παρὰ δὲ τοῦ Λαοίτα Διὸς καὶ Ποσειδῶνος Λαοίτα , παρὰ τούτων τὸν βωμὸν Ζεὺς ἐπὶ χαλκοῦ βάθρου δῶρον μὲν τοῦ Κορινθίων δήμου, Μούσου δέ ἐστι ποίημα, ὅστις δὴ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Μοῦσος. ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ βουλευτηρίου πρὸς τὸν ναὸν ἐρχομένῳ τὸν μέγαν ἔστιν ἄγαλμα ἐν ἀριστερᾷ Διός, ἐστεφανωμένον δὲ οἷα δὴ ἄνθεσι, καὶ ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ κεραυνὸς πεποίηται. τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν Ἀσκάρου τέχνη Θηβαίου, διδαχθέντος παρὰ τῷ Σικυωνίῳ Κανάχῳ· τὸ δὲ ἐπίγραμμα τὸ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ δεκάτην ἀπὸ τοῦ πολέμου Φωκέων καὶ Θεσσαλῶν φησιν εἶναι.
εἰ δὲ Φωκεῦσιν ἐς πόλεμόν τινα οὗτοι κατέστησαν καὶ ἔστιν ἀπὸ Φωκέων αὐτοῖς τὸ ἀνάθημα, οὐκ ἂν ὅ γε ἱερὸς καλούμενος εἴη πόλεμος, ὃν δὲ πρότερον ἔτι ἐπολέμησαν πρὶν ἢ Μήδους καὶ βασιλέα ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα διαβῆναι. τούτου δὲ οὐ πόρρω Ζεύς ἐστιν, ὅντινα ἀναθεῖναι Ψωφιδίους ἐπὶ πολέμου κατορθώματι τὸ ἔπος τὸ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ γεγραμμένον δηλοῖ.
τοῦ ναοῦ δέ ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ μεγάλου Ζεὺς πρὸς ἀνατολὰς ἡλίου, μέγεθος μὲν δυόδεκα ποδῶν, ἀνάθημα δὲ λέγουσιν εἶναι Λακεδαιμονίων, ἡνίκα ἀποστᾶσι Μεσσηνίοις δεύτερα τότε ἐς πόλεμον κατέστησαν· ἔπεστι δὲ καὶ ἐλεγεῖον ἐπʼ αὐτῷ, Δέξο ἄναξ Κρονίδα Ζεῦ Ὀλύμπιε καλὸν ἄγαλμα / ἱλάῳ θυμῷ τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις. /
Ῥωμαίων δὲ οὔτε ἄνδρα ἰδιώτην οὔτε ὁπόσοι τῆς βουλῆς οὐδένα Μομμίου πρότερον ἀνάθημα ἴσμεν ἐς ἱερὸν ἀναθέντα Ἑλληνικόν, Μόμμιος δὲ ἀπὸ λαφύρων ἀνέθηκε τῶν ἐξ Ἀχαΐας Δία ἐς Ὀλυμπίαν χαλκοῦν· οὗτος ἕστηκεν ἐν ἀριστερᾷ τοῦ Λακεδαιμονίων ἀναθήματος, παρὰ τὸν πρῶτον ταύτῃ τοῦ ναοῦ κίονα. ὃ δὲ ἐν τῇ Ἄλτει μέγιστον τῶν χαλκῶν ἐστιν ἀγαλμάτων τοῦ Διός, ἀνετέθη μὲν ὑπὸ αὐτῶν Ἠλείων ἀπὸ τοῦ πρὸς Ἀρκάδας πολέμου, μέγεθος δὲ ἑπτὰ καὶ εἴκοσι ποδῶν ἐστι.
παρὰ δὲ τῷ Πελοπίῳ κίων τε οὐχ ὑψηλὸς καὶ ἄγαλμα Διός ἐστιν ἐπʼ αὐτῷ μικρόν, τὴν ἑτέραν τῶν χειρῶν προτεῖνον. τούτου δὲ ἀπαντικρὺ ἄλλα ἐστὶν ἀναθήματα ἐπὶ στοίχου, ὡς δὲ αὔτως Διὸς καὶ Γανυμήδους ἀγάλματα· ἔστι δὲ Ὁμήρῳ πεποιημένα ὡς ἁρπασθείη τε ὑπὸ θεῶν Γανυμήδης οἰνοχοεῖν Διὶ καὶ ὡς Τρωὶ δῶρα ἵπποι δοθεῖεν ἀντʼ αὐτοῦ. τοῦτο ἀνέθηκε μὲν Γνᾶθις Θεσσαλός, ἐποίησε δὲ Ἀριστοκλῆς μαθητής τε καὶ υἱὸς Κλεοίτα.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλος Ζεὺς οὐκ ἔχων πω γένεια, κεῖται δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἀναθήμασι τοῖς Μικύθου. τὰ δὲ ἐς Μίκυθον, γένος τε ὁποῖον ἦν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀνθʼ ὅτου τὰ ἀναθήματα ἐς Ὀλυμπίαν τὰ πολλὰ ἀνέθηκεν, ὁ ἐφεξῆς μοι λόγος δηλώσει. ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ἀγάλματος τοῦ εἰρημένου προελθόντι ὀλίγον κατʼ εὐθεῖαν ἄγαλμά ἐστι Διὸς οὐκ ἔχον γένεια οὐδὲ αὐτό, Ἐλαϊτῶν δὲ ἀνάθημα, οἳ καταβάντι ἐκ Καΐκου πεδίου ἐς θάλασσαν πρῶτοι ἐν τῇ Αἰολίδι οἰκοῦσι.
τούτου δὲ αὖθις ἄλλο ἄγαλμα ἔχεται Διός, τὸ δὲ ἐπίγραμμα τὸ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ τοὺς ἐν Κνίδῳ Χερρονησίους ἀπὸ ἀνδρῶν ἀναθεῖναι πολεμίων φησίν· ἀνέθεσαν δὲ ἑκατέρωθεν παρὰ τὸν Δία Πέλοπά τε καὶ τὸν Ἀλφειὸν ποταμόν. Κνιδίοις δὲ τῆς πόλεως τὸ μὲν πολὺ ἐν τῇ ἠπείρῳ πεπόλισται τῇ Καρικῇ, ἔνθα καὶ τὰ λόγου μάλιστα ἄξια αὐτοῖς ἐστιν, ἡ δὲ καλουμένη Χερρόνησός ἐστιν ἐπὶ τῇ ἠπείρῳ κειμένη νῆσος γεφύρᾳ διαβατὸς ἐξ αὐτῆς·
καὶ τὰ ἀναθήματα ἀνέθεσαν ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ τῷ Διὶ οἱ ἐνταῦθα οἰκοῦντες, ὡς εἰ τῆς Ἐφεσίων πόλεως οἱ ἔχοντες τὸν ὀνομαζόμενον Κόρησον ἀνάθημα φαῖεν ἰδίᾳ τι ἀναθεῖναι τοῦ Ἐφεσίων κοινοῦ. ἔστι δὲ καὶ πρὸς τῷ τείχει τῆς Ἄλτεως Ζεὺς ἐπὶ ἡλίου τετραμμένος δυσμάς, ἐπίγραμμα οὐδὲν παρεχόμενος· ἐλέγετο δὲ καὶ οὗτος Μομμίου τε καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀχαιῶν εἶναι πολέμου.
ὁ δὲ ἐν τῷ βουλευτηρίῳ πάντων ὁπόσα ἀγάλματα Διὸς μάλιστα ἐς ἔκπληξιν ἀδίκων ἀνδρῶν πεποίηται· ἐπίκλησις μὲν Ὅρκιός ἐστιν αὐτῷ, ἔχει δὲ ἐν ἑκατέρᾳ κεραυνὸν χειρί. παρὰ τούτῳ καθέστηκε τοῖς ἀθληταῖς καὶ πατράσιν αὐτῶν καὶ ἀδελφοῖς, ἔτι δὲ γυμνασταῖς ἐπὶ κάπρου κατόμνυσθαι τομίων, μηδὲν ἐς τὸν Ὀλυμπίων ἀγῶνα ἔσεσθαι παρʼ αὐτῶν κακούργημα. οἱ δὲ ἄνδρες οἱ ἀθληταὶ καὶ τόδε ἔτι προσκατόμνυνται, δέκα ἐφεξῆς μηνῶν ἀπηκριβῶσθαί σφισι τὰ πάντα ἐς ἄσκησιν.
ὀμνύουσι δὲ καὶ ὅσοι τοὺς παῖδας ἢ τῶν ἵππων τῶν ἀγωνιζομένων τοὺς πώλους κρίνουσιν, ἐπὶ δικαίῳ καὶ ἄνευ δώρων ποιεῖσθαι κρίσιν, καὶ τὰ ἐς τὸν δοκιμαζόμενόν τε καὶ μή, φυλάξειν καὶ ταῦτα ἐν ἀπορρήτῳ. τῷ κάπρῳ δὲ ὅ τι χρῆσθαί σφισι μετὰ τῶν ἀθλητῶν τὸν ὅρκον καθέστηκεν, οὐκ ἐμνημόνευσα ἐπερέσθαι, ἐπεὶ τοῖς γε ἀρχαιοτέροις ἐπὶ ἱερεῖα ἦν καθεστηκός, ἐφʼ ᾧ τις ὅρκον ἐποιήσατο, μηδὲ ἐδώδιμον εἶναι τοῦτο ἔτι ἀνθρώπῳ. δηλοῖ δὲ οὐχ ἥκιστα καὶ Ὅμηρος·
τὸν γοῦν κάπρον καθʼ ὅτου τῶν τομίων Ἀγαμέμνων ἐπώμοσεν ἦ μὴν εἶναι τὴν Βρισηίδα ἑαυτοῦ τῆς εὐνῆς ἀπείρατον, τοῦτον τὸν κάπρον ἀφιέμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ κήρυκος ἐποίησεν ἐς θάλασσαν· ἦ, καὶ ἀπὸ σφάραγον κάπρου τάμε νηλέι χαλκῷ. / τὸν μὲν Ταλθύβιος πολιῆς ἁλὸς ἐς μέγα λαῖτμα / ῥῖψʼ ἐπιδινήσας, βόσιν ἰχθύσιν. / οὕτω μὲν τὸ ἀρχαῖον τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐνόμιζον· ἔστι δὲ πρὸ τῶν ποδῶν τοῦ Ὁρκίου πινάκιον χαλκοῦν, ἐπιγέγραπται δὲ ἐλεγεῖα ἐπʼ αὐτοῦ, δεῖμα ἐθέλοντα τοῖς ἐπιορκοῦσι παριστάναι.
Beside the altar of Zeus Laoetas and Poseidon Laoetas is an image of Zeus on a bronze pedestal: it is a gift of the Corinthian people, and a work of Musus, whoever he was. On the way from the Council House to the great temple there is an image of Zeus on the left, crowned as with flowers and with a thunderbolt in his right hand. This is a work of Ascarus, a Theban, a pupil of the Sicyonian . . . . states that it is. . . . and of the Thessalians. If it is an offering from spoils taken from the Phocians in a war which the Thessalians waged on them, that war could not be the Sacred War, but must have been the war which they waged before the Medes and their king crossed over to attack Greece. Not far from it is a Zeus which the verse inscribed on it declares to have been dedicated by the Psophidians for a success in war. On the right of the great temple is a Zeus looking to the rising sun: it is twelve feet high, and they say that it was dedicated by the Lacedaemonians when they entered on the second war with the rebel Messenians. There is a couplet inscribed on it :— Receive, O prince, son of Cronus, Olympian Zeus, a fair image, And be propitious to the Lacedaemonians. We know of no Roman before Mummius, whether private person or senator, who dedicated an offering in a Greek sanctuary, but Mummius dedicated a bronze Zeus in Olympia from the spoils of Achaia. It stands on the left of the offering of the Lacedaemonians, beside the first pillar on this side of the temple. The largest of all the bronze images of Zeus in the Altis was dedicated by the Eleans themselves from the spoils of the war with the Arcadians: its height is twenty-seven feet. Beside the Pelopium is a low pillar on which is a small image of Zeus holding out one hand. Opposite it there are other offerings in a row, also images of Zeus and Ganymede. Homer has told how Ganymede was carried off by the gods to be cup-bearer to Zeus, and how horses were given to Tros in compensation for the loss of Ganymede. The offering was dedicated by Gnathis, a Thessalian: the sculptor was Aristocles, pupil and son of Cleoetas. There is also another Zeus without a beard: it is among the offerings of Micythus. As to Micythus, I will show in the sequel what was his lineage and why he dedicated so many offerings in Olympia. Going straight on for a little distance from the said image you come to another image of Zeus, also beardless, an offering of the people of Elaea, which is the first city in Aeolis after you have descended from the plain of the Caicus to the sea. Next to it is another image of Zeus, the inscription on which declares that it was dedicated by the Chersonesians of Cnidus from the spoils of their enemies. On either side of it they also dedicated images of Pelops and the river Alpheus. The greater part of the city of Cnidus is built on the mainland of Caria, where are also the chief objects of interest in the city: what they call the Chersonese (‘peninsula’) is an island off the mainland, from which it is reached by a bridge. It was the people living in the Chersonese who dedicated at Olympia the offerings to Zeus, just as if the people who occupy the quarter called Coresus at Ephesus were to say that they had dedicated an offering independently of Ephesus as a whole. Beside the wall of the Altis there is another image of Zeus facing the west, but it has no inscription. This image also was said to have been dedicated by Mummius from the spoils of the Achaean war.
But the image of Zeus in the Council House is of all the images of Zeus the best calculated to strike terror into wicked men: it bears the surname of the God of Oaths, and holds a thunderbolt in each hand. Beside this image it is the custom for the athletes, their fathers and brothers, and also the trainers, to swear upon the cut pieces of a boar that they will be guilty of no foul play in respect of the Olympic games. The athletes take an additional oath, that for ten successive months they have strictly observed the rules of training. Also those who examine the boys or the foals which are entered for the races swear that they will decide justly and will take no bribes, and that they will keep secret what they know about the accepted or rejected candidate. I forgot to ask what they do with the boar after the athletes have taken the oath. With the ancients it was a rule that a sacrificed animal on which an oath had been taken should not be eaten by man. Homer proves this clearly. For the boar, on the cut pieces of which Agamemnon swore that in good sooth Briseis was a stranger to his bed, is represented by Homer as being cast by the herald into the sea :— ‘He spake, and cut the boar’s throat with pitiless bronze. Talthybius lightly wheeled and threw the boar Into the great deep of the gray sea, a food for fishes. Such was the ancient custom. At the feet of the God of Oaths is a bronze tablet, with elegiac verses inscribed on it, the intention of which is to strike terror into perjurers.
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