And next to the statue of Euthymus is that of Pytharchus of Mantinea, a runner in the course, and Charmides a boxer of Elis, both of whom received prizes as boys. And when you have seen these you will come to the statues of the Rhodian athletes, Diagoras and his family. They are all together in the following order, Acusilaus with the prize for boxing among men, and Dorieus, the youngest, who won three prizes in succession at Olympia in the pancratium. Before Dorieus Damagetus, who comes next, had won the prize against all comers in the pancratium. Next to his 3 sons comes the statue of Diagoras, who won a victory among men in boxing. And the statue of Diagoras is by the Megarian Callicles, the son of that Theocosmus who made the statue of Zeus at Megara. The sons also of Diagoras’ daughters practised as boxers and won prizes at Olympia, among the men Eucles the son of Callianax and Callipatira (the daughter of Diagoras), and among the boys Pisirodus, whose mother dressed him up like a man and brought him to the Olympian games, herself disguised as a trainer. This Pisirodus also has a statue in Altis near his maternal grandfather. Diagoras they say also came to Olympia with his sons Acusilaus and Damagetus. And the young men being victorious at the festival bore their father on their shoulders, who was pelted by the Greeks with flowers and congratulated on his sons. On the female side Diagoras was a Messenian by extraction, as he was descended from the daughter of Aristomenes. And Dorieus the son of Diagoras, besides his victories at Olympia, had 8 victories in the Isthmian games, and seven in the Nemean. It is said that he also won in the Pythian games without a contest. And he and Pisirodus were entered in the games as Thurians, because they were driven from Rhodes by faction and migrated to Thurii. But Dorieus returned to Rhodes subsequently. And of all men he manifestly was most devoted to the Lacedæmonian interests, for he fought against the Athenians with a fleet he had himself equipped, till he was captured by the Athenian triremes and taken prisoner to Athens. And the Athenians before Dorieus was brought before them were very angry against him and used threats, but when they came to the popular Assembly and saw there so great and renowned a man a captive, their intention about him changed and they let him go, and did no harm to him, while they might have done so with justice. The circumstances of the death of Dorieus are told by Androtion in his history of Attica, viz. that the fleet of the great king was at Caunus and Conon was the Admiral, and the people of Rhodes were persuaded by Conon to revolt from the Lacedæmonians, and join the alliance of the Athenians and the great king, and that Dorieus was at the time absent from Rhodes in the interior of the Peloponnese, and was arrested by the Lacedæmonians and taken to Sparta, and condemned by the Lacedæmonians for treason and put to death. And if Androtion’s account be correct, he seems to be desirous of proving the Lacedæmonians as rash as the Athenians, for the Athenians are charged with acting rashly with respect to Thrasyllus and those who fought under him at Arginusæ. To such a pitch of glory then did Diagoras and his posterity attain.
Alcænetus, the son of Theantus of Lepreus, and his sons also had victories at Olympia. Alcænetus himself won prizes for boxing among the men as previously among the boys. And Hellanicus and Theantus, the sons of Alcænetus, were proclaimed winners in the boxing match for boys, Hellanicus in the 89th Olympiad, and Theantus in the following Olympiad. All three have statues at Olympia. And next to the sons of Alcænetus are statues of Gnatho, the Dipæan from the country about Mænalus, and Lycinus of Elis: who also had prizes for boxing among the boys at Olympia. That Gnatho, when he conquered, was exceptionally young is stated in the inscription, his statue is by Callicles the Megarian. And Dromeus from Stymphelus was as his name indicates a runner in the long course, and had two victories at Olympia, two at the Pythian games, three at the Isthmus, and five at Nemea. It is said also that he introduced eating flesh during training: for athletes in training before him used to eat only a particular kind of cheese. His statue is by Pythagoras, and the next to it is that of Pythocles of Elis, who won in the pentathlum, by Polycletus.
CHAPTER VIII.
Who made the statue of Socrates of Pellene, who won the race for boys, is not recorded, but the statue of Amertus of Elis, who defeated in wrestling all the men that came to the Pythian games, was by Phradmon the Argive. And Euanoridas of Elis won victories in wrestling among the boys both at Olympia and at Nemea: and he became an Umpire and made a list of the victors at Olympia.
As to the boxer Damarchus, a Parrhasian from Arcadia, I cannot credit, except the victory at Olympia, all the fictions about him made by boastful people, such as that he changed from a man into a wolf at the sacrifice of Zeus Lycæus, and that 10 years afterwards he changed into a man again. Not that this is the tradition apparently of the Arcadians about him. Else it would have been inserted in their inscription at Olympia, which runs as follows.
“Damarchus the son of Dinnytas erected this statue, a Parrhasian from Arcadia.”
This is all the inscription. But Eubotas of Cyrene, as he had learnt beforehand from the oracle at Libya that he would gain the prize in the race at Olympia, had his statue made first, and on the same day was proclaimed victor and set up his statue. It is said also that he won the chariot race in that Olympiad which the people of Elis do not reckon because the Arcadians instituted the games.
And the statue of Timanthes of Cleonæ, who won the prize for men in the pancratium, is by the Athenian Myro, and that of Baucis of Trœzen, who beat all the men in wrestling, is by Naucydes. The following was they say the end of Timanthes. When he ceased to be an athlete he continued none the less to make trial of his strength, every day bending a huge bow: and he went away from home for a time, and during that period the use of the bow was suspended: and when on his return he found himself no longer strong enough to bend his bow, he lighted his funeral pyre and put himself alive on it. All actions of this kind whether in the past or in the future seem to me rather madness than bravery.
And next to Baucis are some statues of Arcadian athletes, as Euthymenes of Mænalus, who won prizes among men for wrestling and still earlier among boys, and Philip the son of Azan from Pellene, who beat all the boys in boxing, and Critodamus from Clitor, who was himself also proclaimed victor in the boys’ boxing match. That of Euthymenes was by Alypus, that of Critodamus by Cleon, and that of Philip the son of Azan by Myro. As to Promachus the pancratiast, the son of Dryon of Pellene, I shall state more about him in my account of Achaia. And not far from Promachus is the statue of Timasitheus of Delphi, (by Ageladas the Argive), who won two victories in the pancratium at Olympia, and three in the Pythian games. He also exhibited brilliant bravery in war, and had constant good fortune till then. For his valour on that occasion cost him his life. For when Isagoras the Athenian occupied the Acropolis with the view of making himself master of Athens, Timasitheus joined him, and was one of those who were captured, and put to death by the Athenians for his share in the matter.