User:Lisareds95/sandbox

(Addition to [Funeral Games] )

Other type of funeral game: Funeral games for civic heroes

Started in the late sixth century until the end of the Hellenistic period. In these certain funerary events, it was customary for participants to be citizens of where the games were being held, especially if the games were being held in honor of the founder of the city. People would be honored as heroes and funeral games would be held as a part of the ritual associated with his cult. Not only could these games be used to honor public figures seen as heroes but also to form part of a hero cult for a private citizen. Funeral games were also used to honor groups of people, like when the Greeks would hold these games to honor military casualties.

Spartan general Brasidas had games held in his honor by the people of Amphipolis after he was considered a hero and displaced the original Athenian founder Hagnon.

Aleximachos Kritolaos of Amorgos held an annual festival as a gift to the people of Aigiale to honor his son that had passed away. There were sacrifices, a banquet, athletic competitions with different categories of participants, and prizes from the animal sacrificed. Many sports were included, except for the pankration. Instead of hosting the pankration, Aleximachos was declared winner every time. Aleximachos was thought to be an athlete himself and has been considered a hero because of donations from his father.