to prominence in the pan-Greek corruption trend with this identity. The Isthmus Games not only provided Corinth with a stage to display the strength and culture of the city-state, but also strengthened the identity of the Corinthian people with the Greek nation.
In the face of declining political status and military power, Corinth at the end of the classical period was able to use his cultural influence to call on his substates to participate in overseas expeditions. By the end of the classical period, Corinth had originally participated in the war against Macedonia under the banner of Pan-Greek Corruption, but after the defeat was incorporated into the larger Pan-Greek Corruption dominated by Macedonia.
Pan-Greek corruption is manifested not only in the field of sports, but also has a profound impact on all aspects of political, cultural and social life.
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