ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἀγάλματα Διὸς δημοσίᾳ τε καὶ ὑπὸ ἀνδρῶν ἀνατεθέντα ἰδιωτῶν. ἔστι δὲ βωμὸς ἐν τῇ Ἄλτει τῆς ἐσόδου πλησίον τῆς ἀγούσης ἐς τὸ στάδιον· ἐπὶ τούτου θεῶν μὲν οὐδενὶ θύουσιν Ἠλεῖοι, σαλπιγκταῖς δὲ ἐφεστηκόσιν αὐτῷ καὶ τοῖς κήρυξιν ἀγωνίζεσθαι καθέστηκε. παρὰ τοῦτον τὸν βωμὸν βάθρον τε πεποίηται χαλκοῦν καὶ ἄγαλμα ἐπʼ αὐτῷ Διός, μέγεθος μὲν ὅσον ἓξ πήχεις, κεραυνὸν δὲ ἐν ἑκατέρᾳ τῇ χειρὶ ἔχει· ἀνέθεσαν δὲ αὐτὸ Κυναιθαεῖς. ὁ δὲ περικείμενός τε τὸν ὅρμον καὶ ἡλικίαν παῖς ἔτι ἀνάθημα ἀνδρός ἐστι Φλιασίου Κλεόλα.
παρὰ δὲ τὸ Ἱπποδάμιον καλούμενον λίθου τε βάθρον ἐστὶ κύκλος ἥμισυς καὶ ἀγάλματα ἐπʼ αὐτῷ Ζεὺς καὶ Θέτις τε καὶ Ἡμέρα τὸν Δία ὑπὲρ τῶν τέκνων ἱκετεύουσαι. ταῦτα ἐπὶ μέσῳ τῷ βάθρῳ· οἱ δὲ ἤδη σχῆμα ἀντιτεταγμένων ὅ τε Ἀχιλλεὺς παρέχεται καὶ ὁ Μέμνων ἐπὶ ἑκατέρῳ τοῦ βάθρου τῷ πέρατι ἑκάτερος. ἀνθεστήκασι δὲ καὶ ἄλλος ἄλλῳ κατὰ τὰ αὐτά, ἀνὴρ βάρβαρος ἀνδρὶ Ἕλληνι, Ὀδυσσεὺς μὲν Ἑλένῳ, ὅτι οὗτοι μάλιστα ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ δόξαν ἐν ἑκατέρῳ τῷ στρατεύματι εἰλήφεσαν, Μενελάῳ δὲ κατὰ τὸ ἔχθος τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς Ἀλέξανδρος, Διομήδει δὲ Αἰνείας καὶ τῷ Τελαμῶνος Αἴαντι Δηίφοβος.
ταῦτά ἐστιν ἔργα μὲν Λυκίου τοῦ Μύρωνος, Ἀπολλωνιᾶται δὲ ἀνέθηκαν οἱ ἐν τῷ Ἰονίῳ· καὶ δὴ καὶ ἐλεγεῖον γράμμασίν ἐστιν ἀρχαίοις ὑπὸ τοῦ Διὸς τοῖς ποσί· μνάματʼ Ἀπολλωνίας ἀνακείμεθα, τὰν ἐνὶ πόντῳ / Ἰονίῳ Φοῖβος ᾤκισʼ ἀκερσεκόμας· / οἳ γᾶς τέρμαθʼ ἑλόντες Ἀβαντίδος ἐνθάδε ταῦτα / ἔστασαν σὺν θεοῖς ἐκ Θρονίου δεκάταν. / ἡ δὲ Ἀβαντὶς καλουμένη χώρα καὶ πόλισμα ἐν αὐτῇ Θρόνιον τῆς Θεσπρωτίδος ἦσαν ἠπείρου κατὰ ὄρη τὰ Κεραύνια.
σκεδασθεισῶν γὰρ Ἕλλησιν, ὡς ἐκομίζοντο ἐξ Ἰλίου, τῶν νεῶν, Λοκροί τε ἐκ Θρονίου τῆς ἐπὶ Βοαγρίῳ ποταμῷ καὶ Ἄβαντες ἀπὸ Εὐβοίας ναυσὶν ὀκτὼ συναμφότεροι πρὸς τὰ ὄρη κατηνέχθησαν τὰ Κεραύνια. οἰκήσαντες δὲ ἐνταῦθα καὶ πόλιν οἰκίσαντες Θρόνιον, καὶ τῆς γῆς ἐφʼ ὅσον ἐνέμοντο Ἀβαντίδος ὄνομα ἀπὸ κοινοῦ λόγου θέμενοι, ἐκπίπτουσιν ὕστερον ὑπὸ Ἀπολλωνιατῶν ὁμόρων κρατηθέντες πολέμῳ. ἀποικισθῆναι δὲ ἐκ Κορκύρας τὴν Ἀπολλωνίαν, τὴν δὲ Κορινθίων εἶναί φασιν ἀποικίαν, οἱ δὲ Κορινθίοις αὐτοῖς μετεῖναι λαφύρων.
προελθόντι δὲ ὀλίγον Ζεύς ἐστι πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα τετραμμένος τὸν ἥλιον, ἀετὸν ἔχων τὸν ὄρνιθα καὶ τῇ ἑτέρᾳ τῶν χειρῶν κεραυνόν· ἐπίκειται δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ στέφανος, ἄνθη τὰ ἠρινά. Μεταποντίνων δέ ἐστιν ἀνάθημα, Αἰγινήτου δὲ ἔργον Ἀριστόνου· τοῦ δὲ Ἀριστόνου τούτου διδάσκαλον, ἢ καθʼ ὅντινα χρόνον ἐγένετο, οὐκ ἴσμεν.
ἀνέθεσαν δὲ καὶ Φλιάσιοι Δία καὶ θυγατέρας τὰς Ἀσωποῦ καὶ αὐτὸν Ἀσωπόν, διακεκόσμηται δὲ οὕτω σφίσι τὰ ἀγάλματα. Νεμέα μὲν τῶν ἀδελφῶν πρώτη, μετὰ δὲ αὐτὴν Ζεὺς λαμβανόμενός ἐστιν Αἰγίνης, παρὰ δὲ τὴν Αἴγιναν ἕστηκεν Ἅρπινα—ταύτῃ τῷ Ἠλείων καὶ Φλιασίων λόγῳ συνεγένετο Ἄρης, καὶ Οἰνομάῳ δὲ μήτηρ τῷ περὶ τὴν Πισαίαν βασιλεύσαντί ἐστιν Ἅρπινα—, μετὰ δὲ αὐτὴν Κόρκυρά τε καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτῇ Θήβη, τελευταῖος δὲ ὁ Ἀσωπός. λέγεται δὲ ἐς μὲν Κόρκυραν ὡς μιχθείη Ποσειδῶν αὐτῇ· τοιαῦτα δὲ ἕτερα ᾖσε Πίνδαρος ἐς Θήβην τε καὶ ἐς Δία.
ἰδίᾳ δὲ ἄνδρες Λεοντῖνοι καὶ οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ Δία ἀνέστησαν· μέγεθος μὲν τοῦ ἀγάλματος πήχεις εἰσὶν ἑπτά, ἐν δὲ ταῖς χερσὶν ἀετός τέ ἐστιν αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ βέλος τοῦ Διὸς κατὰ τοὺς τῶν ποιητῶν λόγους. ἀνέθεσαν δὲ Ἱππαγόρας τε καὶ Φρύνων καὶ Αἰνεσίδημος, ὃν ἄλλον πού τινα Αἰνεσίδημον δοκῶ καὶ οὐ τὸν τυραννήσαντα εἶναι Λεοντίνων.
Such I found to be the causes for which the images enumerated above were erected. There are also images of Zeus dedicated by states and by individuals. There is an altar in the Altis near the entrance to the stadium. On this altar the Eleans do not sacrifice to any of the gods, but it is the custom for the trumpeters and heralds to stand on it when they compete. Beside this altar is a bronze pedestal with an image of Zeus on it: the height of the image is about six cubits, and it holds a thunderbolt in either hand. It was dedicated by the Cynaethians. But the image of Zeus as a boy wearing a necklace is the offering of Cleolas, a Phliasian.
Beside the Hippodamium, as it is called, is a semicircular pedestal of stone, and on it are images of Zeus, and Thetis, and Day, who is represented in the act of supplicating Zeus on behalf of her children. These are on the middle of the pedestal. Achilles and Memnon are represented in the attitude of antagonists, one at each end of the pedestal. Other pairs are similarly opposed to each other, Greek being matched against barbarian. Ulysses is opposed to Helenus, because these two had the highest reputation for wisdom in their respective armies: Alexander faces Menelaus in virtue of their old feud: Diomede is confronted by Aeneas; and Ajax, son of Telamon, by Deiphobus. These statues are works of Lycius, son of Myron: they were dedicated by the people of Apollonia on the Ionian Sea. There are, moreover, elegiac verses in ancient letters under the feet of Zeus :-— We stand as memorials of Apollonia, which beside the Ionian main Phoebus founded, god of the unshorn locks. The Apollonians, after conquering the land of Abantis, Set up here these images, with the help of the gods, a tithe from the spoil of Thronium.
The district called Abantis and the town of Thronium in it were in Thesprotian Epirus, at the Ceraunian Mountains. For when the Greek ships were scattered on their return from Ilium some Locrians from Thronium (the town which stands on the river Boagrius), and some Abantes from Euboea, with eight ships between them, were driven on the Ceraunian Mountains. There they settled and built a city, Thronium, and by common consent they gave to the land, so far as they possessed it, the name of Abantis; but afterwards they were defeated and expelled by their neighbours the Apollonians. But that Apollonia was founded by colonists from Corcyra . . . and some say that the Corinthians shared the spoil with them. 4. A little farther on is an image of Zeus turned towards the rising sun, holding an eagle in one hand and a thunderbolt in the other ; and on his head he wears a wreath of lilies. It is an offering of the Metapontines, and is a work of Aristonus, an Aeginetan. We do not know who was the master of Aristonus, nor when he lived. 5. The Phliasians dedicated an image of Zeus, images of the daughters of Asopus, and an image of Asopus himself. The images are thus arranged. Nemea is the first of the sisters; after her is Zeus laying hold of Aegina; beside Aegina stands Harpina, who, according to the Eleans and Phliasians, was beloved by Ares, and she was the mother of Oenomaus, king of the land of Pisa; after her is Corcyra, and next Thebe; and last Asopus. It is said of Corcyra that she was embraced by Poseidon, and a similar story is told by the poet Pindar about Thebe and Zeus. Some men of Leontini set up an image of Zeus as private individuals, not as representing their state. The height of the image is seven cubits: in its hands are an eagle and the bolt of Zeus in accordance with the poets’ tales. It was dedicated by Hippagoras, Phrynon, and Aenesidemus. This last is not, I suppose, the Aenesidemus who was tyrant of Leontini.
Cite This Text