From oikos to polis: Ideology and Genealogy in Pindar's Olympian 9

Abstract

In Olympian 9, Pindar constructs a family for his victor, Epharmostos, whose family does not—contrary to the generic expectations of epinikian—appear in the ode. By establishing connections between the early ethnic and civic history of Lokris and Opous respectively, Pindar elevates the athletic victory of Epharmostos to the level of ethnic and civic foundation; at the same time, the conceiving of citizenship as essentially familial allows Pindar to praise inherited excellence and fulfill his ideological goals, even in an ode—and for a victor—who cannot claim to have inherited his athletic abilities.