Olympic Victor Monuments and Greek Athletic ArtHyde, Walter Woodburn
History
Olympic Victor Monuments and Greek Athletic Art
Hyde, Walter Woodburn
Olympics; Sculpture, Greek; Sports -- Greece
C.);[2372] and of Lysippos, victor in παίδων πάλη some time between
Ols. 149 and 157 (= 184 and 152 B. C.).[2373] Of the first century A.
D., Pausanias mentions three victors without statues: Artemidoros,
who won παγκράτιον in Ol. 212 (= 69 A. D.);[2374] Polites, victor
in στάδιον, δίαυλος and δόλιχος in Ol. 212;[2375] and Hermogenes,
victor in στάδιον twice, δίαυλος once, and as ὁπλίτης thrice, in Ols.
215, 216, 217 (= 81-89 A. D.).[2376] The words of Pliny, _Olympiae,
ubi omnium qui vicissent statuas dicari mos erat_[2377] refer, of
course, as we have already pointed out, only to the privilege and not
to the actual fact, for many victors would have no statues, as it
was necessary for them or their relatives or city-states to meet the
expenses of their erection.[2378] No more is the rest of his statement
to be taken literally, _i. e._, that those victors who were victorious
three times had the right to erect portrait statues in their honor;
for we have, as has already been shown, at least one exception.[2379]
Besides we know that portrait statues were practically unknown
before the fourth century B. C. Most of the victor statues were mere
types—those of Hermes and Herakles being common—without individualized
features, simply representing the various contests by position or
some characteristic, _e. g._, the helmet and shield for “hoplite”
victors.[2380]
Five of these inscriptions have been referred to the sixth and fifth
centuries B. C.[2381] Of these the inscribed base of Pantares was
found near the South Altis wall, and the statue must originally have
stood east of the temple of Zeus, near the chariot of Gelo (90), for
these two were the only victors from Gela, and won in the same kind
of contest and at nearly the same date.[2382] The statues of Phrikias
of Pelinna and Phanas of Pellene, both representing victors in the
heavy-armed race, to which I have ascribed the two archaic marble
heads (Fig. 30), the former found west of the temple of Zeus and the
latter to the south of it, must originally have stood in the area of
the later temple and then have been removed.[2383] That of an unknown
victor, whose name ended in ...αδας,[2384] the two fragments of whose
base were found, one near the Heraion and the other to the east of the
temple of Zeus, should have stood near the statues of the only other
pancratiasts of a similar age, either near those of Dorieus (61), who
won in Ols. 87 to 89 (= 432 to 424 B. C.), and Damagetos (62), who won
in Ols. 82 and 83 (= 452 and 448 B. C.), in the zone of the _Bull_, or
near that of Timasitheos (82), who won some time between Ols. (?) 65
and 67 inclusive (= 520 and 512 B. C.), in the zone of the _Victory_.
Lastly, the second inscribed base of Xenombrotos (133), found near
the Council-house outside the South Altis wall, doubtless once stood
near the first (the epigram from which is preserved by Pausanias, VI,
14.12), along this wall to the east of the base of Telemachos.[2385]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account