Hieromenia (sacred month's time) was the time of the month at which the sacred festivals of the Greeks began, and in consequence of which the whole month received the name of ''

men A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the fa ...

hieros '' (sacred month). It was a part of the international law of Greece that all hostilities should cease for the time between states who took part in these festivals, so that the inhabitants of the different states might go and return in safety. The Hieromeniae of the four great national festivals were the most important: they were proclaimed by heralds (spondophoroi or

theoroi The theoroi ( or ) in ancient Greece were sacred ambassadors, messengers sent out by the state which was about to organize a Panhellenic game or festival. Theoroi were both received and hosted by the '' theorodokoi''. In the classical Greek world, ...

), who visited the different states of Greece for the purpose. The suspension of hostilities was called

Ekecheiria In Greek mythology, Ekecheiria, Ekekheiria, or Ecechiria (; Ancient Greek: Ἐκεχειρία means 'armistice, truce') was the spirit and personification of truce, armistice, and cessation of hostilities. The term is also used to refer to the ...

(Truce). In 420 BC, the

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

ns were excluded from the Olympics, after they had failed to pay a fine imposed on them, when they invaded Lepreum in Elis. Spartans protested in vain that the hieromenia and ekecheiria had not been declared by heralds on them.(Thuc.5.49-55)The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare by Philip Sabin Page 100 (2007)

References

*Pilgrims and pilgrimage in ancient Greece By Matthew Dillon Page 3 (1997) (

Pindar Pindar (; ; ; ) was an Greek lyric, Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes, Greece, Thebes. Of the Western canon, canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar i ...

. Isthm. ii. 23;

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

. viii. p. 343; Krause, Olympia, p. 40, &c.) {{SmithDGRA Panhellenic Games Ancient Greek religion Ancient Greek law