Ancient Coin Stories

Phigalia supposedly took its name from Phigalos, who was a son of Lykaon, a legendary king of Arkadia who had 50 sons and by legend cooked one of them to see if Zeus would recognize human flesh. The joke did not go down well.

Phigalia was occupied by Sparta in 659 BCE, though regained its independence shortly afterwards. Nevertheless Sparta continued to be a major factor during its existence.

The Temple of Bassae, which today is one of the best preserved Greek temples in the world, was at the site of Phigalia.

I visited the site of Phigalia and took these photos of its temple.

Athenaios wrote:

Harmodius of Lepreum says in his “On the Customs in Phigalia”: The man who was appointed sitarchos in Phigalia used to supply three choes of wine every day, along with a medimnos of barley groats, five minas of cheese, and whatever was needed to season the sacrificial meat. The city supplied each chorus with three sheep or goats, a cook, a slave to haul water, and tables, benches to sit on, and all the equipment of this sort, while the choregos supplied the cook’s utensils.”

The dinner was of the following sort: cheese and lightly-kneeded barley-cakes served as the law required, in bronze baskets referred to by soe authorizties as mazonomoi, which go their name from the use in which they were put; in addition to the barley-cakes and the cheese, there were entrails and salt to eat with them. After they dedicated these items, each guest was given a little wine to drink in an earthenware cottabus-basin, the man who served it would say “Enjoy your dinner!” After this, there was broth and hash, which everyone shared, and two pieces of meat proschera for each person.

At all their dinners, but especially those referred to as mazones – this name is still used today from the Dionysiac guild – it was their custom to pour more broth into the bowls of the young men who ate more heartily, and to serve them more barley-cakes and bread. This is because they considered such individuals noble and manly, since gluttony was regarded as something that deserved respect and acclaim.

After the dinner, they made libations, but rather than washing their hands first, they wiped themselves clean with pieces of bread, which they took with them when they left. They did this because of the frightening events that occurred in the streets at night.

AFter the libations, a paean is sung. But when they sacrifice to the heroes, they slaughter a large number of cattle, and everyone feasts with his slaves; their children dine along with them at their feasts, sitting without a cloak on stones next to their fathers.”