The banner of Lesbos, home of the famous poet Sappho, was inspired by one of the most interesting monetary types in antiquity.
Unlike others cities, Lesbos changed monetary types from one issuance to another. This provided great variety - notably this unusual depiction of two female heads overlapping.
Lesbos's cities were members of the Delian league from the start. They provided ships to the alliance, but then revolted in 428 BCE and the victorious Athenians sent clerouchs (settlers) to occupy the island.
Field camps were built at the end of a day's march to provide protection in case of a surprise enemy attack.
They were widely-used when attacking cities during sieges. The camps are where soldiers would eat, sleep, and store their weapons, food rations and spoils - often for months at a time. It's also where a soldier would take refuge when and if things went badly in battle.
Building a good fortified camp or fortifying a village or small city in the enemy's territory may have meant the difference between victory and defeat.
As sieges would stretch on, a good fortified camp meant that an army could safely remain in unfriendly lands and exert pressure on the enemy. This could be done by burning or taking their crops, by preventing resupply, or simply by exerting their demoralizing presence.
Establishing a fortified position in enemy lands in order to constantly raid it was a common tactic in the Peloponnesian War. Athens employed it at Pylos from 425 to 409 BCE, and so did the Spartans with a more devastating effect over a weakened Athens when they fortified Dekeleia from 413 to 404 BCE.
Soldiers on the move mostly slept under the sky on beds of reeds, for in most cases tent materials were too great a burden.
They ate two meals a day - one at mid-day [except when battle was expected), and then dinner. They usually cooked these meatls themselves. In most cases, the meal consisted of maza, a sort of barley porridge. The Spartans did things differently; they had dedicated cooks in their armies.
When the soldiers need to relieve themselves, they simply went wherever they could outside of camp, as there was no special location for this act.
There was little in the way of entertainment in military camps. The Spartans, however, did have some techniques for avoiding boredom. After their regular practice and exercise, they had a sort of contest of singing songs by the poet Tyrtaios, and the winner received a prize in meat.
Even in a war camp, the gods had to be honored. Whenever possible, sacrifices were made and seers were consulted, often about the tides of battle.
(Behind the scenes)
Lesbos is an island situated in the north-east of the Aegean
Sea. Lesbos rebelled against the Athenians, leading to its
eventual surrender to Athens. Lesbos is notable in real life for
its 18-million-year-old petrified forest, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site, home to fossilized remains of a once vast
swathe of vegetation and forest. The art team used their
artistic license to grow the trees into dense forests of tangled
roots and branches, a maze for our hero to navigate. The
atmosphere of the forest is oppressive, with temple ruins
appearing from the murky background, and a sense of dread
lingering behind every corner.
Finished concepts by Hugo Puzzuoli show the red and yellow
accents in the rock of the petrified trees, caused by intense
volcanic activity millions of years ago.
The Medusa has been portrayed in many different ways over
the years, from a beautiful young woman, to a monstrous
creature with a serpent's body and tail. The art team decided
to move away from these depictions, concentrating on the
details of her appearance. The snakes are based on actual
Greek species found on the islands and mainland Greece. Her
dress is made from targe swathes of snake skin, suggesting
even bigger serpents once existed. “Medusa is represented in
her Greek form, as a humanoid woman, rather than in the
Roman version that would follow," explains art director
Thierry Dansereau. She is, after all, a woman transformed by
an ancient artifact, rather than the will of the gods.
Perseus was the Greek hero who ultimately killed Medusa. He
was the son of Zeus and Danai, and he promised to obtain the
head of Medusa to King Polydektes. Medusa was a gorgon, a
female monster that had living snakes on her head instead of
locks of hair. Her gaze petrified all who locked eyes with her,
and turned them to stone.
Perseus went to the Hesperides to acquire the weapon that
would help him defeat Medusa. They also gave him a sack to
hold her head (kibisis). He received a sword [harpe) from
Zeus, winged sandals from Hermes, a shiny shield from
Athena, and the ability to hide from Hades.
When Perseus entered Medusa's cave, he used the shield's
reflection to avoid eye contact, and successfully decapitated
her.
Perseus used the head of Medusa as a weapon, but later gave
itas a gift to Athena, who placed the head of the gorgon
(gorgoneion) on her shield, or the Aegis.
Where better to have the home of the notorious Medusa,
famous for turning her victims to stone, than in a petrified
forest. As one of the most well-known creatures from Greek
myth, featuring in countless books, movies, and historical
records, it was a challenge for the development team to strip
away the previous incarnations and start fresh. In mythology,
Medusa was one of the three Gorgons, sisters with wings and
snakes for hair, able to petrify onlookers. The Medusa in
Assassin's Creed Odyssey is a woman, transformed by a First
Civilization artifact into a creature of great power. As such,
her temple features the classic geometry and architecture of
First Civilization constructions, and is the only open-air First
Civilization temple in game.
The third labor of Herakles was to capture the Keryneian Hind,
a beast notoriously faster than an arrow.
This particular labor was not about strength, but about speed
and patience. Herakles chased the hind on foot for over a year
-in Thrace, and as far as Istria in the Adriatic Sea. However,
there's more than one legend that tells of its capture. In one
version, Herakles caught the hind when it was asleep with a
trap-net or a thrown arrow. In another, it was Artemis -
whose sacred animal was the hind - who helped Herakles
after he told the goddess that he didn't intend on desecrating
the animal.
The Greeks have long been known as a naval powerhouse. The
development team created multiple ship models, covering the
Trireme (with three rows of oars], the bireme (with two),
merchant ships and other smaller boats. Historical pop
culture sources, including a visit to a life-size replica of a
trireme, 3rd century BCE graffiti, depictions on vases and
stone relief, and movies like Hercules [1958], Jason and the
Argonauts (1963) and many others, all served to inform the
design team to create realistic and functional digital replicas
of these classic ships.
The color and animal based designs of the ships are also
significant. To the far right, the Athenian ship is clear, not just
from its blue coloring but also the owl adorning its sail - the
owl being the symbol of wisdom, associated with Athena, the
protector goddess of Athens. In the center is a darker colored
ship common among pirates, to the left a Spartan ship, and in
the far left, the smaller and less streamlined ship is a fishing
boat.
3D renders of the figureheads featured in Odyssey range from
the proud griffin and Pegasos to the terrible hydra and
medusa.
Euboea was an important source of grain and cattle - its
name even means “rich in cattle”. Knowing this, it isn't that
surprising to find depictions of bulls on their coins.
The banner was inspired by the head of a bull, taken from the
silver drachmae of the Euboean league. Bulls are sometimes
presented in full on other Euboean coinages, like those of
Eretria, Karystos, or Histiaia.
Because of its resources, Euboea was a strategic region to
control, and Athens invaded in 506 BCE. The Athenians
defeated Chalkis, confiscated the land, and gave it to 4,000
settlers [clerouch] who could retain their Athenian
citizenship.
Metal workshops of different sizes coexisted in ancient
Greece. By the second half of the óth century BCE, the
development of armament workshops [ergasteria] employing
a few craftsmen or up to a few dozen slaves is quite
noticeable. Larger production units soon appeared, making
metalworking one of the most lucrative crafts in Classical
Greece - at least, it is assumed so by historians. As with many
other crafts, metalworking was exclusively practiced by men.
The smallest workshops for local supply might have been
comprised of only three workers: one smith, and two slaves to
assist him. On the other hand, the largest workshops
resembled factories. They could be very large and employ
more than fifty slaves. For example, in Athens, on the slopes
of the Akropolis, four giant 40-meter-long workshops dating
back from 470-440 BCE have been excavated. The Athenian
metic Kephalos might have possessed such a weapons
workshop, since it was said that he had 120 slaves working for
him. By contrast, the metal workshops found in the sanctuary
of Nemea are smaller, but they are not necessarily the more
common scale.
The overall trend was super-specialization; the sword
makers, for example, were not the same as helmet or shield
makers. There were doryksoi [lance makers) and
machairopoioi, who crafted swords or knives. Helmets
workshops could also produce greaves, but the cuirasses,
especially the “muscle armors”, were manufactured by
specific craftsmen. Moreover, in the large workshops, one
could assume that all the workers were assigned very
narrowly-defined tasks.
The Bronze Statue of Poseidon at the Archaeological Museum
of Athens [National Museum of Athens) depicts either Zeus or
Poseidon. It is one of the few remaining original bronze
statues from Greece's Classical period, but it is also one of the
most impressive.
The statue depicts a thick-bearded, curly-haired god with a
muscular, well-detailed anatomy. It is missing its eyes, which
were made of a different material - perhaps semi-precious
stone or glass. The statue's right hand clutched either a
lightning bolt, if it depicted Zeus, or a trident, if it depicted
Poseidon. For the purposes of the game, we decided it was
Poseidon.
The sculpture was made by an artist of great skill. It's
possible it was created by the renowned sculptor Kalamis.
The offensive weapon of triremes was the ram [embolos). The
objective of all naval tactics was to bring the ram to bear on
the enemy's flank or quarter. The ram was made of bronze
and attached to a protruding plank at the front of the ship. The
ram was a warship's most expensive piece of equipment, but
luckily, it could be salvaged and reused when a ship was
broken up.
The ram was located at the forward tip of the keel. This area
was heavily-armored and built up to a sharp point with three
chisel-like blades just above water level. Building a ram
required a high level of metallurgical expertise and
complicated foundry facilities, as they were cast in one single
huge piece. The ram's tip flared into fins rather than coming
to a pointin order to prevent it from getting wedged into the
hull of its opponent, and the timbers that the bronze casing
covered were carefully designed to distribute the shock of
impact over the entire length of the Light hull. The ram could
smash a hole in an enemy vessel and therefore cripple it, but
could not literally sink it. The shape of the ram was designed
to cause maximum damage without penetrating the hull too
far, and make it difficult for the attacking vessels to back off.
The prow, with its ram and heavy buildup of timbers, was both
the offensive weapon and the best-protected area of the ship.
The stern and sides were its vulnerable quarters. As long as a
warship kept its prow toward the enemy, it was poised for
both offensive and defensive action. Its role was to disable
other ships in battle. The Athenians in particular were very
adept at maneuvering their ships to utilize this weapon
effectively.
Miltos is a type of red fine-grained ochre made up of red iron-
oxides often mixed with earth, sand, clay, wax, resin or other
impurities, creating a reddish pitch. It played a vital role in
waterproofing and ship maintenance due to its astringent,
binding, and drying properties.
lts use is attested to in Mycenaean clay tablets, inscribed in
the script known as "Linear Bº and dating from the 2nd
millennium BCE. Specifically, by the Classical period, miltos
from Kea was prized in Athens due to its effectiveness in the
maintenance of ships, protecting the hull from rot and
infestation. The high lead levels meant that the powder, once
mixed into an organic medium, would make a very effective
anti-fouling agent, preventing the growth of bacterial colonies
on vessel hulls that could slow the ship down. In this way,
applying lead-rich miltos paint mixed with pitch to the hull of
a ship could inhibit biotic growth and prevent fouling.
The prow of a trireme was often decorated to look like the
head of an animal, with the ram as its snout. Aischytos called
the triremes "the dark-eyed ships”. The eye was a regular
decoration for the triremes. It was made from a piece of
polished marble, then shaped and painted to resemble an eye.
Sometimes oculi could be rather large and, if not painted,
were an inlaid decoration occasionally made of expensive
materials. Seafarers attached oculi to their ship because they
looked upon their vessel as a living entity that needed eyes to
find its way. Black warships with red or purple painted bows
and large dark-blue enamel oculi seen sailing on the dark
seas would have had a powerful effect on any observer -
especially enemy forces.
The various kinds of ships used by the Greeks could be divided
into two main types: ships of war, and ships of burden. The
latter were not designed for quick movement or rapid sailing,
but to carry the greatest possible quantity of goods. Their
structure was therefore bulky, their bottom round, and
although they were not without rowers, the chief means by
which they were propelled were their sails.
The most common ships of war were triremes. This warship
was an example of ancient engineering at its highest level.
The trireme derives its name from its three rows of oars, with
one man per oar. They were very fast and maneuverable,
which gave them a critical advantage in the close-quarter
battles that were typical of ancient naval engagements. The
triremes could move fast under sail, reaching maximum
speeds of perhaps fourteen knots under the most favorable
weather conditions, while their speed without the sails was
probably around eight knots.
They'd also become waterlogged if left in the sea for too long. To prevent this fromm happening, ships would have to be pulled
from the water, and kept and maintained in shipsheds, These
were buildings built on limestone bedrock. They incorporated
an inclined slipway which the triremes were normally hauled
up on when not at sea. The remains of the Zea shipsheds at
the Athenian port of Piraeus offer useful archaeological
evidence about triremes' maximum dimensions: about 115-
120 feet long, 16 feet wide and about 8% feet tall above the
waterline. As for the order of the rowers and their positioning,
valuable information could be extracted by the famous
Lenormant relief, which shows the middle of a trireme, with
three clear levels of oars coming out at different angles.
The trireme was first used in Greece during the óth century
BCE by the tyrant of Korinth, Periander, and then by
Polykrates, the tyrant of Samos. It became the dominant
warship type of the eastern Mediterranean, playing a vital role
in the Greco-Persian Wars, the creation of the Athenian
maritime empire, and its downfall in the Peloponnesian War.
The Achaian banner appropriately depicts a trireme, since the
region includes Patrai, which served as naval base for the
Spartans during the Peloponnesian War.
The trireme was the most famous Greek ship. It was first built
in Korinth in the 7th century BCE and became an important
war ship for centuries - a fleet of triremes defeated the
Persians in Salamis.
Ships are a common image in iconography. They're present on
vases and also on coins, with most of them depicting only the
prow, like this bronze coin from Megaris.
The source material concerning weapon manufacturing in
Ancient Greece is not prolific. However, we do know that as
early as the 7th century BCE, more specialized-production
centers emerged in regions already known for their
metallurgical activities.
Chalkis, in Euboea, specialized in the production of swords,
while Korinth was renowned for its bronze helmets - both
crucially important elements of hoplite equipment. Sykyon, in
the Peloponnese peninsula, provided the iron for the
manufacture of Spartan weapons. Athens, famous especially
for its cuirass workshops, was also an important location in
the world of Greek weapons production.
During what's called the “Dark Ages” in Greek history [1200-
800 BCE), a transition took place in weaponry. The material
used switched from bronze to iron - a substance that was
lighter, tougher, and able to take a sharper edge. Swords
became shorter and larger than the preceding bronze
specimens. Both conical helmets with ornamented crests and
all shapes of shields may have also been made of that metal.
Around the 7th century BCE, a new tactical formation, the
phalanx, gradually made its appearance in Greece. It marked
the return of the use of bronze in weaponry. The new
infantryman, the hoplite, was required to pay for his panoply,
a set of weapons and pieces of equipment including a cuirass,
greaves, helmet with cheek plates, shield, spear, and sword.
Bronze was used to make all or some parts of the body armor,
shield, and helmet, while the sword and spearhead were
crafted with iron.
The costliness of the panoply made it difficult or altogether
impossible for lower-class citizens to purchase one.
Therefore, only members of the elite could afford the entire
set.
The ancients often made bees and honey into symbols related
to the deities. Honey was considered heavenly since it never
expired, and was a typical offering placed on altars for the
gods. These offerings were given to rustic deities such as Pan
and Priape, who were protectors of beekeepers, but also to
Chthonian deities worshiped in mystery cults such as Hermes,
Dionysos, and Demeter. Honey and bees were also a symbol of
resurrection.
Honey was considered a gift - a remnant of the Golden Age -
that the gods kindly gave to men. It guaranteed long life and
good health. In this way, it was connected to nectar and
ambrosia - drinks of the immortal gods. In childhood, Zeus
was nourished with honey and milk. Mead was seen as a
substitute for these divine drinks. Honey's religious
symbolism was all the more important since it could be food
for newborns - a young Plato was said to be fed with honey -
but also for the dead.
Naxos was the largest island in the Kyklades. lts protective
deity was Dionysos, god of wine, who was born on the island
according to mythology. The money of Naxos served as model
for the banner, and is linked with the god as the coins show a
kantharos - a wine cup.
Naxos produced wine, but was more famous for its marble. It
was exported and widely used. For example, it was used in
Olympia and on the Akropolis in Athens. Its craftsmen were
pioneers in the development of monumental marble
sculptures and architecture.
Greek soil contains great geological diversity. Since the
beginning of the Early Cycladic period, the Greeks used
marble in architecture, sculpture, figurines, and more. The
word marble, from the Greek term marmaros, means
“resplendent stone”. It quickly became a luxury furniture in
Greek cities, and it played a big part in the Greek economy.
Some regions stand out for their marble-related wealth,
including Naxos, Paros, Thasos, Attika, the Peloponnese, and
Euboea Island.
Marble is made up of different colors (red, pink, yellow), and
each has a different texture (translucent, wavy, streaked,
swirly, etc.). For example, Peloponnesian marble was red with
touches of black. Pentelic marble, found near Athens, was
greenish with a grainy pattern. The most prestigious marble
of the time came from Paros, and was greyish white.
It is archeologically attested that systematic reuse of wood
from old ships was practiced throughout antiquity. When
triremes were sunk during a sea battle, combatants went to
great lengths and took heavy risks to recover the wreck.
Sometimes, vessels were towed home as prizes, and after
being repaired, equipped, and renamed, they became part of
the enemy navy.
In addition, older triremes were used as service vessels. One
was the “soldier-vessel”, a troop transport. There was also
the “horse-transport”, made out of old triremes by removing
the two lower levels of seats and converting the space into
stalls for thirty horses.
Pitch and timber were the main materials used to create
triremes. The pitch was produced from various trees and was
extracted by heat. The pitch and wax were customarily
applied, either successively or as a mixture, to the wetted
surface of the ship's hull, giving the vessel its speed potential
as well as its watertightness and protection from sea
microorganisms. The seams of newly built warships - as well
as older ships under maintenance - were caulked with flax
soaked in pitch. It seems likely that a new coat of pitch was
put on before each new sailing. Although pitch was used
generously on the triremes' hulls, they seem to have leaked
water into the bilges fairly quickly. This is why ships had to be
beached and dried out.
The emphasis of lightness for the hull timber was obviously a
prime consideration in its overall design. For lightness
combined with strength, a trireme's timber was mostly made
of soft wood such as pine and fir, but the keel was made of
oak for extra strength. Masts were made of fir - one of the
tallest and straightest trees - while carefully prepared rough,
young fir trees ensured that the grain of the wood was aligned
along the shafts, making the oars strong for their weight. For
the inner part of the ships, larch (pitys) or plane (platanos)
were also used because of their Light weight, while the stem-
posts adjoining the breastwork and the bow timbers were
made of ash, mulberry, and elm.
One result of using softwoods was that the trireme hull
tended to soak up water. The hulls not onty became
waterlogged and leaky, but they also suffered from the
scourge of wooden ships: the marine borer (teredo navalis).
Consequently, alltriremes were beached and carried out of
the water as often as possible to dry and clean their hulls.
Pegasos was the mythical winged-horse bred by the dead
Medusa after Perseus killed her. Bellerophon captured the
animal while it drank water from a well.
Pegasos helped Beilerophon in fighting and killing Chimera in
Lycia. Chimera was a monster that had the body of a goat, the
head of a lion, and the tail of a snake. Bellerophon attacked
her from the sky, and thought of placing a block of lead on the
tip of his spear. He threw the spear - aiming for the neck of
the fire-breathing monster - and the heat of the fire made the
lead melt, asphyxiating her. Bellerophon returned victorious,
but several quests followed that would leave him blind and
miserable.
On his way back home, Odysseus found himself on the island
of the Cyclops - giants that have one single eye in the center
of their forehead.
Odysseus reached the island and entered a cave with his
companions. They were so hungry, they began to drink and eat
everything in sight. When a Cyclops named Polyphemos
returned to the cave with his flock, he blocked the entrance
with an enormous rock, and began to eat the men. Trapped,
Odysseus introduced himself as simply “nobody”, and offered
wine to the confused Cyclops. Once the giant was drunkenly
asleep, Odysseus blinded him with a burning wooden stake.
The next day, Odysseus and his men escaped the cave hidden
under the bellies of animals, while the blinded Polyphemos
shouted to his fellow Cyclopes that he was blinded by
"nobody".
Jason was the rightful king of lolkos in Thessaly, though the
position was occupied by King Pelias. When Jason appeared in
front of Pelias and asked to return to the throne, Pelias told
him that he should bring him the Golden Fleece. This was the
fleece of the golden ram held in Kolchis. Jason set out on this
quest with his crew, the Argonauts.
After several adventures, they arrived in Kolchis to claim the
fleece. While there, Jason felLin love with the witch Medea,
daughter of Aietes, the king of Kolchis. Medea helped Jason in
the quests her father required, and her potion lulled the giant
snake that was protecting the Golden Fleece to sleep. Once he
held the fleece tightly in hand, Jason began his journey back
home, with Medea at his side.
Typhon was an extremely dangerous monster in Greek
mythology. À giant serpent-like creature with “a hundred
heads, fearful eyes, and terrible voices”, Typhon was either
the son of Gaia (goddess of the earth] and Tartaros [one of the
primordial deities), or of Hera, or of Kronos.
At some point, Typhon chalienged Zeus in order to overthrow
him and take his place. The battle between them was
desperate, but Zeus managed to win with the aid of his
powerful thunderbolts.
After losing to Zeus, what happened to Typhon differs
depending on the account. He was either thrown to Tartaros,
the deep abyss, or buried under either Mount Etna, or under
the volcanic island Ischia. Zeus, on the other hand, became
the legitimate ruler of the gods.
Skylla was a mythological female sea monster that was
placed opposite Charybdis in a very narrow passage of water,
thought to be the channel of Messina.
The mention of Skylla is first seen in “The Odyssey”, when
Odysseus and his companions had to travel the channel and
found themselves between the two monsters. Circe advised
Odysseus to sail at full speed, but closer to Skylla - Charybdis
was more dangerous and could sink the entire ship. Odysseus
followed this advice, and as they passed by, Skylla devoured
six of his men. They quickly escaped, and managed to pass
through with no further losses.
The sirens were beautiful but deadly creatures that lived on a
rocky island. Their song was so enchanting, sailors who heard
their singing fell to the rocks. Sirens were half-women, half-
birds - or at least, that was how they were represented in
Greek art. They were usually depicted played musical
instruments, such as harps.
In "The Odyssey”, Odysseus was very curious to listen to them,
so Circe the witch told him how he could enjoy their song
without danger. Odysseus had his sailors plug their ears with
beeswax and tie him to the pole of his ship. When they passed
near the sirens, Odysseus was mesmerized by the song. He
begged his sailors to release him, but they couldn't hear him.
This trick saved his life and the lives of his companions.
(Behind the scenes)
We first meet Kassandra in her home on Kephallonia; she is a
mercenary, hardened and scarred by her experiences. When
designing her features, the team wanted her to look strong
and vibrant. Bringing such a character to life includes the
smallest of details. “We had to create a false reflection in her
eyes to ensure she looked alive. She needed to Look great in
every angle," explains Thierry Dansereau.
(Behind the scenes)
The development team kept the siblings as close as possible
in look and feel, with a few distinctions. Alexios has a different
body and gait, he's larger and sports dark brown dreadlocks,
but they share the same coloring and variations on the same
outfits.
Alexios and Kassandra fight with a sword, bow, or spear. The
development team wanted to show proactive combat, wielding
dual weapons with a focus on attack rather than defense.
Earty concept sketches of Alexios by Fred Rambaud show
different outfits and weapons, from bare-chested brawler, to
full Spartan warrior.
The city of Orchomenos in Boeotia has origins going back to
the Neolithic period. Discovered in the 19th century, it was
excavated by Heinrich Schliemann - the same person who
discovered and searched for the cities of Troy, Mycenae, and
Tiryns.
The excavations left few details. Remains of fortifications
dated to the 4th century BCE were discovered. A tholos tomb
known as the Treasury of Minyas was also uncovered. The
possible remains of a Mycenaean palace on the flank of the
akropolis would have been found just above the spring of the
Charites. Fragments of paintings have also been found in the
vast architectural complex between the 9th century church
and the theater. Clues suggest that the church, one of the
oldest in Greece, was built on the remnants of the Charites
temple. The remains of a theater also dating back to the 4th
century BCE are still visible today.
The main god of the sea was Poseidon. There were temples
dedicated to him in many coastal cities, such as Cape Sounion
south of Athens.
Fish, like other animals, were offered as sacrifices for the
gods. A painting described by Athenaios showed Poseidon
offering a tuna to Zeus just before he gave birth to Athena. It
was believed that in order to get a good tuna harvest, one
needed to sacrifice eels to Poseidon.
Fish were also used in divination. The Lykians, for example,
practiced ichthyomancy. Meat was thrown into a special
sinkhole to attract fish, and depending on which species were
attracted, the response from the gods was determined.
(Behind the scenes)
Assassin's Creed Odyssey's focus on the details is what really
takes the game to the next Level in terms of immersion. The
sheer variety of textures that make up the layered background
to the cities and landscapes are what give the locations their
character and quality. The art and development team are
constantly pushing the boundaries, aiming for bigger, better,
and higher quality than ever before. The textures here are a
fraction of what appears in the game. Even the simplest white
stone blocks are not plain but richly detailed with grains and
imperfections. The colorful tiles and murals speak to the
craftsmanship of Greece itself, giving history and life to each
wall and column.
The Boeotian banner naturally depicts the Boeotian shield,
which was the main type of coinage of Thebes, and later of the
Boeotian confederation.
The shield is the most important weapon of defense. Greek
soldiers usually used a round-shaped shield, the aspis, but
Boeotians eventually developed an oval shield with a
semicircular indentation on either side of the middle. This
would have reduced its weight, and allowed the bearer to
thrust and stab while staying protected.
None of these shields have survived, which may suggest they
were made from animal hides instead of bronze or wood like
other shields.
(Behind the scenes)
In Greek mythology, the Sphinx was a creature with the face of
a human, the wings of a bird, and the body of a lion. The
Assassin's Creed Odyssey team have melded more than one
mythological creature into their Sphinx, adding elements off
the mythological Chimera, like the tail ending in a snake head.
The Sphinx offers a different challenge to the Hero, explains
Thierry Dansereau, “You cannot defeat her by force, instead
you must answer her riddle.” In traditional myth, those who
cannot answer her riddle suffer a terrible fate: killed and
devoured by the beast.
“It was challenging to try to create a menacing creature but
still have a feeling of beauty to transpire.” - Gabriel Blain
The Persians's crushing defeat at the Battle of Salamis in 480
BCE greatly discouraged King Xerxes from continuing his
invasion. However, one of Xerxes's military commanders,
Mardonios, convinced the king that their campaign could
continue,
Mardonios's hopes were dashed the following year at the
Battle of Plataia. The Greeks, who were outnumbered by the
Persians, held their own in the open countryside. They fought
until they were victorious, killing Mardonios in the process
and putting an end to the second Persian invasion of Greece.
(Behind the scenes)
“What impressed me was the way historians and
archaeologists found out about the color that the Greek artists
would use on their creations. Before working on this project, |
always thought that the artists of the Classical age would
leave the marble uncolored. By using ultra-violet light,
archaeologists were able to debunk what we thought to be
true. The colors revealed by this process were dazzling and
bright, exactly the opposite of what | would have expected
them to be.” - Vincent Pamerleau
The lion was chosen for the banner of Samos, as it is a
frequent image of ancient Greek iconography.
A lion scalp was the emblem of the coinage of Samos. This
lion's head was specifically related to Herakles's task of
killing the Nemean lion.
This legendary lion ravaged the plain of Argolis, and had skin
so thick that Herakles couldn't kill it with his arrows. The her
chose instead to strangle it.
The battle against the Nemean lion symbolized combat
against savagery and barbarism, and became the model of
athletic fighting - a very popular event of the Olympics.
The area of Messara is the largest plain of the island of Krete.
The symbol of the region is inspired by the coins of Knossos,
which bear a labyrinth on the reverse, referencing the famous
Kretan Minotaur myth.
The minotaur was half-human, half-bull. King Minos of Krete
made the mistake of sacrificing a bull, and thus angered
Poseidon. The god then instilled “passion” for the bull into
Minos' wife, who later gave birth to the minotaur.
The minotaur was kept in the labyrinth built by Daidalos. On a
regular basis, fourteen young men and women were given to
the beast in tribute, until the hero Theseus killed him.
The seventh labor of Herakles was to kill a great bull that had
destroyed crops and property in Krete.
Herakles went to King Minos of Krete, who gave him
permission to get rid of the bull. Herakles managed to capture
the beast, suppressing it with his hands, but he ultimately
didn't kill it. Instead, he shipped the bull to Eurystheas so he
could confirm that the labor was successful, and then the
animal was released.
Koulourai are large, stone-walled pits that can be found in a
number of major sites in Krete, including Knossos, Malia, and
Phaistos. All of them were constructed around 1850-1750
BCE.
While the exact purpose of the koulourai is still debated, there
are three prominent theories as to what they were used for.
Arthur Evans believed they functioned as refuse or garbage
pits. Conversely, Chapouthier and Pernier theorized that they
were used as ancient cisterns. However, this theory is flawed
since kouroulai did not have the same waterproofing as other
Knossian structures of the time.
The most widely accepted theory is that koulourai were used
to store grain. This assumption gains even more ground when
paired with the theory that Minoan palaces were not palaces
at all, but massive agricultural redistribution centers.
In the "History of Animals” by Aristotle, he provides a guide to
the species present in the Mediterranean: 105 fish, twenty-
four shells, twenty-four marine or crustacean animals, and
five cetaceans and amphibious animals.
Philosophers and moralists had little regard for fishermen.
Plato deemed the activity unworthy of a well-born man. But
there was solidarity between sailors, and the specificity of the
trade was important enough to even become a Literary theme;
it's known that Aischylos had written a piece entitled
“Diktyoulkoi” (Net-Haulers), and Menander wrote a piece
called “The Fishermen”.
These authors were much more interested in the psychology
of the fisherman than the real sociology of the profession. A
fisherman is often alone, practicing his profession all year
long. He has to be intelligent and cunning, but he also must be
lucky.
Navigation on the Mediterranean was difficult. Most sailing
depended on the winds, and was done in the summer. The
storm season started in late September or early October, and
ended in late February or early March. During these months,
navigation was highly dangerous. In addition, the nature of th
currents made certain areas dangerous. The sea monsters
Charybdis and Skylla in “The Odyssey” would be the pictorial
representation of the strong current of the Strait of Messina
that separates the western tip of the south of Magna Graecia
with Sicily.
There were several methods of fishing in ancient Greece.
Plato and Oppian discussed fishing with nets, laces, baskets,
hooks or tridents, and angling. t was also possible to fish for
mollusks, shellfish, crustaceans, and fish thrown from the
sea to the shores.
In some cases, the fish was caught by hand, like in octopus
fishing. Fishing could also be done with lanterns - as fish
were attracted to the light source - or could simply be
“picked" during sleep.
There were also more unusual methods, such as the smell
fishery where fish were attracted with foul food, excrement,
or salted octopus. There was also the method of “poisoning
fishing”, where plants like hellebore or conia were used to
catch fish and octopus.
(Behind the scenes)
The seventh biome of the game, the Hero explores the
underwater world of the Aegen Sea looking for treasure and
artifacts. The sea teems with all manner of life including
dangerous sharks and beautiful corals. “By exploring the
depths of the ocean the player can choose to take a dive
amongst long forgotten ruins. Here they can take on fights
with deadly sharks as they search for hidden treasures,” adds
Benjamin Hall. Featuring shipwrecks, ruins and remnants of
ancient civilizations as shown in these concept arts by Hugo
Puzzuoli, this biome is just as diverse and intricate as the rest.
Kythera is the name of an island as well as a city. The
strategic position of the island - just south of the Peloponnese
- made it a target for the Athenians during the Peloponnesian
War. Athens occupied it during most of the war and used it to
support trade and to raid Lakonia.
Kythera's banner was inspired by its coinage. Both featured
the dove, which is sacred to Aphrodite, who had a sanctuary in
Kythera. According to mythology, this island was the
goddess's birthplace.
Different types of murex secrete different types of purple. The
purple is influenced by the chemical composition of their
sacs, but also their sex and size. Sunlight, temperature,
humidity and salinity can also influence the color's
brightness, tone, and intensity.
Dyers could obtain a greater variety of color shades by mixing
different types of shellfish, controlling the fermentation
process, or adding other ingredients such as honey or flour.
Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was born from salty sea foam,
and that is why she is sometimes called Haligeneous ("salt-
born"). The myth tells us that this foam came from the
genitals of Ouranos (the sky). They fell near the island of
Kythera, and this is where and how Aphrodite was born.
As you can see, salt and Aphrodite go together. Salt was
associated with fertility and reproduction. For instance,
Plutarch wrote in his Symposiakon that “salt encourages
remarkably generation”, reshaping Aristotle's notes in the
“History of Animals” that “if they merely lick salt, mice get
pregnant”.
Aphrodite is sometimes shown holding a small salt bag in her
hand, and those who attended the Aphrodisia - the sacred
festivals of Aphrodite - were required to bring and carry a salt
bag to honor the salt-born goddess.
Salt harvesting was known to humankind at least from the
Neolithic age, on account of the considerable quantities of
fragmented ceramic molds accumulated around salt springs.
There were two main ways of collecting salt.
The first one was to simply harvest it where it was accessible
- that is, near salt lakes, marshes, or near the sea. Pans were
used to let collected water evaporate in the sun and then
harvest the resulting salt.
The other method was extracting it from the earth. This was -
difficult in mainland Greece since the soil did not provide
much yield in this fashion. Collecting salt from water was
therefore the more utilized method.
We know for sure that salt played a role in magic. For
example, eating salty cakes on a special day was thought to
allow young girls to dream of their future husbands. It was
also used in some religious practices. Even in Homeric times,
salt was offered to the gods and used when sacrificing
animals and making libations. Furthermore, salt played an
important part in some Greek festivals - such as the
Eleusinian Mysteries, celebrated in the town of Eleusis in
Attika to honor Demeter, the goddess of the crops, and her
daughter, Persephone.
The banner of Lokris shows a griffin - a mythological creature
with the body, legs, and tail of a lion, and the head and wings
of an eagle.
The griffin is inspired by the Lokris Opuntii coinage which
depicted Ajax, the Lokrian hero of the Trojan War. His shield
bore a griffin on the interior side.
Griffins were known for guarding treasure - especially if it
belonged to the gods - and were a symbol of strength and
vigilance.
(Behind the scenes)
Waging war in the ocean was a brutal affair in Ancient Greece,
The ships, mostly triremes, were simply designed and
unstable, especially in high seas and adverse weather. The
development team looked at historical accounts of naval
warfare from the period to recreate the drama and danger in
game.
Blue-clad Athenians have their ship cleaved in two in concept
art by Hugo Puzzuoli.
Thucydides was an Athenian aristocrat, general, and historian
who chronicled the history of the Peloponnesian War. While
he does not mention his predecessor Herodotos directly, it is
probable that Thucydides was influenced by the so-called
“Father of History”.
Thucydides's account of history, however, focused less on the
mythic origins of the Greeks, and instead provided a
perspective on how much the Greek world had evolved since
its beginning - and how much it would continue to evolve into
the future. His work also provided insight into the educational
and cultural development of Athens.
Thucydides was a skilled orator trained by some of the best
speakers of his time. Because of this, many of the most
important moments in his historical writings are presented as
speeches.
Messenia's history was linked closely with Sparta's. The
region was long-occupied by the Spartans - its population was
enslaved as helots.
Independent cities emerged only after the Theban invasion of
the Peloponnese in the 4th century BCE. After the defeat of
the Spartan army at the battle of Leuktra in 371 BCE, the
helots of Messenia revolted against Sparta. Epaminondas, the
Theban general, supported the building of the fortified city of
Messene.
The banner of Messenia is inspired by the coins of Messene,
showing Zeus brandishing his thunderbolt. Zeus had an
important sanctuary on Mount Ithome, which was included in
the walls of Messene.
Several Greek authors have left us works on siege tactics or
on how to build war machines. However, artillery such as
catapults were not yet invented at the time of the
Peloponnesian War - it would take another century for them
to appear.
The main war machines used at this time, called mechanai,
were mostly scaling-ladders, battering rams, and tortoises.
There are two known instances of incendiary machines, but
we don't know exactly how they worked. The Thebans used
one against the Athenians at Delium in 424 BCE, and the
Spartans at Torone in 423 BCE.
Charcoal is the solid residue that remains when wood - or
other organic matter - is “carbonized” under controlled
conditions in a closed space. Very Little air is allowed to come
into contact with the fuel during the carbonization process. If
this condition is not observed, the wood (or other raw
material) is simply reduced to ash and its fuel value is lost.
This means that transport costs are much lower for locally
produced charcoal than for Locally gathered wood - an
important consideration for a product whose production cost
consists almost exclusively of the labor invested in it. It's also
noteworthy that charcoal creates a much hotter, more even,
and more easily controlled heat than wood, which means that
itis much better suited for domestic cooking and grilling and
a virtual “sine qua non” for blacksmithing and particularly
ironworking.
Woodcutting and charcoal making typically took place in the
forest. Charcoals were then bagged and transported to private
homes or presumably nearby markets. In wood-rich areas,
local production of wood for common use appears to have
been either in the hands of individuais, or potentially
middlemen who might collect wood from various sources,
then reselLit at the local agora. The elite's access to such
wood may have been outside the market if their landholdings
provided suitable material), except for the purchase of exotic
materials.
The full range of woodworking tools and techniques employed
by wood workers of the ancient Mediterranean and the
practical knowledge concerning wood species and their most
valuable applications attest to the importance of wood
technologies for agriculture and hunting, domestic life, trade,
warfare, and leisure activities. It is worth mentioning that the
tools and the techniques employed by the end of the Classical
and Roman period would show little change until the
appearance of the Industrial Revolution fifteen centuries
later.
In providing for their fleet and for the public building
program, the main problem the Athenians faced was finding
timber of first-class quality, and particularly timber of long
lengths. From the late 5th century BCE at least, and
throughout the 4th century BCE, there is ample evidence that
Athens relied primarily on Makedonia for her ship-timber.
As for the timber needed for housing, the rich, who were
more concerned with quality, possibly preferred the greater
variety and finer quality materials available from Makedonia,
Italy, or Ásia Minor. In addition, what Attika was unable to
supply could probably have been bought in Euboea.
The eighth labor of Herakles was to bring back the mares of
Diomedes. Diomedes, the king of Thrace and son of Ares and
Cyrene, fed his horses human flesh. This drove the horses
mad, making them wild.
Herakles captured the beasts with the help of his young
companion Abderos, and left the horses with him while he
chased down Diomedes. In Herakles's absence, the crazed
horses ate the young boy. Seeking revenge, Herakles then fed
Diomedes to the horses, and founded the city of Abdera
nearby in his friend's honor. When Eurystheas received the
horses, he dedicated them to Hera.
In the Classical era, metal armor coexisted alongside lighter
cuirasses (corselets) called “linothoraxes”. This was because
procuring an actual set of bronze armor was beyond the
means of many citizens - especially in poorer cities.
Linothoraxes were also sometimes preferred in situations
where hoplites had to be Lighter and more mobile.
The linothorax consisted of a linen breastplate that could be
strengthened with shoulder pieces, bronze scales, or bronze-
sheeted mantling. To protect the Lower abdomen and the
groin, two layers of pteruges - “wings” in ancient Greek —
were attached to the bottom edge of the armor.
Linen armor was one of the oldest types of armor in Greece. It
even appears in “The Iliad" - a story that is believed to have
taken place long before the Classical period.
If a hoplite's spear broke or if he had to fight hand to hand -
as was the case for the 300 Spartans in the final stages of the
battle of Thermopylai - he could always fall back on his
sword.
In the 4th century BCE, the most common sword had a thick
cruciform hilt with a blade that swelled near the tip. Hoplites
carried their sword in a sheath under their Left arm, enabling
them to quickly seize their weapon with their right hand.
Ancient Greeks had specific names to refer to different types
of swords, but it's difficult for modern historians to match
these names with their corresponding weapon. While “xiphos”
was the standard name for swords in ancient Greek, words
like “machaira” and “kopis" were also used. It is believed that
the previous two words may have referred to recurved
swords, while xiphos described straight-bladed weapons.
A hoplite's equipment consisted of a bronze cuirass (or lighter
armor], bronze greaves, a spear, and a sword.
Although the comic playwright Aristophanes was probably
exaggerating when he wrote that crafted armor cost 1,000
drachmae - about ten times the monthly wages of a skilled
craftsman - the bronze-muscle cuirass was one of the
costliest pieces of a hoplite's equipment. As such, only the
wealthiest individuals could afford it.
A soldier's body armor could be completed by a pair of
greaves to protect their shins. The greaves were made of
hammered bronze, and had to be well-adjusted to the
hoplite's legs. They also had to be made thin so as not to
weigh the soldier down. Since shin greaves were also
expensive, many lower-class citizens opted not to buy them,
instead purchasing armor that covered more vital parts of
their body.
Altogether, an entire set of armor was known as a “panoply”.
Hoplites were heavily armored infantrymen. Their most
important piece of equipment was arguably the “aspis”, a
round shield large enough to protect both its wearer and the
man to the left of him. The aspis was light and could
effectively parry spear and sword thrusts. However, according
to its depiction on ancient vases, it was ineffective against
javelins and arrows.
Hoplite helmets were similarly designed to be light, but they
could endure direct blows and offered a reasonable amount of
protection. There were many varieties of helmet, but the most
widespread seems to have been the Korinthian helmet.
Made of a single sheet of bronze that covered much of the
head and neck, the Korinthian helmet offered only a small, t-
shaped opening at the front to allow soldiers to see and
breathe. Because the helmet was closed in on itself, it most
likely impaired the sight and hearing of the soldiers who wore
it.
Helmets could also be adorned with crests of dyed horsehair
to make the hoplites wearing them look more imposing.
Hoplites mainly fought using spears.
Called “dory” in ancient Greek, the spear was a wooden shaft
with a Length of up to three meters. It was probably made
from the wood of ash trees, since the trees provided strong
material that was also light enough to be handled with ease.
The spear-head and butt were manufactured in metal
workshops. The spear-head was usually made of iron - but
could also be made of bronze - and was fixed to the slender
end of the wooden shaft with pitch or nails. The spear-butt
allowed the weapon to be planted in the ground when not
being used. It's possible that the spear-butt could also have
served as a spare head, but there's little evidence to support
this theory.
The spear also had a hand grip which may have been made of
leather.
According to the myth told by Ovid, when Aphrodite met the
infant Adonis, she was immediately smitten with him. She
decided to take care of him by hiding him in a chest, and
asked Persephone, the queen of the underworld, to educate
him. However, Persephone also fell in Love with Adonis.
On the day Aphrodite descended into the underworld to
retrieve the young Adonis, Persephone refused to return the
boy, who had become her lover. The two women turned to
Zeus to judge who should have Adonis, and Zeus asked the
muse Kalliope to make the decision.
In the end, it was decided that Adonis would spend fourth
months with Aphrodite, four with Persephone, and four alone
to rest. However, Adonis decided - either on his own or
through Aphrodite's magical influence - to spend his four
months of “rest” with Aphrodite.
Aphrodite and Adonis continued their passionate relationship
until one day, Adonis was mortally wounded while hunting a
boar. Aphrodite heard her lover's moans of pain from her
flying chariot, but by the time she arrived by his side, it was
too late to save him. The goddess cried tears of blood that fell
onto the ground, and from them sprouted either the purple
anemone flower or the rose, depending on the version of the
story.
In mythology, Aphrodite was the wife of Hephaistos, the god of
metallurgy. However, she also had an affair with Ares, the god
of war.
One night, after spending too long together, Ares and
Aphrodite were caught by Helios, who informed Hephaistos of
his wife's infidelity. In a fit of rage, Hephaistos captured Ares
and Aphrodite in an unbreakable net, then summoned the rest
of the gods to bear witness to his dishonor.
Afterwards, Aphrodite went to Paphos to renew her virginity in
the sea. This virginity did not last, however, as she later had a
relationship with Hermes which resulted in the birth of
Hermaphroditos, a being of two sexes.
Eurystheas asked Herakles to bring him the belt of Hippolyta
for the ninth labor; it would be offered to his daughter
Admete.
The belt was a gift from the god Ares to his daughter
Hippolyta, the queen of Amazons - a tribe of women-warriors.
With a group of companions, Herakles reached Themiskyra,
the city in the Black Sea were Hippolyta lived, and convinced
the Amazon to give him the belt. However, Hera had spread
rumors amongst the Amazons, so they attacked him. Herakles
had no choice but to kill Hippolyta. He then brought the belt
back to Eurystheas.
The banner of Korinthia was inspired by the coinage of
Korinth, which depicts Pegasos.
Pegasos, the mythical winged horse, was captured in Korinth
by Bellerophon near the Peirene fountain. The hero then rode
him to defeat the monstrous creature Chimera. When
Bellerophon fell from Pegasos while trying to reach Mount
Olympos, Zeus gave Pegasos the task of carrying
thunderbolts. The god later granted Pegasos the honor of
becoming a constellation.
(Under the scenes)
"To produce our Merchant Boar, we were really pleased to be
able to use as reference the remains of the very well
preserved “Kyrenia Ship” found in 1965. Having this boat
replicated with the highest historic fidelity helped us to give
life to our beautiful world and to show that there was not only
war ships sailing in the great ancient Greek Sea." - David
Therrien
(Under the scene)
The player will encounter seven distinct biomes - six on land,
one underwater - as they journey through Ancient Greece.
Each features its own flora, fauna, weather systems, and
unique topography. The challenge for the art team was to
make sure the biomes each had their own individual
atmosphere, vegetation, color palette, even down to the type
of rocks in each location.
“AU biomes are a joint effort of several artists, technical
artists, and technical directors who work together to create
those landscapes that are driven by procedural rules. In order
to create believable procedural biomes, the biome team had
to fully understand interaction between elements that drive
nature and apply it in the game,” explains Vincent
Lamontagne, assistant art director and lead biome artist.
From left; cross-sections of the six land-based biomes -
Spring, Summer, Arid, Paradise Islands, Volcanic, and
Deciduous Forest - gave a broad spectrum of the landscape
the Hero will have to navigate to survive. Artist Hugo Puzzuoli
adds, “Our team had fun translating the diverse nuances of
azure blue from the Mediterranean Sea. From the paradisiac
white sand beaches to the arid orange volcanic coast.”
The tenth labor of Herakles required travelling to the end of
the world to Erytheia to retrieve the cows of the Giant Geryon.
Son of Chrysaor - who came out of Medusa's body - and
Callirrhoe - daughter of two Titans = Geryon had one body, but
three heads and three sets of legs.
When Heraktes arrived to Erytheia, he first killed Orthos, the
two-headed dog, and then killed Eurytion, the herdsman. He
finally put down Geryon by throwing one poisonous arrow
directly into the middle of the Giant's head.
Herakles brought the cattle to Eurystheas, who then sacrificed
them to Hera.
Greek myth is full of stories of impressive animals that are
separate from the god-like creatures of Medusa and the
Minotaur, such as the Nemean Lion, the Golden Hind of
Artemis, and the Stymphalian Birds. No foray into classical
Greece would be complete without these Legendary creatures.
These are strong, powerful animals chosen for their
interesting fighting style and appearance. The Odyssey team
adapted the real-world versions, embellishing them with
different markings and natural weapons. They are dangerous,
scarred from many previous encounters, and have an almost
diseased, unnatural air to them as shown in the concept
artwork by Gabriel Blain. They are not to be attacked lightty.
“The 12 labors of Herakles were depicted many times in the
game in various forms. For instance the hunt of mythical
animals is inspired by many of those myths, as well as some
of the stone work and paintings that can be found across the
game."
The sixth labor of Herakles was to kill the birds that lived in
lake Stymphalia in Arkadia. These birds were sacred to the
god of war, Ares. They were carnivorous with toxic dung, and
were made of bronze.
The lake where they made their dwelling was swampy, so it
was difficult for Herakies to approach them. To help, Athena
gave him a rattle made by Hephaistos, the god of
metalworking, which scared the birds off. Herakles managed
to shoot some of the birds with his poison arrows, but several
flew away.
Arkadia is a mountainous region of the central Peloponnese. It
has plains in the valley of the Alpheios and Ladon rivers, and
around the cities of Tegea and Megalopolis.
Its banner depicts a head of Demeter, the goddess of
agriculture, from the coinage of the city of Pheneos. This
earthy goddess is frequently depicted on the coinage of cities.
The greatest gift Demeter gave to humankind was agriculture,
and this relation was always shown by the grain wreath that
she wore.
Ancient Greece had an agrarian economy, meaning that
wealth came from farming the land.
The polis, or city-state, was made up of the astu (city) and the
chora (countryside]. Citizens conducted business and politics
in the city, but many made their living on farms in the country,
growing olives for oil, wine for grapes, and grains.
Due to Greece's mountainous topography and variable
rainfall, it is estimated that only one-fifth of the land was
arable, so control of the plains was frequently contested. For
example, the Spartans conquered the neighboring
Messenians and reduced them to slaves with the goal of
controlling Messenia's rich and fertile plains. Even a city as
powerful as Athens did not produce enough grain to feed its
population, and had to rely on grain imports.
Pan was the national god of Arkadia. His name and hybrid
appearance as a half-man, half-goat refer to his special role
as the “guardian of the flocks”. Shepherds sacrificed goats to
Pan in exchange for protection for the rest of their herd.
Pan was believed to enjoy roaming the mountains while
playing music on his pipes. The Greeks worshipped Pan - as
well as Hermes and the nymphs - in sacred caves. However,
in Arkadia, there was an entire sanctuary with a temple
dedicated to Pan.
The origins of the Athenian cult of Pan have been related by
Herodotos. According to the ancient historian, the famous
runner Philippides met Pan while journeying to Lakonia to ask
the Spartans for aid against the Persians. Pan promised to
help the Athenians, and made good on that promise at the
Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE when he sowed panic in the
ranks of the Persian army.
Four methods were used to harvest olives. Picking the fallen
fruits on the ground was the easiest, and could be sufficient to
meet the needs of a small household.
Another method was to have men shake the branches, while
others collected the olives in wide baskets.
Handpicking was preferable for preserves since it does not
damage the fruits, but it was a long process.
A less labor-intensive method was to beat the branches with
long sticks to make the olives fall on the ground or onto
pieces of cloth. However, this method damaged the branches
and a rough beating could hinder the following year's
production.
Olives were a widespread and traditional food staple, often
consumed with bread and onions. They could be bought in
almost every city from street peddlers.
Olive production was an important feature of the ancient
Greek agrarian economy. Both olives and olive oil were used
on many significant occasions.
Olive trees generally only produce a crop every other year,
and production is very variable from harvest to harvest. This
unpredictability was a reason against farmers becoming
exclusive olive producers, so mixed farming remained the
norm.
Planting olive trees was one of the most important means of
increasing the productivity of land and its long-term value. It
allowed landowners to create usable farmland from slopes
and other marginal land that would otherwise have been left
for grazing.
While an olive tree might produce a small return after eight to
ten years, it may take twenty or thirty years to come into full
production.
But, olive trees live for a very long time. If a landowner
planted olives on his land, it was his children and
grandchildren that would harvest the fruit.
In the Phokis region was Delphi, the site of the Panhellenic
oracle of Apollo.
A prophecy would be given by the Pythia who sat on the
Delphic tripod, a three-legged piece of furniture. This tripod,
one attribute of Apollo, is depicted on the banner with two
dolphins on either side. Dolphins were also dedicated to
Apollo, and their name in Greek (delphis) recalled the name of
Delphi.
Tripods and dolphins appeared on some of the coins of Delphi,
but this composition derived from the coinage of Megaris.
(Under the scenes)
“What would be Greece without the typical olive groves? Early
on, some key nature elements were chosen in order to feel
the Greek landscape.” - Vincent Lamontagne.
Greece is known for its monuments, temples, and statues,
some of which still exist today. But even in 431 BCE, Greece
had ruins of even older civilizations. In Phokis, thought of as
the Land of the Gods and center of the world, stands the
Sanctuary of Delphi, sitting on the slopes of Mount Parnassos,
along with other temples and structures from the pre-
classical Greek age. While drawing on real-life examples,
historical research, plus popular culture in the form of movies
and comics, the art team also had to construct some
monuments from nothing but myth, and to give life to these
magnificent structures.
Greek Mythology is a fascinating and enduring collection of
fantastical stories, ones that the art team had great fun
recreating for Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Drawing on the
myths, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and representations in
classic artwork and popular culture, the mythological world
becomes real for the Hero.
The myths are instantly recognizable in the artwork on these
pages. The Titan Tityos, who attempted to violate Leto, the
daughter of Titan Coeus and Phoebe, was punished for his
transgression by being tied to a rock in Tartarus. His liver was
eaten each day by two vultures, only to regrow overnight to
begin the torment again.
The theater of Delphi was situated above the Temple of Apollo.
It offered an expansive view of sanctuary and the valley below,
and could accommodate around 5000 spectators in its seats.
The theater hosted different artistic contests, especially
during competitions like the Pythian Games. These contests
included plays, poetry readings, and musical performances,
and were held not only for the audience, but also for Apollo,
the god of arts - among other things.
Built by the Knidians between 475-450 BCE, the Lesche was a
clubhouse renowned for displaying two paintings by
Polygnotos of Thasos, one of ancient Greece's most famous
artists. According to Pausanias, the paintings depicted the
Capture of Troy and a Nekyia [necromantic ritual),
respectively.
The Lesche was most likely constructed after the battle of
Eurymedon in 467 BCE, which resulted in Knidos's liberation
from the Persians.
Tripods were pieces of furniture used during offerings and
rituals. They were most associated with the god Apollo, and
the Pythia sat on a sacred Delphic Tripod when delivering her
prophecies
The golden Tripod of Plataia was dedicated after a victory over
the Persians at Plataia in 479 BCE. The tripod rested atop a
twisted 8-meter tall bronze column that ended in snake
heads. The column stood in Delphi until 324 CE, when the
Roman Emperor Constantine relocated it to what is now
known as Istanbul.
Next to the tripod was the bronze Palm Tree of Eurymedon,
which was dedicated by Athenians after Kimon's defeat of the
Persians at the Eurymedon river.
The Apollo of Salamis stood in front of the Temple of Apollo,
and was dedicated to Delphi after Themistokles's famous
naval victory at Salamis in 480 BCE. The bronze statue was
6 meters tall, and held an aphlaston (a ship's stern ornament)
in its hand as a symbol of the battle.
Oedipus was son of Laius and lokasta of Thebes. His father
was terrified of a prophecy from Delphi predicting that
Oedipus would end up killing him and marrying his wife, so he
banished his newborn to the mountains to die.
The baby was saved by a shepherd, who gave him to King
Polybos and Queen Merope of Korinth to raise him as their
own. As he grew, Oedipus heard of the Delphic prophecy, and,
believing that it was related to Polybos and Merope, fled
Korinth and directed himself to Thebes.
Laius had died by then - killed by Oedipus, who did not yet
know the king was his father - and the city was at the mercy
of a monster, the Sphinx, with a human head and a body of a
lion. She consumed those who couldn't solve her riddle:
“Which creature has one voice and yet becomes four-footed
and two-footed and three-footed?” It was Oedipus who replied
that the creature was man: they crawl on all fours as a baby,
walk with two feet as they age, and use a cane for support
when they grow old.
Oedipus solved the riddle, and the defeated Sphinx either fell
from a high rock or ate herself and perished, depending on
the legend. Oedipus became king of Thebes and married none
other than lokasta, his mother. He unknowingly fulfilled the
prophecy and became one of the most tragic figures in Greek
mythology.
A sybil was a prophetess.
Legends say there were ten sibyls in the ancient world, with
each one located at different sacred sites. One sybil even
called Delphi her home long before the appearance of the
Pythia, and allegedly delivered her prophecies from atop a
stone.
Built between 600-550 BCE, the Bouleuterion of Delphi is one
of the oldest monuments in the sanctuary. The building was
the seat of the boule, a council that handled judicial and
financial matters.
The council was composed of randomly appointed citizens, all
of whom usually served a one-year term. In Delphi, a total of
thirty bouleutes were appointed during a year, with fifteen
chosen every six months.
Today, the building is in poor condition, but has been
identified based on texts and inscriptions discovered in its
proximity, including two accounts from the council itself.
The Athenians dedicated this treasury to Apollo between 490-
485 BCE, following their victory over the Persians at
Marathon.
Built with marble from Paros, the treasury was ornamented
with thirty metopes depicting the exploits of Herakles and
Theseus.
Today it is the best-preserved monument in Delphi, thanks to
restoration efforts by French archaeologists between the
years 1903 and 1906.
Ancient Greek treasuries were small temple-like buildings
that housed offerings to the gods. They resembled a vestibule
with two columns in front.
The Sikyonian Treasury dates back to the end of the óth
century BCE. It was constructed upon the remains of an older
structure, and incorporated pieces from buildings erected
during the reign of the tyrant Kleisthenes. The Sikyonians
dismantled said buildings after Kleisthenes's death, and
reused their pieces in the treasury to mark the beginning of a
new era in Sikyonian politics.
The city of Argos dedicated several monuments to Delphi,
including the Monument of Epigones. The statues depicted the
leaders of the mythological expedition against Thebes.
This expedition, further explored in one of Aiskhylos's
tragedies, revolved around the sons of Oedipus: Eteokles and
Polynices. Originally, the two had agreed to rule Thebes on
alternating years, but conflict arose when Eteokles refused to
give up power to his brother. With the help of Adrastos, the
king of Argos, Polynices put together a group of seven
attackers to reclaim the city.
The Monument of Epigones served as a tribute to Greek
soldiers willing to fight and die for what was theirs.
(Behind the scenes)
Storyboards are crucial to mapping out a sequence of events.
These storyboards by Miguel Bouchard show the Hero's family
sharing some dramatic moments at the top of the treacherous
Mount Taygetos. This storyboard demonstrates the terrible
decision made by Nikolaos.
(Behind the scenes)
The Spartan army encampment in Megaris sprawls across the
landscape. Tents house weary soldiers, shields and spears
neatly arranged, to be quickly grabbed if the Athenians should
attack. These camps are a maze of tents and low buildings,
temples and houses overtaken by war and generals, and are
always well guarded.
“The layout of the locations needs to feel credible as though it
could be lived in and at the same time needs to fit within the
game metrics of fight and stealth,” explains world director,
Benjamin Hall. “Anywhere in the world where the player finds
themselves against enemies are designed to be a
homogeneous blend between art and design.”
Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and Apollo's twin
sister. A virgin and a huntress, she was one of the most
important Olympian deities, and presided over crucial aspects
of life: girls' transition to womanhood, childbirth, the rearing
of children, but also Spartan boys” rites of transition to
manhood, and certain aspects of war. She was most
commonly depicted with a bow and arrow, and associated with
deer.
Artemis had several cults in Sparta, and the most important of
them was Artemis Orthia. This cult was closely associated to
the Spartan education system, the agoge.
Many dedications to Eileithyia - the goddess associated with
good deliveries - were found in the sanctuary, showing the
two deities' roles were closely related.
(Behind the scenes)
“A dedicated river tool has been developed in order to render
believable river layouts in a Greek mountainous landscape.
Here is an in-game image of a spring river.” - Vincent
Lamontagne, assistant art director and lead biome artist.
Compared to Athens, Sparta has been subjected to far less
archaeological work, and its akropolis and agora have not yet
been excavated. As a result, it's difficult to put together a
complete picture of ancient Sparta.
The Athenian general and historian Thucydides gives the
earliest description of Sparta, but it is Pausanias's visit to the
city in the 2nd century CE that provides most of the knowledge
we have today.
The original layout of Sparta is difficult to map because in
Thucydides's time, the city did not have any defensive walls.
This is partially because Spartans viewed fortifications as
frivolous, expensive, and unnecessary - they felt their men
could do a better job defending the city than any walls could.
The mothakes are one of the less well-known classes of
Ancient Spartan society. Most of what is known of them is the
stuff of hypotheses and theories: they were either illegitimate
children of Spartan fathers and helot or períoikoi mothers,
orphans whose training was sponsored by guardians, or poor
people whose training was paid for by wealthier Spartan
families.
Mothakes accompanied Spartan boys in the agoge as their
companions, or syntrophoi. Though they did not share the
same rights as citizens, they could eventually join the Spartan
elite if they completed their training, or if their patron bought
them a unit of land known as a kleros. Fulfilling these
conditions granted them citizenship, and allowed them to join
the Spartan military.
Written sources attest that some mothakes, such as Gylippos,
became accomplished military leaders during the
Peloponnesian War. In fact, it's been suggested that Lysander,
the famous Spartan admiral instrumental in winning the
aforementioned war, was a mothax as well.
According to Pausanias, the Dromos was used as a place for
footraces, and contained gymnasia as well. It was open to
Sparta's citizens, who could also offer sacrifices on the nearby
statue of Herakles.
When Pausanias visited Sparta's agora, he described the
imposing Persian Stoa, a structure built to commemorate the
Greeks' decisive victory over the Persians in the Greco-
Persian Wars:
“The most prominent building in the market place is the
Persian Stoa, so called because it was built from the spoils of
the Medes. In time they embellished it to the size and
ornamentation which It now has. The columns are Persians of
white stone, Mardonios son of Gobryas and others.”
In one of the Athenian general Thucydides's historical
writings, he described a debate between the Spartan king
Archidamos and one of Sparta's ephors over whether or not
the city should engage Athens and the Delian League in what
would later become the Peloponnesian War.
Surprisingly, Archidamos argued for a more cautious
approach, stating that their enemies were numerous, well-
funded, and more skilled when it came to naval engagements.
He believed that Sparta should not be so hasty in picking a
fight until it was more prepared.
The ephor, meanwhile, appealed to the city's honor, and said
that the only response worthy of strong Spartans was to vote
for war.
Despite being the king, Archidamos's efforts to postpone the
war were eventually overruled.
Four Spartan kings played important roles in the
Peloponnesian War: Archidamos II, his elder son Agis II,
Pleistoanax, and his son Pausanias.
In 464 BCE, Archidamos Il managed to quell a helot revolt
following an earthquake that shook the city to its core. A few
years later in 445 BCE, his double in kingship, Pleistoanax,
was exiled for presumably taking a bribe from the Athenian
statesman Perikles - someone Archidamos had previously
been on friendly terms with.
During the first part of the Peloponnesian War, which was
named the Archidamian War after Archidamos, the king
marched against Attika in 431 BCE, 430 BCE, and 428 BCE. He
was succeeded by his son Agis Ilin 427/6 BCE, who was
appointed a guardian because of his young of age. Agis did not
manage to invade Attika, but together with Pleistoanax, who
had returned from exile, they signed a treaty with the
Athenians in 421 BCE known as the Peace of Nikias.
During the third part of the war, it was Agis's decision to
occupy Dekeleia and control Athens's countryside, as well as
access to the Laurion mines. This move was crucial, because
Athens lost the possibility to mint coins with Laurion silver,
restricting the city's ability to finance the war and pay for
mercenaries and contributing to Athens's eventual surrender
in 404 BCE.
Pausanias, meanwhile, was the king of Sparta who laid siege
to Athens in collaboration with the admiral Lysander, which
culminated in Sparta's decisive victory in Aigos Potamoi in 405
BCE.
The períoikoi were indigenous non-Spartan freemen who lived
in the periphery of Sparta, but did not have political rights.
They formed autonomous communities and developed local
economies because, unlike the Spartans, they engaged in
commerce and manufacturing.
In other words, while Spartans concentrated on war, the
períoikoi focused on everything else. They could be
carpenters, merchants, farmers, and fishermen, among many
other professions.
Their dependency on Sparta did now allow them to develop a
proper economy, but at the same time they aided the Spartans
by allowing them to concentrate on military matters. !t is also
believed that the períoikoi procured of the metals and crafted
the arms the Spartans used in battle.
(Behind the scenes)
Fearsome and formidable, these warriors are unmatched
throughout Greece and the known world. These character
studies by artist Fred Rambaud show the different types of
warriors the Hero will encounter in Sparta, from the heavily
armored brute, to the more nimble, spear-wielding fighter,
and the brawler, replete in gold armor and a heavy ram's-
head hammer.
Dionysos was the Greek god associated with wine, ritual
madness, and theater. This temple was set on a hill opposite
the Spartan Akropolis. The site was called Kotona [“the hill”),
which gave the god his epithet Kolonatas. The temple seems
to have been a place of worship for women. When
approaching adulthood, girls may have been initiated into the
mysteries of Dionysos linked to this temple.
During the god's annual feast, Pausanias tells of a footrace
involving eleven girls, the “Dionysiades”; this custom would
have come from Delphi.
According to many ancient authors, Spartan women were an
exception among other Greek women; authors from Athens
were both fascinated and afraid of these figures, and
presented them as both powerful and licentious.
In the warfare state of Sparta, girls were educated with a
eugenic perspective to become the future wives and mothers
of warriors. According to Queen Gorgo, they were the only
Greek women who gave birth to real men, and were the only
ones who “commanded to men”. This famous sentence
showed the authority of Spartan women in their city.
In addition to the desire for strength, gymnastics and sports
were also emphasized in education to make the young women
attractive enough to marry. This included being well-versed in
music, dancing, singing, and poetry. Spartan women
dedicated themselves to intensive physical exercise and led
very different lives from their Athenian counterparts. They
were more autonomous, and more free than many Greek
women of ancient times.
They also may have trained themselves to wrestle. One
purpose of this training could've been for the defense of the
city and of their children in the event of an attack on Spartan
territory.
The Akropolis of Sparta consisted of several buildings that
date from different chronological periods - from the Archaic
to the Byzantine era.
At the top of the Akropolis was the sanctuary of Athena
Chalkioikos, dated to the óth century BCE. It was originally a
sanctuary of Pitane, as confirmed by archaeological
discoveries dating as early as the Mycenaean period.
Near the sanctuary of Athena was the ancient theater of
Sparta. The theater seen in-game is based on a structure
dated to the Roman period. The theater probably had a
wooden stage; a fact supported by several inscriptions from
the 2nd century CE. Excavations next to the theater also
revealed connected shops.
The Akropolis of Sparta also held visible traces of the Skias,
the semi-circular building of the archaic-classical periods -
but with visible repairs from the Roman period.
The Spartan banner bears the letter “lambda”, standing for
Lakedaimon, the other name of Sparta. On their coins, the
initials were lambda and alpha: “LA”.
This emblem is inspired by Spartan shields bearing the
lambda. While there's no archaeological evidence of these
shields' decoration, they're known from textual evidence.
A fragment of a comedy by Eupolis tells that the sight alone of
the lambdas on Spartans' shields was enough to frighten
Kleon.
On other occasions, shields were decorated by varied
iconographies, as shown on numerous vases depicting
warriors.
According to Pausanias, the two most important Spartan
temples were the temple of Artemis Orthia, and the temple of
Athena Chalkioikos.
Pausanias describes the building of the sanctuary of Athena
Chalkioikos in great detail. It was Located on the Akropolis of
Sparta, west of the agora. Its construction was started by the
mythical king of Sparta, Tyndareos, but was completed by the
Spartan sculptor Gitiadas in the 6th century BCE.
The epithet Chalkioikos [house from bronze] was attached to
this temple due to the bronze and copper decorations on its
walls. These embossed sheets depicted mythological scenes
like Herakles's labors, achievements of the sons of
Tyndareos, the Legend of Perseus and Medusa, and the birth
of Athena. The bronze decorations and the bronze statue of
Athena were the works of Gitiadas, who also composed a
hymn to the goddess.
Kastor and Pollux, the Dioskouroi, were divine twins, sons of
Zeus and Leda, and brothers of Helen and Klytemnestra. One
of them human and the other divine, they were linked to
Sparta, as myth stated they were born on Mount Taygetos.
The Dioskouroi were the protectors of the Spartan kings, and
took turns in their royal duty. They helped the Spartans in
battle, and they were associated with horsemanship as well
as with athletic contests. In art, they were often represented
with their sister Helen. An important number of marble reliefs
of the Dioskouroi have been found in excavations of the
Spartan area, and are now kept in the Sparta Museum.
The Lakedaimonian army was not exclusively made up of
official Spartan citizens.
The army was composed of all male Lakedaimonians aged
twenty to sixty [and occasionally even older], regardless of
social class. Because of this, Helots and Perioikoi often fought
alongside Spartan homoioi (citizens).
The twelfth and final labor of Herakles was the capture of
Cerberos, the three-headed hound protecting the entrance to
the underworld.
Herakles first visited Eleusis and participated in the
Eleusinian Mysteries to prepare himself for the descent. The
entrance was believed to be in Cape Tenaron, at the far end of
Lakonia.
Hades agreed to give Cerberos to Herakles, but only if he
managed to subdue the hound without any weapons. Herakles
was successful in his task.
When Herakles brought Cerberos to Eurystheas, Eurystheas
begged him to return the beast to the underworld, then
released Herakles from any future labors.
Giving a proper funeral to the dead was considered one of the
most important gestures in a person's life. It was believed
that the soul left the body upon death, and if not properly
buried, the soul wouldn't find peace in the underworld. Burial
therefore had a spiritual purpose, but also a practical one in
minimizing the festering of decaying bodies.
This pollution of decay and the impiety of leaving the bodies
without burial was a key explanation for the widespread
practice of allowing defeated enemies to collect their dead
after battle.
The fifth labor of Herakles consisted of cleaning the stables of
Augeas, king of Elis. This was a rather humiliating task, since
the cattle that lived in the stables were immortal. Not only
that, but they were more than one thousand in number, and
produced an enormous amount of dung. The stables had been
filthy for thirty years, which made the task nearly impossible.
In this case, Herakles used his brain instead of this brawn. He
redirected the rivers Alpheus in the Peloponnese and Pineios
in Thessaly to the site. The water went through the stables
and thoroughly cleaned them.
Untike the other labors, it appears that Herakles was paid for
the task. He asked for one tenth of the cattle if he managed to
clean the stables in one day. However, he killed Augeas when
the king didn't honor the deal, and gave the kingdom to
Phyleas, Augeas's son.
The fourth labor of Herakles was considered very dangerous.
Eurystheas asked Herakles to bring to him the boar that lived
on the mountain Eurymantos. Centaurs, half horses and half-
men renowned for being wise, lived on the same mountain. It
was the famous centaur Chiron - who later became the tutor
of Achilles - who advised Herakles on how to catch the boar.
Herakles drove the boar into the snow, captured it, and
carried it back to Eurystheas, who was so afraid of the animal
that he hid himself inside a pithos [container].
The site of Olympia is dominated on the northern side by the
Hill of Kronos. This Titan, who was the father of Zeus and the
Olympians, was worshipped on the top of the hill.
Prophecy told that Kronos would be dethroned by one of his
children. Because of this, he devoured the children he had
with Rhea as soon as they were born. But when Zeus was
born, Rhea fooled Kronos by hiding Zeus in Krete and
replacing him with a stone wrapped in clothes.
Once he had grown up, Zeus managed to free his brothers and
sisters and make them his allies. The following war between
Olympians and Titans for the supremacy of the universe is
called the Titanomachy. Zeus also freed the Cyclopes who
created the thunderbolt for him.
Zeus and his allies won the war and imprisoned the Titans in
Tartaros. The Titan Atlas received another punishment as he
was ordered to hold up the sky. Zeus became king of the gods,
and thus began the age of the Olympians.
(Behind the scenes)
Hilltop forts formed the main line of defense against the
invading armies. They are built of stone packed around
wooden frames as demonstrated in the fort at the bottom of
the page, created by Michael Guimont. It's up to the Hero to
infiltrate these to bring them down from the inside, allowing
the army to advance, as shown in concept art by Caroline
Soucy (far right). But these are not simple structures, as
Benjamin Hall explains, “Forts are some of the most complex
challenges design wise. These locations need to offer
something different for the player from both a visual and
gameplay point of view."
The Bouleuterion of Olympia was one of the first buildings
constructed in the site.
The council of Olympia met in the Bouleuterion to discuss
matters regarding the sanctuary. They appointed priests,
arbitrated conflicts between athletes and hellanodikai
(judges), and decided which victors to erect statues for, as
well as where to put them.
The Bouleuterion also housed archives of records from
previous Olympiads, in addition to the statue of Zeus Horkios,
in front of which athletes and trainers swore their Olympic
oath.
The sanctuary is very ancient. Its use goes back to the third
millennium BCE. At first, it was only a sacred forest. From
about 1000 BCE onward, a cult of Zeus developed on the site
of Olympia.
The traditional date of the first Olympic festival is 776 BCE,
which is also the date of the first recorded winner of the
Games: Koroibos of Elis, who won the stadion race.
The Olympic Games have their origins in ritual funeral games.
Funeral games were held to honor the deceased, and might
have celebrated civic heroes or private individuals.
In “The Iliad”, Homer related that Achilles held games for his
friend Patroklos who died in the Trojan War. It is the most
ancient mention of this ritual, but they are attested to well into
the Hellenistic period.
Brasidas, the Spartan general, died in the battle of Amphipolis
during the Peloponnesian War. He was honored as the new
founder of the city, and funeral games were organized and
became an annual event.
The modern Olympics were inspired by the ancient Games of
Olympia. A French nobleman, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, was
convinced of the parallel importance of the development of
mind and body, and he saw this ideal in ancient Greek culture.
He had the idea to revive the Games, and started to promote
this notion. At this time, excavations had begun at the original
site of Olympia. The ancient site was rediscovered in 1766 by
Richard Chandler, an English antiquarian, but the first
excavation was carried out in 1829.
The excavation reports inspired de Coubertin, who became
obsessed with the athletic ideal of Olympia, which he thought
would inspire competitiveness and team spirit amongst
nations.
The first modern games were held in 1896 in Athens.
Athletes were primarily from the upper class. They had to be
rich to afford the expenses of training and their participation
in the Games. Alkibiades, an aristocrat from an eminent
family, was one of these very wealthy athletes.
His preference was for horse races - these events were
reserved for the wealthiest participants. A good illustration of
his financial power was during the Olympic Games of 416 BCE.
He participated with a whopping seven chariots in the
quadriga race, and won first, second, and fourth place.
He was the first to ever enroll this many chariots in one race,
and in the context of the Peloponnesian War, this was a
demonstration that Athens was still powerful. Alkibiades
increased that impression with a magnificent feast, and even
used official Athenian gold and silver plates for the occasion.
Though not part of the official competition, the first day ofthe
Olympic festival featured recitals and teachings from poets
and philosophers.
Because Olympia was a public space, it provided these orators
an excellent opportunity to earn the ear of wealthy aristocrats
with the goal of turning them into future patrons.
Oral tradition was so important in ancient Greece that some
Panhellenic festivals - like the Pythian Games in Delphi -
included orating contests as part of the official program.
Elis is most famous for its sanctuary of Olympia where the
Olympics were held. The main divinity of the sanctuary was
Zeus; its main temple was dedicated to him, and housed the
famous gold and ivory statue of Zeus made by Phidias.
Zeus was known as the king of gods and god of thunder. One
of his attributes was the thunderbolt, which was given to him
by the Cyclopes.
The coinage of Elis is associated with Olympia, and Zeus is
often depicted on the coins. They sometimes feature a head of
Zeus, but he's also commonly represented by his thunderbolt
- which served as the model for the region's banner - or his
signifying animal, the eagle.
Until up to 584 - 580 BCE, the Olympic Games were organized
by the Oxylides, an aristocratic family from the city of Elis.
Over time, however, the family seemingly died out, and the
responsibility of organizing the Games passed on to other
members of the Elaian aristocracy who were chosen
randomtly by lot.
The first organizers of the games were originally called
agonothetai - literally “those who held the games” - but their
name was eventually changed to hellanodikai.
Ancient Greek heroes were viewed as intermediates between
gods and men. Consequently, hero-cults were a distinctive
feature of Greek religion.
Most heroes originated from heroic epics, such as Pelops in
Olympia, but this quality was not always necessary. For
example, Erechtheus of Athens had a local hero-cult without
ties to an epic. On some occasions, extraordinary humans -
such as the founders of cities - could also become the objects
of a cult, like Brasidas in Amphipolis.
Hero-shrines, or heroons, were often constructed around the
hero's real for suspected) tombs.
One exception amongst hero-cults was the cult of Herakles.
Herakles was considered as much as god as hero, and his cult
was widespread. There were many large sanctuaries
dedicated to the demigod, such as the Herakleion in Thasos,
where he was viewed as one of the city's protectors.
Some athtetes achieved a level of fame that bordered on
mythical. The wrestler Milon of Kroton was one of them. In the
éth century BCE, he won events in every Panhellenic Game,
granting him the rare privilege of the title of periodonikes. He
won six victories in Olympia, in addition to several other titles
in the Panhellenic Games of Delphi, Nemea, and Isthmos.
He was appointed general by his city, and led an army during
the war between Kroton and Sybaris. In the battle that Led to
the destruction of Sybaris, Milon dressed like Herakles,
wearing a lion-skin and carrying a club.
Milon's strength was Legendary. He is reported to have carried
his own bronze statue to its place in Olympia. However, he
was not invincible. When he participated in his seventh
Otympiad, he competed against a fellow from Kroton in the
final. Before combat started, the opponent bowed as a sign of
respect, then managed to defeat Milon. Even so, it is Milon's
name that history remembers.
Although women were not allowed to compete in the Olympic
Games, it was still possible for them to win the equestrian
events. This is because horse and chariot races awarded not
the jockeys or chariot drivers, but the owner of the horses.
The first woman to participate in (and win) one of these races
was the Spartan princess Kyniska. She won events both in 396
BCE, and in the following Olympiad, and her victories made
her world-famous. She even erected a statue of herself and
her horses in Olympia. After her death, she was made a hero
in Sparta, and a shrine was builtin her honor.
Following Kyniska, other women like Euryleonis of Sparta,
Berenike, queen of Egypt, Belistiche of Makedonia, and
Timareta of Elis also went on to win equestrian events.
The modern concept of lighting of the Olympic Flame - a
practice started during the 1936 Games in Berlin - has its
roots in antiquity.
The carrying of the torch was at least partially inspired by the
lampadedromia, a relay-race that required runners to reach
the finish line while holding a still-burning torch.
However, although the lLampadedromia was held at many
religious festivals and sporting events, it was not an event in
the ancient Olympic Games.
Instead, the most important flame in Olympia was the sacred
Fire of Hestia, which was used to light the sanctuary's altars
during the festival.
The Kladeos river borders the western side of Olympia. lts
name comes from the river-god Kladeos, who according to
Pausanias shared an altar with Demeter behind the
sanctuary's temple of Hera.
Originally, Olympia's gymnasion and baths were erected along
the river's banks, but part of the gymnasion was destroyed
when the river changed course in the 4th century CE.
The river's new trajectory - along with flooding from the
Alpheios river in the Middle Ages - buried Olympia in
approximately four meters of silt, and the site was only
rediscovered in the 19th century.
The cult personnel of Olympia was made up of priests who
fulfilled different sacred purposes.
Theêkoloi were responsible for the general organization of the
cult, and performed sacrifices every month. They burned
incense mixed with grain kneaded in honey on the site's
different altars, and poured libations of wine.
Two soothsayers fulfilled the divining role previously hetd by
Olympia's Oracle of Zeus, and four spondophoroi worked as
libation bearers.
Meanwhile, exegetes were in charge of explaining Olympia's
rituals to foreigners who came to the sanctuary to sacrifice.
There was also a mageiros, who was something of a butcher
and cook. The mageiros killed the animal being sacrificed, cut
it, and cooked it so it could be served at a later banquet. The
very first Olympic winner, Koroibos of Elis, was a mageiros.
The main buildings where athletes trained were the
gymnasion and the palaistra.
In the gymnasion, athletes trained for races and pentathlon
events. In the palaistra, they trained for wrestling and boxing.
Wrestlers and boxers could train in the Korykeion room,
where a suspended leather bag full of sand [korykos] served
as a sort of punching bag.
All athletes competed and trained nude. The reason for the
introduction of athletic nudity is not immediately clear. The
etymology of gymnasion pointed to nudity, as the Greek word
gymnos means “nude”. According to Thucydides, this
innovation came from Sparta. He says that Lakedaimonians
were the first to practice sports naked. Tradition says that
Acanthos of Sparta, who won the diaulos and the dolichos
races in the Olympic Games of 720 BCE, would have been the
first to do this.
But Pausanias had another version of the story. He tells that
the first to run naked in Olympia was Orhippos of Megaris in
720 BCE. He supposedly did this believing that nudity would
help him run faster.
Sounion held a festival every four years. While not much is
known about the specifics of the festival, it probably occurred
during the 5th century BCE, and was important enough for
officials to commandeer a ship specifically to travel to
Sounion for the occasion.
Sounion hosted sacrifices as well, as evidenced by a ramp
leading through the central door meant to Lead animals to the
sanctuary. Fragments of Kouroi statues have also been found,
suggesting dedications were occasionally offered to the
sanctuary. However, when the first version of the temple was
destroyed by Persians, these dedications were probably
wrecked or stolen.
Fortunately, one large Kouros statue, probably from the 7th
century BCE, has remained mostly intact. It's possible the
statue - which depicts a naked young man with long hair -
survived the destruction of the temple by being hidden from
the Persians during their invasion.
Poseidon was the god of horses, earthquakes, and most
famously, the sea. Not to be confused with Pontos, the ancient
Greek personification of the sea, Poseidon's name means
“Lord of the earth” or “husband of the earth”.
Poseidon's family tree includes his father Kronos, his mother
Rhea, and his brothers, Zeus and Hades. Together, Poseidon
and his brothers deposed Kronos, after which Poseidon was
granted the kingdom of the sea.
His weapon and symbol was the trident. According to Hesiod,
much like Zeus's thunderbolts, Poseidon's trident was made
for him by three Cyclopes.
Sounion is located approximately 70 kilometers south of
Athens, at the southern tip of the Attika region. Prehistoric
tombs in the area suggest that Sounion was first inhabited
around 3000 BCE.
The sanctuary of Poseidon stood at Sounion's highest point. It
was an imposing structure that overlooked the sea from steep
cliffs - Appropriate, for a place dedicated to the powerful god
of the ocean.
(Behind the scenes)
Concept artwork on this spread by Gabrield Blain and Fred
Rambaud showcases the variety of opponents to be found in
Athens, Attika, and all over Greece. The Athenian army is
similar to the Spartans', but does have key differences. The
Athenian breastplates are smooth, favoring motifs and
symbols over representation of muscles. And there is of
course the color: Athenians are always represented in blue so
they are recognizable to the player.
Philipiddes was a “hemerodrome”, a professional runner who
served Athens as a herald.
According to Herodotos, Athens sent Philipiddes to ask Sparta
for aid at Marathon. During his journey, he encountered the
god Pan in the mountains. Pan - who was half-man, half-goat
= complained that the Athenians did not honor him as much as
they should have - especially since he could render helpful
services like sowing panic and terror in the ranks of their
enemies. Following the Battle of Marathon, the Athenians
corrected their neglectful attitude towards Pan, and thanked
him for his help in their victory.
A tumulus was a special tomb in which the ashes of cremated
bodies were collected in purple cloth - purple being the mark
of royalty. The ashy remains were then placed in a bronze urn.
There is a large tumulus in the Kerameikos that was used
from the 560's BCE to the end of the 5th century BCE.
In Greece, hoplites were heavy infantrymen. They carried
round shields large enough to protect both themselves and
anyone to their left, and wore helmets, cuirasses, and
leggings.
Hoplites normally advanced in a phalanx formation of five to
seven lines deep. The phalanx allowed them to attack with
spears, and simultaneously defend themselves from any
cavalry and archers attacking from the front.
(Behind the scenes)
“Realizing an enormous battle on the scale of ancient Greek
warfare was quite a technical and design challenge. We
wanted to remain as true as possible to the tactics and
warfare of the time, but plenty of compromises were made for
gameplay, excitement, and technical constraints.” - Scott
Phillips
“Even making the Discovery Tour was a challenge as we
needed to show battlefields without explicitly showing a
battlefield. We opted for flags instead of violence to
communicate the events.” - Paul Green, Assistant Level
Design Director on Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece
Hippias was the son of Peisistratos, the tyrant of Athens. He
succeeded his father in 528 BCE, ruled with absolute power,
and brutally disposed of his enemies.
In spite of this, Athens was surprisingly peaceful and
prosperous under Hippias's rule. His reign ended in 510 BCE,
when a Spartan invasion of Attika led to his downfall.
Hippias fled to Asia Minor, where he came in contact with the
Persian king Darius. The disgraced tyrant would eventually
convince the Persians to land their forces at Marathon.
The Telesterion was the most important building of the
sanctuary at the far end of the Sacred Way. This was the
temple that was dedicated to Demeter, and the place where
the cults and mysteries took place. It was here that the climax
of the Eleusinian ceremonies happened, and it was in the
Telesterion that the priestesses revealed their visions, and the
initiates were prohibited from discussing the events that took
place.
The Telesterion was a square or rectangular building of
approximately fifty meters across with two entrances on each
side, with an exception on the western side that was built on
the rock. Inside there were eight rows of seats, and forty
columns supported the roof. In the center of the roof there
was a hole from where the light would enter the temple.
In the center of the Telesterion was a rectangular room called
the anaktoron, where all the sacred objects of the cult were
kept, and where only the Hierophant could enter.
Today the architectural remains visible on the site are those
of the Classical building.
Following the Greco-Persian Wars, Themistokles
recommended that Athens fortify both the city and the port of
Piraeus.
The fortifications started under Themistokles and were
further strengthened by Perikles and Kimon. Their efforts
contributed to the creation of the so-called "Long Walls” that
ensured Athens always had access to its port, even in times of
war.
Shipsheds were used to store ancient vessels called triremes.
The sheds were essential, as triremes required methodical
overhauling during the winter months when there was little to
no naval navigation.
The earliest shipsheds were built in the time of Themistokles,
and Perikles later built more sheds for the sum of 1000
talents. The sheds were originally made of wood before
transitioning to stone in the 4th century BCE.
In addition to being a trading center, Piraeus also functioned
as an industrial center that contained several factories -
many of which manufactured weapons during the
Peloponnesian War.
The former slave Pasion owned a shield factory, as did the
brothers Lysias and Polemarchos. The orator Demosthenes,
meanwhile, owned a factory that produced swords. These
factories all employed a large number of slaves, and were
extremely lucrative for their owners.
Maritime trade was a risky business, and not every ship
reached its destination.
For example, a merchant ship was wrecked near Kyrenia in
the 4th century BCE, and underwater excavations of its
remains have revealed much information about ancient Greek
shipbuilding.
The wreck's wooden hull was made of pine, and suggests the
ship was made using the “shell-first” technique, wherein the
shell of the boat was constructed before the rest of its parts.
The ship's cargo included jars filled with almonds, and over
400 wine amphoras. It also carried 29 milltstones that were
used as ballast to stabilize the vessel, and 300 lead net
weights that were likely used for fishing.
Originally, ports used fire to help guide ship navigators to
land. The innovation of placing fire on top of a platform led to
the development of the Lighthouse.
Ancient lighthouses started appearing in the archaic period,
around the 6th-5th centuries BCE. The island of Thasos had
three marble lighthouses that took the shape of small circular
towers placed on promontories.
One of the most famous lighthouses was the Pharos of
Alexandria, which stood at a height of over 100 meters.