Cynisca: Victrix Olympiaca
by Tom Garvey
Tiered readings and a Latin novella telling the story of the first female victor at the ancient Greek Olympic games,
translated from and inspired by original Greek passages from Xenophon, Plutarch, and Pausanias.
Statement of Purpose
The overarching goal of this project is to create a series of resources that will aid teachers in educating their students about the ancient Greek Olympic games. More specifically, I wanted to compile resources for Latin teachers whose primary focus tends to be language acquisition that would simultaneously engage with the important cultural background in which the texts we read were first composed. I also wanted to amplify exposure to at least one population traditionally silenced in the classical Mediterranean world. To that end, I have collated and adapted original Greek primary sources relating to women in athletics, focusing on those relating to two women in particular, namely Cynisca and Callipatira, and their experiences at the Olympic games. You are welcome to use, borrow, copy, and adapt everything you find on this website, so help yourself!
Available in novice, intermediate, and advanced Latin, read Cynisca's story in any of three tiered versions - or try them all in succession!
Visit the Tiered Versions page to peruse multiple formats of each.
An Intermediate-Level Latin Narrative
for students roughly halfway through their second year
An Advanced-Level Latin Narrative connecting translated passages from Xenophon, Plutarch, and Pausanias
for those with experience reading unadapted Latin prose
Cynisca's Dedicatory Inscription at Olympia
My fathers and brother were kings of the Spartans.
Cynisca, winner at the chariot with swift-footed horses,
erected this statue. I declare that I am the only woman
from all Greece who has taken this crown.
Acknowledgements
This project was made possible by a two-week seminar, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities on “The Ancient Olympics and Daily Life in Olympia,” ably led by Micheal Posey, Nathalie Roy, and Bob Holschuh Simmons, plus his two amazing assistants, Megan Dailey and Olivia Matlock. I would also like to recognize my fellow 2024 NEH institute Olympians, all of whom enriched our collective experience immeasurably in their own unique ways. Heartfelt thanks to: Jamie Ball, Kierstyn Bohl, Lisa Byrd, Jared Ciocco, Catherine Daun, Kezia Dearden, Cristin Haake, Maddie Jeffers, Noreen Kupernik, Tara Ligon, Kimberly Martin, Heather Novey, Mandy Palik, Elizabeth Proctor, Ana Reutinger, Carly Riisager, Brad Savage, Randy Schmidt, Ryan Sellers, Sonya Shockey, Lori Thompson, Alison Wedding, and Susan Wickwire.
