Olympian Games after the Capture of Olynthus

[192] ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἷλεν Ὄλυνθον Φίλιππος, Ὀλύμπι’ ἐποίει, εἰς δὲ τὴν θυσίαν ταύτην καὶ τὴν πανήγυριν πάντας τοὺς τεχνίτας συνήγαγεν. [193] ἑστιῶν δ’ αὐτοὺς καὶ στεφανῶν τοὺς νενικηκότας ἤρετο Σάτυρον τουτονὶ τὸν κωμικὸν ὑποκριτήν, τί δὴ μόνος οὐδὲν ἐπαγγέλλεται; ἤ τιν’ ἐν αὐτῷ μικροψυχίαν ἢ πρὸς αὑτὸν ἀηδίαν ἐνεορακώς; εἰπεῖν δή φασι τὸν Σάτυρον ὅτι, ὧν μὲν οἱ ἄλλοι δέονται, οὐδενὸς ὢν ἐν χρείᾳ τυγχάνει, ἃ δ’ ἂν αὐτὸς ἐπαγγείλαιθ’ ἡδέως, ῥᾷστα μέν ἐστιν Φιλίππῳ δοῦναι [194] καὶ χαρίσασθαι πάντων, δέδοικε δὲ μὴ διαμάρτῃ. κελεύσαντος δ’ ἐκείνου λέγειν καί τι καὶ νεανιευσαμένου τοιοῦτον, ὡς οὐδὲν ὅ τι οὐ ποιήσει, εἰπεῖν φασιν αὐτὸν ὅτι ἦν αὐτῷ Ἀπολλοφάνης ὁ Πυδναῖος ξένος καὶ φίλος, ἐπειδὴ δὲ δολοφονηθεὶς ἐτελεύτησεν ἐκεῖνος, φοβηθέντες οἱ συγγενεῖς αὐτοῦ ὑπεξέθεντο τὰς θυγατέρας παιδί’ ὄντ’ εἰς Ὄλυνθον. ‘αὗται τοίνυν τῆς πόλεως ἁλούσης αἰχμάλωτοι γεγόνασι [195] καὶ εἰσὶν παρὰ σοί, ἡλικίαν ἔχουσαι γάμου. ταύτας, αἰτῶ σε καὶ δέομαι, δός μοι. βούλομαι δέ σ’ ἀκοῦσαι καὶ μαθεῖν οἵαν μοι δώσεις δωρειάν, ἂν ἄρα δῷς· ἀφ’ ἧς ἐγὼ κερδανῶ μὲν οὐδέν, ἂν λάβω, προῖκα δὲ προσθεὶς ἐκδώσω, καὶ οὐ περιόψομαι παθούσας οὐδὲν ἀνάξιον οὔθ’ ἡμῶν οὔτε τοῦ πατρός.’ ὡς δ’ ἀκοῦσαι τοὺς παρόντας ἐν τῷ συμποσίῳ, τοσοῦτον κρότον καὶ θόρυβον καὶ ἔπαινον παρὰ πάντων γενέσθαι ὥστε τὸν Φίλιππον παθεῖν τι καὶ δοῦναι. καίτοι τῶν ἀποκτεινάντων ἦν τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τὸν [196] Φιλίππου οὗτος ὁ Ἀπολλοφάνης.

When Philip captured Olynthus, he held a celebration of the Olympian Games. As part of the sacrifice and festivity, he gathered performers of every kind. At the banquet that followed, as he was crowning the victors, he turned to Satyros, the comic actor, and asked why he alone made no request. Was it, he inquired, because he saw in Philip some meanness or hostility? It is said that Satyros replied that he had no need of the things others were asking for. What he wished to request was, in fact, the easiest thing for Philip to grant—yet he feared it would be denied. Encouraged by Philip, who assured him—boldly—that there was nothing he would not do, Satyros spoke. He said that Apollophanes of Pydna had been a dear friend and guest of his, and when Apollophanes had been treacherously killed, his fearful relatives had sent his young daughters to safety in Olynthus. “Now,” Satyros continued, “with the city’s fall, they have become war captives and are now in your hands, of marriageable age. I ask—indeed, I beg—you to entrust them to me. I wish for you to understand the nature of the gift you would be granting. I seek no profit from receiving them; I will provide dowries at my own expense and ensure they are married with honor. I will not allow them to suffer anything unworthy of themselves or of their father.” When those present at the banquet heard this, a great applause broke out—an uproar of approval and admiration so profound that even Philip was deeply moved. He granted the request. And yet, it is worth noting that Apollophanes had been among those responsible for the murder of Alexander, Philip’s own brother.

The Demosthenic passage recounts a symbolic episode of Philip II of Macedon’s cultural and propagandistic policy following the capture of Olynthus in 348 BC. On this occasion, Philip organized a solemn celebration of the Olympian Games, which included—as Diodorus Siculus attests (16, 55, 1–2)—”magnificent sacrifices” (megaloprepēis thysias) and “splendid contests” (lamprous agōnas), welcoming performers from across the Greek world (pantas tous technitas). The notable mention of the technitai (artists), however, does not imply the existence of formal guilds at the time (see Csapo–Wilson 2020, 392). This panegyris served a distinctly political purpose: it aimed to consolidate support around the king by portraying him not only as a military victor but also as a benefactor and patron of the arts. At the center of the Demosthenic narrative (see also Diod. 16, 55, 3–4) is the episode involving the comic actor Satyros (on whom see Stephanes 1983, no. 2235), likely a native of Olynthus (cf. Athen. 5, 591e; for the hypothesis of Athenian citizenship, see Osborne 1983, III–IV, X17). During one of the symposia hosted by Philip, Satyros secured the release of the daughters of his friend Apollophanes, who had been condemned to death by the king. The anecdote, which ancient sources treat in an anti-Macedonian light, serves Demosthenes’ rhetorical goal of highlighting the king’s exploitation of ceremonial festivities as a means to win over influential figures from the Greek cities through gifts and acts of generosity. However, a pro-Macedonian interpretation of the same episode is suggested by Aeschines (2, 156). The text also holds interest for documenting the presence of comic actors at the celebration, suggesting that the competitions for which victors were crowned during the banquet may have included comedy alongside tragedy (cf. Moloney 2014, 342). Diodorus (17, 16) later refers to skēnikoi agōnes (dramatic contests) in a celebration organized at Dion by Alexander. On the nature of the contests at Olympia, see schol. Demosth. 19, 383 Dilts and commentary ad loc. The exact location of the event remains disputed. The scholion to the Demosthenic passage associates the celebration with the traditional Olympieia of Dion, established by Archelaus. This association with the Macedonian national festival has been widely accepted by modern scholars (cf. Mari 1998, 144 ff.; Csapo–Wilson 2020, 596). However, the sources themselves do not support this localization. Both Demosthenes and Diodorus explicitly link the festival to the capture of Olynthus (Demosth. 19, 192: epeidē gar heilen Olynthon; Diod. Sic. 16, 55, 1–4: meta de tēn halōsin tēs Olynthou), without any mention of Dion. Moreover, the wording used to describe the event—Olympia epoiēsen, “he held Olympian games”—lacks the definite article and does not seem to refer to the established national festival, but rather to a celebration tied to a specific occasion. Diodorus and the scholion to Demosthenes both clarify that the games were held as thanksgiving to the gods (tois theois epinikia) and were meant to commemorate both the Macedonian victory (epi nikēi) and, as the scholion adds, the misfortune of the Greeks (kai symphorāi tōn Hellēnōn). The reference to Dion appears only in the scholion, and not to contextualize Philip’s specific event, but rather to note that Archelaus was the first to celebrate Olympian festivals in Macedonia, and he did so at Dion. In the specific case of 348 BC, the unique character of the festival, the presence of foreign guests—including the comic actor Satyros, who may have been a native of Olynthus—and Philip’s attempt to ingratiate himself with the attendees through lavish banquets, gifts, and favors (to the point that many reportedly vied for his attention) all suggest the possibility that the celebration took place on-site, possibly even in the theater of the conquered city. This may have inaugurated a tradition later adopted by Alexander during his Asian campaigns, whereby games and festivals were held in conquered cities as a deliberate strategy of royal propaganda (see Mari 2002, 235-238; Squillace 2004, 139 ff.; Squillace 2011, 311-313). Although no theater remains have been identified at Olynthus, the discovery of numerous terracotta figurines of actors, along with evidence of dramatic performers from the city, attests to the cultural and theatrical vitality of the polis during the 5th and 4th centuries BC (see Csapo-Wilson, 538).

E. CSAPO – P. WILSON, A social and economic history of the theatre to 300 BC. Vol. II. Theatre beyond Athens: documents with translation and commentary . Cambridge 2020; M. MARI, ‘Le Olimpie macedoni di Dion tra Archelao e l’età romana’, Riv. Fil. Istr. Cl. 126, 1998, 137-169; M. MARI, Al di là dell’Olimpo, Atene 2002; E.P. MOLONEY, ‘Philippus in acie tutior quam in teatro fuit… (Curtius 9.6.25): The Macedonian kings and Greek theatre’, in E. Csapo – H.R. Goette – J.R. Green – P. Wilson (eds.), Greek Theatre in the Fourth Century BC, Berlin – Boston 2014, 231-248; M. J. OSBORNE, Naturalization in Athens, Voll. III-IV, Brussel 1983; G. SQUILLACE, Βασιλεῖς ἢ τύραννοι. Filippo II e Alessandro Magno tra opposizione e consenso, Soveria Mannelli 2004; G. SQUILLACE, ‘La maschera del vincitore. Strategie propagandistiche di Filippo II e Alessandro Magno nella distruzione di città greche’, Clio 93, 2011/2, 308-321.

Philip II of Macedon, Olynthus, Olympian Games, theatrical contests, Satyros the comic actor

[Alessandra Manieri]