ἑτέρα δὲ ἔξοδος ἐκ τοῦ γυμνασίου φέρει μὲν ἔς τε τὴν ἀγορὰν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἑλλανοδικαιῶνα καλούμενον, ἔστι δὲ ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἀχιλλέως τὸν τάφον· καὶ ταύτῃ τοὺς Ἑλλανοδίκας ἰέναι καθέστηκεν ἐς τὸ γυμνάσιον. ἐσίασι δὲ πρὶν μὲν ἥλιον ἀνίσχειν συμβαλοῦντες δρομέας, μεσούσης δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐπὶ τὸ πένταθλον καὶ ὅσα βαρέα ἆθλα ὀνομάζουσιν.
ἡ δὲ ἀγορὰ τοῖς Ἠλείοις οὐ κατὰ τὰς Ἰώνων καὶ ὅσαι πρὸς Ἰωνίᾳ πόλεις εἰσὶν Ἑλλήνων, τρόπῳ δὲ πεποίηται τῷ ἀρχαιοτέρῳ στοαῖς τε ἀπὸ ἀλλήλων διεστώσαις καὶ ἀγυιαῖς διʼ αὐτῶν. ὄνομα δὲ τῇ ἀγορᾷ τὸ ἐφʼ ἡμῶν ἐστιν Ἱππόδρομος, καὶ οἱ ἐπιχώριοι τοὺς ἵππους παιδεύουσιν ἐνταῦθα. τῶν στοῶν δὲ ἡ πρὸς μεσημβρίαν ἐργασίας ἐστὶ τῆς Δωρίου, διαιροῦσι δὲ αὐτὴν ἐς μοίρας τρεῖς οἱ κίονες· ἐν ταύτῃ διημερεύουσι τὰ πολλὰ οἱ Ἑλλανοδίκαι.
ποιοῦνται δὲ πρὸς αὐτοῖς καὶ βωμοὺς τῷ Διί, καὶ εἰσὶν ἐν τῷ ὑπαίθρῳ τῆς ἀγορᾶς οἱ βωμοὶ πλῆθος οὐ πολλοί· καταλύονται γὰρ οὐ χαλεπῶς ἅτε αὐτοσχεδίως οἰκοδομούμενοι. κατὰ ταύτην τὴν στοὰν ἰόντι ἐς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἔστιν ἐν ἀριστερᾷ παρὰ τὸ πέρας τῆς στοᾶς ὁ Ἑλλανοδικαιών· ἀγυιὰ δὲ ἡ διείργουσα ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἐστιν αὐτόν. ἐν τούτῳ τῷ Ἑλλανοδικαιῶνι οἰκοῦσι δέκα ἐφεξῆς μῆνας οἱ αἱρεθέντες ἑλλανοδικεῖν καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν νομοφυλάκων ὅσα ἐς τὸν ἀγῶνα σφᾶς δεῖ ποιεῖν διδάσκονται.
τῇ στοᾷ δὲ ἔνθα οἱ Ἑλλανοδίκαι διημερεύουσιν ἔστιν ἐγγὺς ἄλλη στοά· τὸ μεταξὺ αὐτῶν ἀγυιὰ μία. ταύτην ὀνομάζουσι Κορκυραϊκὴν οἱ Ἠλεῖοι· ναυσὶ γὰρ ἐς τὴν σφετέραν Κορκυραίους ἐλθόντας ἐλάσαι μοῖραν τῆς λείας λέγοντες λαβεῖν τε ἐκ τῆς Κορκυραίων πολλαπλάσια καὶ οἰκοδομήσασθαι τὴν στοὰν ἀπὸ τῶν λαφύρων τῆς δεκάτης.
ἔστι δὲ ἡ κατασκευὴ τῆς στοᾶς Δώριος καὶ διπλῆ, τῇ μὲν ἐς τὴν ἀγορὰν τοὺς κίονας, τῇ δὲ ἐς τὰ ἐπέκεινα τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἔχουσα· κατὰ μέσον δὲ αὐτῆς οὐ κίονες, ἀλλὰ τοῖχος ὁ ταύτῃ τὸν ὄροφον ἀνέχων ἐστίν, ἀνάκεινται δὲ καὶ εἰκόνες ἑκατέρωθεν πρὸς τῷ τοίχῳ. κατὰ δὲ τῆς στοᾶς τὸ ἐς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἕστηκε Πύρρωνος τοῦ Πιστοκράτους εἰκών, σοφιστοῦ τε ἀνδρὸς καὶ ἐς βέβαιον ὁμολογίαν ἐπὶ οὐδενὶ λόγῳ καταστάντος. ἔστι δὲ καὶ μνῆμα τῷ Πύρρωνι οὐ πόρρω τοῦ Ἠλείων ἄστεως· Πέτρα μὲν τῷ χωρίῳ τὸ ὄνομα, λέγεται δὲ ὡς ἡ Πέτρα δῆμος εἴη τὸ ἀρχαῖον.
Ἠλείοις δὲ ἐν τῷ ὑπαίθρῳ τῆς ἀγορᾶς τὰ ἐπιφανέστατα ναός ἐστι καὶ ἄγαλμα Ἀπόλλωνος Ἀκεσίου· σημαίνοι δʼ ἂν τὸ ὄνομα οὐδέν τι ἀλλοῖον ἢ ὁ καλούμενος Ἀλεξίκακος ὑπὸ Ἀθηναίων. ἑτέρωθι δὲ Ἡλίῳ πεποίηται καὶ Σελήνῃ λίθου τὰ ἀγάλματα, καὶ τῆς μὲν κέρατα ἐκ τῆς κεφαλῆς, τοῦ δὲ αἱ ἀκτῖνες ἀνέχουσιν. ἔστι δὲ καὶ Χάρισιν ἱερὸν καὶ ξόανα ἐπίχρυσα τὰ ἐς ἐσθῆτα, πρόσωπα δὲ καὶ χεῖρες καὶ πόδες λίθου λευκοῦ· ἔχουσι δὲ ἡ μὲν αὐτῶν ῥόδον, ἀστράγαλον δὲ ἡ μέση, καὶ ἡ τρίτη κλῶνα οὐ μέγαν μυρσίνης.
ἔχειν δὲ αὐτὰς ἐπὶ τοιῷδε εἰκάζοι τις ἂν τὰ εἰρημένα, ῥόδον μὲν καὶ μυρσίνην Ἀφροδίτης τε ἱερὰ εἶναι καὶ οἰκεῖα τῷ ἐς Ἄδωνιν λόγῳ, Χάριτας δὲ Ἀφροδίτῃ μάλιστα φίλας εἶναι θεῶν· ἀστράγαλον δὲ μειρακίων τε καὶ παρθένων, οἷς ἄχαρι οὐδέν πω πρόσεστιν ἐκ γήρως, τούτων εἶναι τὸν ἀστράγαλον παίγνιον. τῶν Χαρίτων δὲ ἐν δεξιᾷ ἄγαλμά ἐστιν Ἔρωτος· ἕστηκε δὲ ἐπὶ βάθρου τοῦ αὐτοῦ.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ Σιληνοῦ ναὸς ἐνταῦθα, ἰδίᾳ τῷ Σιληνῷ καὶ οὐχ ὁμοῦ Διονύσῳ πεποιημένος· Μέθη δὲ οἶνον ἐν ἐκπώματι αὐτῷ δίδωσι. θνητὸν δὲ εἶναι τὸ γένος τῶν Σιληνῶν εἰκάσαι τις ἂν μάλιστα ἐπὶ τοῖς τάφοις αὐτῶν· ἐν γὰρ τῇ Ἑβραίων χώρᾳ Σιληνοῦ μνῆμα καὶ ἄλλου Σιληνοῦ Περγαμηνοῖς ἐστιν.
Ἠλείων δὲ ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ καὶ ἄλλο τοιόνδε εἶδον, ναοῦ σχῆμα· ἔστι δὲ οὐχ ὑψηλόν, καὶ τοῖχοι μὲν οὐκ εἰσί, τὸν ὄροφον δὲ δρυὸς ἀνέχουσιν εἰργασμένοι κίονες. τοῦτο εἶναι μὲν ὁμολογοῦσιν οἱ ἐπιχώριοι μνῆμα, ὅτου δὲ οὐ μνημονεύουσιν· εἰ δὲ ὁ γέρων ὅντινα ἠρόμην εἶπεν ἀληθῆ λόγον, Ὀξύλου τοῦτο ἂν μνῆμα εἴη.
πεποίηται δὲ ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ καὶ ταῖς γυναιξὶν οἴκημα ταῖς ἑκκαίδεκα καλουμέναις, ἔνθα τὸν πέπλον ὑφαίνουσι τῇ Ἥρᾳ. ἔχεται δὲ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ναὸς ἀρχαῖος στοαῖς ἐν κύκλῳ περίστυλος, ὁ δὲ ὄροφος κατερρύηκε τῷ ναῷ καὶ ἄγαλμα οὐδὲν ἐλείπετο· βασιλεῦσι δὲ ἀνεῖται Ῥωμαίοις.
Another way out of the gymnasium leads to the market-place, and to the Umpires’ Hall (Hellanodikaion), as it is called. The road is above the grave of Achilles, and it is the custom for the umpires to go to the gymnasium by this way. They enter before sunrise to start the runners, and at midday for the pentathlum and the contests called heavy.
The market-place of Elis is not constructed after the fashion which prevails in Ionia and in the Greek cities which border on Ionia. It is built in the older style, with separate colonnades and streets between them. The present name of the market-place is Hippodrome, and the natives train their horses here. The southern colonnade is in the Doric style, and is divided into three parts by the columns. In it the umpires usually spend the day. They cause altars to Zeus to be made at the columns, and in the open market-place there are also altars to Zeus, but not many, for, being only improvised, they are easily taken down.
As you enter the market-place at this colonnade, the Umpires’ Hall is on your left, parallel to the end of the colonnade. It is separated from the market-place by a street. In this Umpires’ Hall the umpires-elect reside for ten successive months, and are taught their duties by the Guardians of the Laws.
Near the colonnade where the umpires spend the day is another colonnade, separated from the former by a street. It is called the Corcyraean Colonnade by the Eleans, because they say that the Corcyraeans landed in their country. . . . and carried off part of the booty, but they themselves took many times as much booty from the land of the Corcyraeans, and built the colonnade out of a tithe of the spoils. The style of the colonnade is Doric and double, for it has columns both on the side of the market-place and on the side away from the market-place. In the middle the roof of the colonnade is supported, not by columns, but by a wall; and there are statues beside the wall on either side. On the side of the colonnade which faces the market-place is a statue of Pyrrho, son of Pistocrates, a sophist who never allowed himself to make a positive affirmation on any subject. Pyrrho’s tomb is also not far from the city of Elis: the place is called Petra, and it is said that Petra was a township of old.
The finest things in the open part of the market-place are as follows. There is a temple and image of Healing Apollo. The name appears to signify neither more nor less than Averter of Evil, the title employed by the Athenians. In another part are stone images of the Sun and Moon: horns project from her head, and beams from his. There is also a sanctuary of the Graces: their images are of wood, the drapery being gilded, but the faces, hands, and feet are of white marble. One of them holds a rose, the middle one a die, and the third a sprig of myrtle. The reason why they hold these things may be conjectured to be this:—As the rose and the myrtle are sacred to Aphrodite, and associated with the story of Adonis, so of all deities the Graces are most akin to Aphrodite; and the die is a plaything of youths and maidens whom age has not yet robbed of youthful grace. On the right of the Graces, but on the same pedestal, is an image of Love.
There is also a temple of Silenus here: it belongs to Silenus alone, and not to him jointly with Dionysus: Drunkenness is represented giving him wine in a cup. That the Silenuses are a mortal race may be inferred especially from their graves; for there is a tomb of one Silenus in the land of the Hebrews, and there is the tomb of another at Pergamus.
In the market-place of Elis I saw another structure: it was in the form of a temple, low, without walls, the roof being supported by oaken pillars. The natives agree that it is a tomb, but do not remember whose it is. If the old man whom I questioned spoke the truth, it is the tomb of Oxylus.
There is also in the marketplace a building for the women called the Sixteen, where they weave the robe for Hera.
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