same, it sometimes happened that citizens forestalled this
so as not to appear to be forced into the task and also because they hoped that political
advantages would accrue to them. The ambiguity of the system that obtained in Athens
lay in the fact that liturgies—which included the khorēgia —were at once obligations imposed by the city and, at the same time, a means of winning
popularity for the individuals who carried out those obligations with munificence.
If this duty, despite its costliness, carried a political advantage, it was because
in consequence the khorēgos won esteem among his fellow-citizens. In the first place, before the dramatic representations
took place, the khorēgos would occupy a prestigious position in the religious procession ( pompē ) that opened the Dionysia festival. He had the right to wear special clothing that
made him stand out in the crowd; both Alcibiades and Demosthenes took care to make
the most of this privilege. Furthermore, during the performance, the khorēgos did not necessarily remain silent. In the early fifth century, he himself might even
act as the chorus leader and perform in the orchēstra ; 40 according to this hypothesis, Pericles himself may have led the chorus in The Persians and delivered the speech praising Athens that Aeschylus assigned to the chorus-leader!
In that case, the young man would have been speaking in the name of the collectivity
for the very first time, thereby anticipating hisfuture role as orator. This may also help us to understand the importance that mousikē held in the education of this young man.
Finally, when the performance was over, the khorēgos would increase his prestige still further if he was victorious in the dramatic competition
that brought the Dionysia to a close. The names of the victors, who were selected
by a panel of ten judges, were announced before the whole community assembled in the
theater. The laureates, crowned with ivy, were presented with a prestigious prize:
a bronze tripod for the tragic choruses and possibly a ram for the winning poets.
Sometimes the khorēgoi would present offerings to the gods in order to keep the memory of their success
alive: Themistocles was said to have had a pinax (a wooden tablet) painted, to celebrate his victory in the tragedy competition, as khorēgos for the poet Phrynichus, in 477 B.C.
One further factor may have decided Pericles to volunteer as a khorēgos in 472. By preempting any summons addressed to him, the young man made a sensational
entrance on to the public stage, even before reaching the age when he could hope for
a magistracy. The fact was that Athenian citizens had to wait until they were thirty
years old before they could assume even a minor city post. Making sure of a khorēgia was a way of getting around that agelimit and seizing an early start in the race
to make a name for himself among the Athenians. 41
Basking in the prestige of this triumph in the Dionysia, young Pericles made his mark
in the post-Salamis Athens. All the same, though, his khorēgia should not be interpreted as a deliberately political gesture or a way of advertising
his support for Themistocles, who was then facing growing opposition that, one year
later, would lead to his ostracism. Although The Persians does praise the victor at Salamis indirectly, there is nothing to prove that Pericles
had any say in the content of the play, which was the concern solely of the poet.
Besides, it was the eponymous Archon that drew lots in order to assign a khorēgos to a dramatist. 42 It was thus purely by chance that the young man found himself collaborating with
a well-established author—namely, Aeschylus, who, since 485/4 B.C., 43 had already won several victor’s crowns. That first action needs to be evaluated
correctly for, far from being a prefiguration of his political future, the 472 khorēgia was an opportunity for Pericles to highlight his wealth
so as not to appear to be forced into the task and also because they hoped that political
advantages would accrue to them. The ambiguity of the system that obtained in Athens
lay in the fact that liturgies—which included the khorēgia —were at once obligations imposed by the city and, at the same time, a means of winning
popularity for the individuals who carried out those obligations with munificence.
If this duty, despite its costliness, carried a political advantage, it was because
in consequence the khorēgos won esteem among his fellow-citizens. In the first place, before the dramatic representations
took place, the khorēgos would occupy a prestigious position in the religious procession ( pompē ) that opened the Dionysia festival. He had the right to wear special clothing that
made him stand out in the crowd; both Alcibiades and Demosthenes took care to make
the most of this privilege. Furthermore, during the performance, the khorēgos did not necessarily remain silent. In the early fifth century, he himself might even
act as the chorus leader and perform in the orchēstra ; 40 according to this hypothesis, Pericles himself may have led the chorus in The Persians and delivered the speech praising Athens that Aeschylus assigned to the chorus-leader!
In that case, the young man would have been speaking in the name of the collectivity
for the very first time, thereby anticipating hisfuture role as orator. This may also help us to understand the importance that mousikē held in the education of this young man.
Finally, when the performance was over, the khorēgos would increase his prestige still further if he was victorious in the dramatic competition
that brought the Dionysia to a close. The names of the victors, who were selected
by a panel of ten judges, were announced before the whole community assembled in the
theater. The laureates, crowned with ivy, were presented with a prestigious prize:
a bronze tripod for the tragic choruses and possibly a ram for the winning poets.
Sometimes the khorēgoi would present offerings to the gods in order to keep the memory of their success
alive: Themistocles was said to have had a pinax (a wooden tablet) painted, to celebrate his victory in the tragedy competition, as khorēgos for the poet Phrynichus, in 477 B.C.
One further factor may have decided Pericles to volunteer as a khorēgos in 472. By preempting any summons addressed to him, the young man made a sensational
entrance on to the public stage, even before reaching the age when he could hope for
a magistracy. The fact was that Athenian citizens had to wait until they were thirty
years old before they could assume even a minor city post. Making sure of a khorēgia was a way of getting around that agelimit and seizing an early start in the race
to make a name for himself among the Athenians. 41
Basking in the prestige of this triumph in the Dionysia, young Pericles made his mark
in the post-Salamis Athens. All the same, though, his khorēgia should not be interpreted as a deliberately political gesture or a way of advertising
his support for Themistocles, who was then facing growing opposition that, one year
later, would lead to his ostracism. Although The Persians does praise the victor at Salamis indirectly, there is nothing to prove that Pericles
had any say in the content of the play, which was the concern solely of the poet.
Besides, it was the eponymous Archon that drew lots in order to assign a khorēgos to a dramatist. 42 It was thus purely by chance that the young man found himself collaborating with
a well-established author—namely, Aeschylus, who, since 485/4 B.C., 43 had already won several victor’s crowns. That first action needs to be evaluated
correctly for, far from being a prefiguration of his political future, the 472 khorēgia was an opportunity for Pericles to highlight his wealth
Similar Books
