Doyle sets the contest in Olympia, the site of the Olympic Games in classical times.
He compares Policles to Adonis, the Greek god of beauty. At the end of the story, Platus tells Nero that his opponent at the contest was Pan, the Greek god of nature, mountains, flocks, and rustic music.
Doyle stresses the cultural importance of music in ancient Greece. Through Policles's thoughts, he implies the Greeks took a keen interest in musical contests and were used to high standards in music. It wasn’t unusual for audiences to jeer poor performers off the stage.
The story includes details such as the use of the lyre, a stringed musical instrument. Policles plays the harp, another stringed instrument popular in ancient Greece.
"The Ode of Niobe" is a realistic name for an ancient Greek musical piece. Niobe is a character from Greek mythology and the word ode is derived from the Greek word for song.
The song Policles sings is about his land, Elis, an ancient district in Southern Greece, with its mountain slopes, blue rivers, and cold evenings.
Nero is awarded the Chaplet of Olympia. Olympic athletes won Chaplets of Olympia for their athletic feats.
Other realistic details are a Roman galley ship and geographical features such as the river Alpheus.
