Delphi Complete Works of Pausanias

by Pausanias

  [8.7] At the eighteenth Festival they remembered the pentathlum and wrestling. Lampis won the first and Eurybatus the second, these also being Lacedaemonians. At the twenty-third Festival they restored the prizes for boxing, and the victor was Onomastus of Smyrna, which already was a part of Ionia. At the twenty-fifth they recognized the race of full-grown horses, and Pagondas of Thebes was proclaimed “victor in the chariot-race.”

  [8] ὀγδόῃ δὲ ἀπὸ ταύτης Ὀλυμπιάδι ἐδέξαντο παγκρατιαστήν τε ἄνδρα καὶ ἵππον κέλητα: ἵππος μὲν δὴ Κραννωνίου Κραυξίδα παρέφθη, τοὺς δὲ ἐσελθόντας ἐπὶ τὸ παγκράτιον ὁ Λύγδαμις κατειργάσατο Συρακούσιος. τούτῳ πρὸς ταῖς λιθοτομίαις ἐστὶν ἐν Συρακούσαις μνῆμα: εἰ δὲ καὶ Ἡρακλεῖ τῷ Θηβαίῳ μέγεθος παρισοῦτο ὁ Λύγδαμις, ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ οἶδα, λεγόμενον δὲ ὑπὸ Συρακουσίων ἐστί.

  [8.8] At the eighth Festival after this they admitted the pancratium for men and the horse-race. The horse-race was won by Crauxidas of Crannon, and Lygdamis of Syracuse overcame all who entered for the pancratium. Lygdamis has his tomb near the quarries at Syracuse, and according to the Syracusans he was as big as Heracles of Thebes, though I cannot vouch for the statement.

  [9] τὰ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς παισὶν ἐς μὲν τῶν παλαιοτέρων οὐδεμίαν ἥκει μνήμην, αὐτοὶ δὲ ἀρέσαν σφίσι κατεστήσαντο Ἠλεῖοι. δρόμου μὲν δὴ καὶ πάλης ἐτέθη παισὶν ἆθλα ἐπὶ τῆς ἑβδόμης καὶ τριακοστῆς

  Ὀλυμπιάδος, καὶ Ἱπποσθένης Λακεδαιμόνιος πάλην, Πολυνείκης δὲ τὸν δρόμον ἐνίκησεν Ἠλεῖος. πρώτῃ δὲ ἐπὶ ταῖς τεσσαράκοντα Ὀλυμπιάδι πύκτας ἐσεκάλεσαν παῖδας, καὶ περιῆν τῶν ἐσελθόντων Συβαρίτης Φιλύτας.

  [8.9] The contests for boys have no authority in old tradition, but were established by the Eleans themselves because they approved of them. The prizes for running and wrestling open to boys were instituted at the thirty-seventh Festival; Hipposthenes of Lacedaemon won the prize for wrestling, and that for running was won by Polyneices of Elis. At the forty-first Festival they introduced boxing for boys, and the winner out of those who entered for it was Philytas of Sybaris.

  [10] τῶν δὲ ὁπλιτῶν ὁ δρόμος ἐδοκιμάσθη μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς πέμπτης Ὀλυμπιάδος καὶ ἑξηκοστῆς, μελέτης ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν ἕνεκα τῆς ἐς τὰ πολεμικά: τοὺς δὲ δραμόντας ἀσπίσιν ὁμοῦ πρῶτος Δαμάρετος ἐκράτησεν Ἡραιεύς. δρόμος δὲ δύο ἵππων τελείων συνωρὶς κληθεῖσα τρίτῃ μὲν Ὀλυμπιάδι ἐτέθη πρὸς ταῖς ἐνενήκοντα, Εὐαγόρας δὲ ἐνίκησεν Ἠλεῖος. ἐνάτῃ δὲ ἤρεσεν Ὀλυμπιάδι καὶ ἐνενηκοστῇ καὶ πώλων ἅρμασιν ἀγωνίζεσθαι: Λακεδαιμόνιος δὲ Συβαριάδης τὸν στέφανον τῶν πώλων ἔσχε τοῦ ἅρματος.

  [8.10] The race for men in armour was approved at the sixty-fifth Festival, to provide, I suppose, military training; the first winner of the race with shields was Damaretus of Heraea. The race for two full-grown horses, called synoris (chariot and pair), was instituted at the ninety-third Festival, and the winner was Evagoras of Elis. At the ninety-ninth Festival they resolved to hold contests for chariots drawn by foals, and Sybariades of Lacedaemon won the garland with his chariot and foals.

  [11] προσέθεσαν δὲ ὕστερον καὶ συνωρίδα πώλων καὶ πῶλον κέλητα: ἐπὶ μὲν δὴ τῇ συνωρίδι Βελιστίχην ἐκ Μακεδονίας τῆς ἐπὶ θαλάσσῃ γυναῖκα, Τληπόλεμον δὲ Λύκιον ἀναγορευθῆναι λέγουσιν ἐπὶ τῷ κέλητι, τοῦτον μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς πρώτης καὶ τριακοστῆς τε καὶ ἑκατοστῆς Ὀλυμπιάδος, τῆς δὲ Βελιστίχης τὴν συνωρίδα Ὀλυμπιάδι πρὸ ταύτης τρίτῃ. πέμπτῃ δὲ ἐπὶ ταῖς τεσσαράκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν ἆθλα ἐτέθη παγκρατίου παισί, καὶ ἐνίκα Φαίδιμος Αἰολεὺς ἐκ πόλεως Τρῳάδος.

  [8.11] Afterwards they added races for chariots and pairs of foals, and for single foals with rider. It is said that the victors proclaimed were: for the chariot and pair, Belistiche, a woman from the seaboard of Macedonia; for the ridden race, Tlepolemus of Lycia. Tlepolemus, they say, won at the hundred and thirty-first Festival, and Belistiche at the third before this. At the hundred and forty-fifth Festival prizes were offered for boys in the pancratium, the victory falling to Phaedimus, an Aeolian from the city Troas.

  9. κατελύθη δὲ ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ καὶ ἀγωνίσματα, μεταδόξαν μηκέτι ἄγειν αὐτὰ Ἠλείοις. πένταθλόν τε γὰρ παίδων ἐπὶ τῆς ὀγδόης Ὀλυμπιάδος καὶ τριακοστῆς ἐτέθη, καὶ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ τὸν κότινον Εὐτελίδα

  Λακεδαιμονίου λαβόντος οὐκέτι ἀρεστὰ Ἠλείοις ἦν πεντάθλους ἐσέρχεσθαι παῖδας. τῆς δὲ ἀπήνης καὶ κάλπης τὸν δρόμον, τὸν μὲν Ὀλυμπιάδι νομισθέντα ἑβδομηκοστῇ, τὸν δὲ τῆς κάλπης τῇ ἐφεξῆς ταύτῃ, κήρυγμα ὑπὲρ ἀμφοτέρων ἐποιήσαντο ἐπὶ τῆς τετάρτης Ὀλυμπιάδος καὶ ὀγδοηκοστῆς μήτε κάλπης τοῦ λοιποῦ μήτε ἀπήνης ἔσεσθαι δρόμον. ὅτε δὲ ἐτέθη πρῶτον, Θερσίου μὲν ἀπήνη Θεσσαλοῦ, Παταίκου δὲ Ἀχαιοῦ τῶν ἐκ Δύμης ἐνίκησεν ἡ κάλπη.

  [9.1] IX. Certain contests, too, have been dropped at Olympia, the Eleans resolving to discontinue them. The pentathlum for boys was instituted at the thirty-eighth Festival; but after Eutelidas of Lace-daemon had received the wild olive for it, the Eleans disapproved of boys entering for this competition. The races for mule-carts, and the trotting-race, were instituted respectively at the seventieth Festival and the seventy-first, but were both abolished by proclamation at the eighty-fourth. When they were first instituted, Thersius of Thessaly won the race for mule-carts, while Pataecus, an Achaean from Dyme, won the trotting-race.

  [2] ἦν δὲ ἡ μὲν θήλεια ἵππος, καὶ ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν ἀποπηδῶντες ἐπὶ τῷ ἐσχάτῳ δρόμῳ συνέθεον οἱ ἀναβάται ταῖς ἵπποις εἰλημμένοι τῶν χαλινῶν, καθὰ καὶ ἐς ἐμὲ ἔτι οἱ ἀναβάται καλούμενοι: διάφορα δὲ τοῖς ἀναβάταις ἐς τῆς κάλπης τὸν δρόμον τά τε σημεῖά ἐστι καὶ ἄρσενές σφισιν ὄντες οἱ ἵπποι. ἀπήνῃ δὲ οὔτε τῷ ἀνευρήματι οὐδὲν ἀρχαῖον οὔτε εὐπρέπεια αὐτῇ προσῆν, ἐπάρατόν τε Ἠλείοις ἐκ παλαιοῦ καὶ ἀρχὴν γενέσθαι σφίσιν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ τὸ ζῷον: ἦν γὰρ δὴ ἀπήνη κατὰ τὴν συνωρίδα ἡμιόνους ἀντὶ ἵππων ἔχουσα.

  [9.2] The trotting-race was for mares, and in the last part of the course the riders jumped off and ran beside the mares, holding on to the bridle, just as at the present day those do who are called “mounters.” The mounters, however, differ from the riders in the trotting-race by having different badges, and by riding horses instead of mares. The c
art-race was neither of venerable antiquity nor yet a graceful performance. Moreover, each cart was drawn by a pair of mules, not horses, and there is an ancient curse on the Eleans if this animal is even born in Elis.

  [3] ὁ δὲ κόσμος ὁ περὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα ἐφ᾽ ἡμῶν, ὡς θύεσθαι τῷ θεῷ τὰ ἱερεῖα πεντάθλου μὲν καὶ δρόμου τῶν ἵππων ὕστερα, τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν πρότερα ἀγωνισμάτων, οὗτος κατέστη σφίσιν ὁ κόσμος Ὀλυμπιάδι ἑβδόμῃ πρὸς ταῖς ἑβδομήκοντα: τὰ πρὸ τούτων δὲ ἐπὶ ἡμέρας ἦγον τῆς αὐτῆς ὁμοίως καὶ ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἵππων ἀγῶνα. τότε δὲ προήχθησαν ἐς νύκτα οἱ παγκρατιάζοντες ἅτε οὐ κατὰ καιρὸν ἐσκληθέντες, αἴτιοι δὲ ἐγένοντο οἵ τε ἵπποι καὶ ἐς πλέον ἔτι ἡ τῶν πεντάθλων ἅμιλλα: καὶ ἐκράτει μὲν Ἀθηναῖος Καλλίας τοὺς παγκρατιάσαντας, ἐμπόδιον δὲ οὐκ ἔμελλε παγκρατίῳ τοῦ λοιποῦ τὸ πένταθλον οὐδὲ οἱ ἵπποι γενήσεσθαι.

  [9.3] The order of the games in our own day, which places the sacrifices to the god for the pentathlum and chariot-races second, and those for the other competitions first, was fixed at the seventy-seventh Festival. Previously the contests for men and for horses were held on the same day. But at the Festival I mentioned the pancratiasts prolonged their contests till night-fall, because they were not summoned to the arena soon enough. The cause of the delay was partly the chariot-race, but still more the pentathlum. Callias of Athens was champion of the pancratiasts on this occasion, but never afterwards was the pancratium to be interfered with by the pentathlum or the chariots.

  [4] τὰ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγωνοθετοῦσιν οὐ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ ἃ καθεστηκότα ἦν ἐξ ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐφ᾽ ἡμῶν ἐς αὐτοὺς νομίζουσιν, ἀλλὰ Ἴφιτος μὲν τὸν ἀγῶνα ἔθηκεν αὐτὸς μόνος, καὶ μετὰ Ἴφιτον ἐτίθεσαν ὡσαύτως οἱ ἀπὸ Ὀξύλου: πεντηκοστῇ δὲ Ὀλυμπιάδι ἀνδράσι δύο ἐξ ἁπάντων λαχοῦσιν Ἠλείων ἐπετράπη ποιῆσαι τὰ Ὀλύμπια, καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἀπὸ ἐκείνου διέμεινε τῶν ἀγωνοθετῶν ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν δύο.

  [9.4] The rules for the presidents of the games are not the same now as they were at the first institution of the festival. Iphitus acted as sole president, as likewise did the descendants of Oxylus after Iphitus. But at the fiftieth Festival two men, appointed by lot from all the Eleans, were entrusted with the management of the Olympic games, and for a long time after this the number of the presidents continued to be two.

  [5] πέμπτῃ δὲ Ὀλυμπιάδι καὶ ἐνενηκοστῇ ἐννέα ἑλλανοδίκας κατέστησαν: τρισὶ μὲν δὴ ἐπετέτραπτο ἐξ αὐτῶν ὁ δρόμος τῶν ἵππων, τοσούτοις δὲ ἑτέροις ἐπόπταις εἶναι τοῦ πεντάθλου, τοῖς δὲ ὑπολειπομένοις τὰ λοιπὰ ἔμελε τῶν ἀγωνισμάτων. δευτέρᾳ δὲ ἀπὸ ταύτης Ὀλυμπιάδι προσετέθη καὶ ὁ δέκατος ἀθλοθέτης. ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς τρίτης καὶ ἑκατοστῆς φυλαί τε Ἠλείοις δώδεκα καὶ εἷς ἀπὸ φυλῆς ἑκάστης ἐγένετο Ἑλλανοδίκης.

  [9.5] But at the ninety-fifth Festival nine umpires were appointed. To three of them were entrusted the chariot-races, another three were to supervise the pentathlum, the rest superintended the remaining contests. At the second Festival after this the tenth umpire was added. At the hundred and third Festival, the Eleans having twelve tribes, one umpire was chosen from each.

  [6] πιεσθέντες δὲ ὑπὸ Ἀρκάδων πολέμῳ μοῖράν τε ἀπέβαλον τῆς γῆς καὶ ὅσοι τῶν δήμων ἦσαν ἐν τῇ ἀποτμηθείσῃ χώρᾳ, καὶ οὕτως ἐς ὀκτώ τε ἀριθμὸν φυλῶν ἐπὶ τῆς τετάρτης συνεστάλησαν Ὀλυμπιάδος καὶ ἑκατοστῆς καὶ Ἑλλανοδίκαι σφίσιν ἴσοι ταῖς φυλαῖς ᾑρέθησαν. ὀγδόῃ δὲ ἐπὶ ταῖς ἑκατὸν Ὀλυμπιάδι ἐπανῆλθον αὖθις ἐς ἀνδρῶν δέκα ἀριθμόν, καὶ ἤδη τὸ ἀπὸ τούτου διαμεμένηκεν ἐς ἡμᾶς.

  [9.6] But they were hard pressed in a war with the Arcadians and lost a portion of their territory, along with all the parishes included in the surrendered district, and so the number of tribes was reduced to eight in the hundred and fourth Olympiad. Thereupon were chosen umpires equal in number to the tribes. At the hundred and eighth Festival they returned again to the number of ten umpires, which has continued unchanged down to the present day.

  THE TEMPLE OF OLYMPIAN ZEUS

  10. πολλὰ μὲν δὴ καὶ ἄλλα ἴδοι τις ἂν ἐν Ἕλλησι, τὰ δὲ καὶ ἀκούσαι θαύματος ἄξια: μάλιστα δὲ τοῖς Ἐλευσῖνι δρωμένοις καὶ ἀγῶνι τῷ ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ μέτεστιν ἐκ θεοῦ φροντίδος.

  τὸ δὲ ἄλσος τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦ Διὸς παραποιήσαντες τὸ ὄνομα Ἄλτιν ἐκ παλαιοῦ καλοῦσι: καὶ δὴ καὶ Πινδάρῳ ποιήσαντι ἐς ἄνδρα Ὀλυμπιονίκην ᾆσμα Ἄλτις ἐπωνόμασται τὸ χωρίον.

  [10.1] X. Many are the sights to be seen in Greece, and many are the wonders to be heard; but on nothing does Heaven bestow more care than on the Eleusinian rites and the Olympic games.

  The sacred grove of Zeus has been called from of old Altis, a corruption of the word “alsos,” which means a grove. Pindar too calls the place Altis in an ode composed for an Olympic victor.

  [2] ἐποιήθη δὲ ὁ ναὸς καὶ τὸ ἄγαλμα τῷ Διὶ ἀπὸ λαφύρων, ἡνίκα Πίσαν οἱ Ἠλεῖοι καὶ ὅσον τῶν περιοίκων ἄλλο συναπέστη Πισαίοις πολέμῳ καθεῖλον. Φειδίαν δὲ τὸν ἐργασάμενον τὸ ἄγαλμα εἶναι καὶ ἐπίγραμμά ἐστιν ἐς μαρτυρίαν ὑπὸ τοῦ Διὸς γεγραμμένον τοῖς ποσί:”Φειδίας Χαρμίδου υἱὸς Ἀθηναῖός μ᾽ ἐποίησε.

  “τοῦ ναοῦ δὲ Δώριος μέν ἐστιν ἡ ἐργασία, τὰ δὲ ἐκτὸς περίστυλός ἐστι:

  [10.2] The temple and the image were made for Zeus from spoils, when Pisa was crushed in war by the Eleans, and with Pisa such of the subject peoples as conspired together with her. The image itself was wrought by Pheidias, as is testified by an inscription written under the feet of Zeus:–

  Pheidias, son of Charmides, an Athenian, made me.

  The temple is in the Doric style, and the outside has columns all around it. It is built of native stone.

  [3] πεποίηται δὲ ἐπιχωρίου πώρου. ὕψος μὲν δὴ αὐτοῦ τὸ ἐς τὸν ἀετὸν ἀνῆκον, εἰσίν οἱ ὀκτὼ πόδες καὶ ἑξήκοντα, εὖρος δὲ πέντε καὶ ἐνενήκοντα, τὰ δὲ ἐς μῆκος τριάκοντά τε καὶ διακόσιοι: τέκτων δὲ ἐγένετο αὐτοῦ Λίβων ἐπιχώριος. κέραμος δὲ οὐ γῆς ὀπτῆς ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ κεράμου τρόπον λίθος ὁ Πεντελῆσιν εἰργασμένος: τὸ δὲ εὕρημα ἀνδρὸς Ναξίου λέγουσιν εἶναι Βύζου, οὗ φασιν ἐν Νάξῳ τὰ ἀγάλματα ἐφ᾽ ὧν ἐπίγραμμα εἶναι “Νάξιος Εὔεργός με γέ
νει Λητοῦς πόρε, Βύζεω

  παῖς, ὃς πρώτιστος τεῦξε λίθου κέραμον.

  “ἡλικίαν δὲ ὁ Βύζης οὗτος κατὰ Ἀλυάττην ἦν τὸν Λυδὸν καὶ Ἀστυάγην τὸν Κυαξάρου βασιλεύοντα ἐν Μήδοις.

  [10.3] Its height up to the pediment is sixty-eight feet, its breadth is ninety-five, its length two hundred and thirty. The architect was Libon, a native. The tiles are not of baked earth, but of Pentelic marble cut into the shape of tiles. The invention is said to be that of Byzes of Naxos, who they say made the images in Naxos on which is the inscription:–

  To the offspring of Leto was I dedicated by Euergus,

  A Naxian, son of Byzes, who first made tiles of stone.

  This Byzes lived about the time of Alyattes the Lydian, when Astyages, the son of Cyaxares, reigned over the Medes.

  [4] ἐν δὲ Ὀλυμπίᾳ λέβης ἐπίχρυσος ἐπὶ ἑκάστῳ τοῦ ὀρόφου τῷ πέρατι ἐπίκειται καὶ Νίκη κατὰ μέσον μάλιστα ἕστηκε τὸν ἀετόν, ἐπίχρυσος καὶ αὕτη. ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς Νίκης τὸ ἄγαλμα ἀσπὶς ἀνάκειται χρυσῆ, Μέδουσαν τὴν Γοργόνα ἔχουσα ἐπειργασμένην. τὸ ἐπίγραμμα δὲ τὸ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀσπίδι τούς τε ἀναθέντας δηλοῖ καὶ καθ᾽ ἥντινα αἰτίαν ἀνέθεσαν: λέγει γὰρ δὴ οὕτω:”ναὸς μὲν φιάλαν χρυσέαν ἔχει, ἐκ δὲ Τανάγρας

  τοὶ Λακεδαιμόνιοι συμμαχία τ᾽ ἀνέθεν

  δῶρον ἀπ᾽ Ἀργείων καὶ Ἀθαναίων καὶ Ἰώνων,