Introduction: Nemea

Nemea lies in the northeast of the Peloponnesus in an area that had first belonged to Kleonai and later to Argos. Nemea was especially famous for its festival dedicated to Zeus which was founded in 573 and which was celebrated every other year. Already in the 6th Century, Nemea belonged to the cycle of four great games in Greece , including those at Olympia, the Pythian at Delphi and those dedicated to Poseidon at Isthmia. In comparison to the other sanctuaries, however, Nemea was relatively unimportant as a depository for official honors or inscriptions. The political importance of the sanctuary of Zeus at Nemea has to be seen in reference to Argos.