Lycurgus of Athens in the context of "Aristarchus of Samothrace"

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⭐ Core Definition: Lycurgus of Athens

Lycurgus (/lˈkɜːrɡəs/; Ancient Greek: Λυκοῦργος Λυκόφρονος Βουτάδης, romanizedLykourgos Lykophronos Boutadēs; c. 390 – c. 325 BC) was a statesman and logographer in Ancient Greece. In the aftermath of the Athenian defeat at the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC, he became the leading figure in Athenian politics, taking control of Athenian finances and pushing through a range of measures which drastically increased Athens' revenues. This money was used to expand the navy, improve the city's fortifications, develop the temples and religious ceremonies, and to build up a hefty reserve. He also encouraged the restoration of traditional values and prosecuted those who fell short of his expectations of civic behaviour. Because of his leading role, the period from 338 to 324 BC is often known in modern scholarship as the "Age of Lycurgus."

He was one of the ten Attic orators included in the "Alexandrian Canon" compiled by Aristophanes of Byzantium and Aristarchus of Samothrace in the third century BC. His only surviving speech is the Against Leocrates.

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Lycurgus of Athens in the context of Panathenaic Stadium

The Panathenaic Stadium (Greek: Παναθηναϊκό Στάδιο, romanizedPanathinaïkó Stádio, [panaθinai̯ˈko ˈstaðio]) or Kallimarmaro (Καλλιμάρμαρο [kaliˈmaɾmaɾo], lit.'beautiful marble') is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens, Greece. One of the main historic attractions of Athens, it is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble.

A stadium was built on the site of a simple racecourse by the Athenian statesman Lykourgos (Lycurgus) c. 330 BC, primarily for the Panathenaic Games. It was rebuilt in marble by Herodes Atticus, an Athenian Roman senator, by 144 AD. It had a capacity of 50,000 seats. After the rise of Christianity in the 4th century it was largely abandoned. The stadium was excavated in 1869 and hosted the Zappas Olympics in 1870 and 1875. After being refurbished, it hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympics in 1896 and was the venue for 4 of the 9 contested sports. It was used for various purposes in the 20th century and was once again used as an Olympic venue in 2004. It is the finishing point for the annual Athens Classic Marathon. It is also the last venue in Greece from where the Olympic flame handover ceremony to the host nation takes place.

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Lycurgus of Athens in the context of Theatre of Dionysos

The Theatre of Dionysus (or Theatre of Dionysos, Greek: Θέατρο του Διονύσου) is an ancient Greek theatre in Athens. It is built on the south slope of the Acropolis hill, originally part of the sanctuary of Dionysus Eleuthereus (Dionysus the Liberator). The first orchestra terrace was constructed on the site around the mid- to late-sixth century BC, where it hosted the City Dionysia. The theatre reached its fullest extent in the fourth century BC under the epistates of Lycurgus , when it would have had a capacity of up to 25,000, and was in continuous use down to the Roman period. The theatre then fell into decay in the Byzantine era and was not identified, excavated and restored to its current condition until the nineteenth century.

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Lycurgus of Athens in the context of Cephisodotus the Younger

Cephisodotus, son of Praxiteles, brother of Timarchos and grandson of Cephisodotus the Elder. None of his work remains in originals, but in later, mostly Roman copies. He was in a team with his brother a prolific sculptor of the latter part of the 4th century BC, especially noted for portraits, of Menander (ca. 80 remaining ancient replices), of the orator Lycurgus, and others.

Cephisodotus the Younger is said by some to be a candidate for the famous statue of Two Wrestlers (at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy), found in a Roman marble but believed to have originally been cast in bronze.

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