Panhellenism has increasingly become a topic of scholarly interest in contemporary studies of archaic and classical Greek culture. Broadly understood, Panhellenism refers to a sense of shared cultural identity between Greeks who live in...
morePanhellenism has increasingly become a topic of scholarly interest in contemporary studies of archaic and classical Greek culture. Broadly understood, Panhellenism refers to a sense of shared cultural identity between Greeks who live in geographically separated locales. In general, Hellenists working on Panhellenic identity formation have asserted several different causes for the phenomenon. If not explicitly in discourse, in terms of a joint Greek campaign against the Trojans, Panhellenism can already be found in Homer's Iliad. Scholars have argued, furthermore, that, through trade and colonization (in the late 'Dark Age' and early Archaic period), the Greeks' engagement with others gave them an increasing awareness of themselves. The Persian wars, similarly, have often been cited as an important factor in the development of Panhellenism. After the Greeks defeated the Persians, they developed a more polarized view of themselves in relation to others. A further reason for Panhellenic identity formation was the increasing importance of the Panhellenic sanctuaries and festivals, oracles such as Delphi, and the dispersion of Homeric texts. 1 While all of these phenomena, and others, were significant factors in the origin and development of Panhellenism, the last factor, particularly how Panhellenic sanctuaries aided in Greek identity formation, is integral to my current concerns. 2 *) For helpful comments and criticism on an earlier version of this paper I would like to thank the editor of this journal, Bernd Manuwald, as well as Michael Haslam, Lauren Grace Kilroy, Kathryn Morgan, Seth Schein, and Bernd Vine.
