Elis held a uniquely privileged position in the ancient Greek world: as administrators of the Olympic sanctuary at Olympia, they controlled access to the most prestigious religious and athletic festival in the Greek calendar. Coinage struck at Olympia itself — as distinct from the civic issues of Elis — was produced in four-year cycles tied directly to the festival schedule, intended primarily for use by the tens of thousands of pilgrims, athletes, and merchants who converged on the site every four years.
The 105th Olympiad fell in 360 BC, a games attended during a period of sustained Elean political turbulence following their defeat by Arcadia in 364 BC, when the festival itself had been violently interrupted by armed conflict mid-ceremony.
Elis held a uniquely privileged position in the ancient Greek world: as administrators of the Olympic sanctuary at Olympia, they controlled access to the most prestigious religious and athletic festival in the Greek calendar. Coinage struck at Olympia itself — as distinct from the civic issues of Elis — was produced in four-year cycles tied directly to the festival schedule, intended primarily for use by the tens of thousands of pilgrims, athletes, and merchants who converged on the site every four years.
The 105th Olympiad fell in 360 BC, a games attended during a period of sustained Elean political turbulence following their defeat by Arcadia in 364 BC, when the festival itself had been violently interrupted by armed conflict mid-ceremony.