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
Aristeides of Thebes,[273] a _victor certamine gymnico palmam tenens_
by Eupompos,[274] an athlete by Zeuxis,[275] the victor Aratos with a
trophy by Leontiskos,[276] an athlete by Protogenes,[277] two hoplite
runners by Parrhasios,[278] a _luctator tubicenque_ by Antidotos and
a warrior by the same artist, in Athens,[279] which represented a man
fighting with a shield, and a man anointing himself, the work of the
painter Theoros.[280]
Apparently the Hellanodikai allowed but one statue for each victory.
Aischines the Elean had two victories and two statues.[281] Dikon of
Kaulonia and Syracuse had three victories and three statues.[282]
The Spartan Lykinos had two victories and two statues by Myron, but
we have already said that the second statue was probably that of his
charioteer, the two forming part of an equestrian group.[283] Kapros
of Elis won two victories and had as many statues.[284] On the other
hand Troilos of Elis, who won in two events, had only one statue.[285]
Similarly Arkesilaos of Sparta had two victories in the chariot-race
and only one statue.[286] Xenombrotos of Cos, who appears to have won
once only, had, however, two monuments, one mentioned by Pausanias and
the other known to us from the recovered inscription.[287] But this
last case seems to be the only known exception.
When the victor was unable to set up his monument, whether because of
youth, poverty, early death, or other reason, sometimes the privilege
was utilized by a relative, a friend, or by his native city. In any
case it was a private affair with which the Elean officials had no
concern. We have examples, consequently, of the statue being set up
by the son,[288] father (especially in recovered inscriptions after
the time of Augustus),[289] mother,[290] and brother;[291] also
several examples of statues reared in honor of athletes by fellow
citizens.[292] There are cases in which the trainer set up the
statue.[293] Frequently the native city performed the duty, dedicating
the statue either at Olympia or in the victor’s city. Thus Oibotas,
who won the stade-race in Ol. 6 (= 756 B. C.), had a statue at Olympia
which was erected by the Achæan state out of deference to a command of
the Delphian oracle in Ol. 80 (= 460 B. C.).[294] The statue of Agenor,
by Polykleitos the Younger, a boy wrestler from Thebes, was dedicated
by the confederacy of Phokis, because his father was a public friend of
the nation.[295] The boy runner Herodotos of Klazomenai had a statue
erected by his native town at Olympia because he was the first victor
from there.[296] Philinos of Kos had a statue set up by the people of
Kos at Olympia “because of glory won,” for he was victor five times in
running at Olympia, four at Delphi, four at Nemea, and eleven at the
Isthmus.[297] Hermesianax of Kolophon had a statue at Olympia erected
by his city.[298] The pancratiast Promachos of Pellene had two statues
erected to him by his fellow citizens, one at Olympia, the other in
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