Σωκράτους δὲ Πελληνέως δρόμου νίκην ἐν παισὶν εἰληφότος καὶ Ἠλείου Ἀμέρτου καταπαλαίσαντος ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ παῖδας, καταπαλαίσαντος δὲ καὶ Πυθοῖ τοὺς ἐλθόντας τῶν ἀνδρῶν, τοῦ μὲν τὸν ποιήσαντα τὴν εἰκόνα οὐ λέγουσι, τὴν δὲ τοῦ Ἀμέρτου Φράδμων ἐποίησεν Ἀργεῖος. Εὐανορίδᾳ δὲ Ἠλείῳ πάλης ἐν παισὶν ὑπῆρξεν ἔν τε Ὀλυμπίᾳ καὶ Νεμείων νίκη· γενόμενος δὲ Ἑλλανοδίκης ἔγραψε καὶ οὗτος τὰ ὀνόματα ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ τῶν νενικηκότων.
ἐς δὲ πύκτην ἄνδρα, γένος μὲν Ἀρκάδα ἐκ Παρρασίων, Δάμαρχον δὲ ὄνομα, οὔ μοι πιστὰ ἦν πέρα γε τῆς ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ νίκης ὁπόσα ἄλλα ἀνδρῶν ἀλαζόνων ἐστὶν εἰρημένα, ὡς ἐξ ἀνθρώπου μεταβάλοι τὸ εἶδος ἐς λύκον ἐπὶ τῇ θυσίᾳ τοῦ Λυκαίου Διός, καὶ ὡς ὕστερον τούτων ἔτει δεκάτῳ γένοιτο αὖθις ἄνθρωπος. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀρκάδων λέγεσθαί μοι τοῦτο ἐφαίνετο ἐς αὐτόν, ἐλέγετο γὰρ ἂν καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐπιγράμματος τοῦ ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ· ἔχει γὰρ δὴ οὕτως· υἱὸς Δινύτα Δάμαρχος τάνδʼ ἀνέθηκεν / εἰκόνʼ ἀπʼ Ἀρκαδίας Παρράσιος γενεάν. / τοῦτο μὲν δὴ ἐς τοσοῦτο πεποίηται·
Εὐβώτας δὲ ὁ Κυρηναῖος, ἅτε τὴν ἐσομένην οἱ δρόμου νίκην ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ παρὰ τοῦ μαντείου τοῦ ἐν Λιβύῃ προπεπυσμένος, τήν τε εἰκόνα ἐπεποίητο πρότερον καὶ ἐπὶ ἡμέρας τῆς αὐτῆς ἀνηγορεύθη τε νικήσας καὶ ἀνέθηκε τὴν εἰκόνα. λέγεται δὲ ὡς κρατήσειε καὶ ἅρματι ἐπὶ Ὀλυμπιάδος ταύτης ἣ λόγῳ τῷ Ἠλείων ἐστὶ κίβδηλος τῶν ἀγωνοθετησάντων Ἀρκάδων ἕνεκα.
Κλεωναίῳ δὲ Τιμάνθει παγκρατίου λαβόντι ἐν ἀνδράσι στέφανον καὶ Τροιζηνίῳ Βαύκιδι παλαιστὰς καταβαλόντι ἄνδρας, τῷ μὲν τοῦ Ἀθηναίου Μύρωνος, Βαύκιδι δὲ Ναυκύδους ἐστὶν ὁ ἀνδριὰς ἔργον. τῷ δὲ Τιμάνθει τὸ τέλος τοῦ βίου συμβῆναί φασιν ἐπὶ αἰτίᾳ τοιᾷδε. πεπαῦσθαι μὲν ἀθλοῦντα, ἀποπειρᾶσθαι δὲ ὅμως αὐτὸν ἔτι τῆς ἰσχύος, τόξον μέγα ἐπὶ ἑκάστης τείνοντα τῆς ἡμέρας, ἀποδημῆσαί τε δὴ αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ τόξῳ τηνικαῦτα ἐκλειφθῆναί οἱ τὴν μελέτην· ὡς δὲ ἐπανήκων οὐχ οἷός τε ἔτι τεῖναι τὸ τόξον ἐγίνετο, πῦρ ἀνακαύσας ἀφίησι ζῶντα ἐς τὴν πυρὰν αὑτόν. ὁπόσα δὲ ἤδη τοιαῦτα ἐγένετο ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἢ καὶ ὕστερόν ποτε ἔσται, μανία μᾶλλον ἢ ἀνδρία νομίζοιτο ἂν κατά γε ἐμὴν γνώμην.
μετὰ δὲ τὸν Βαύκιδά εἰσιν ἀθλητῶν Ἀρκάδων εἰκόνες, Εὐθυμένης τε ἐξ αὐτῆς Μαινάλου, νίκας τὴν μὲν ἀνδρῶν πάλης, τὴν δʼ ἔτι πρότερον ἐν παισὶν εἰληφώς, καὶ Ἀζὰν ἐκ Πελλάνας Φίλιππος κρατήσας πυγμῇ παῖδας, καὶ Κριτόδαμος ἐκ Κλείτορος, ἐπὶ πυγμῇ καὶ οὗτος ἀναγορευθεὶς παίδων· τὰς δέ σφισιν εἰκόνας, τὴν μὲν ἐν παισὶ τοῦ Εὐθυμένους Ἄλυπος, τὴν δὲ τοῦ Δαμοκρίτου Κλέων, Φιλίππου δὲ τοῦ Ἀζᾶνος Μύρων τὴν εἰκόνα ἐποίησε. τὰ δὲ ἐς Πρόμαχον τὸν Δρύωνος παγκρατιαστὴν Πελληνέα προσέσται μοι καὶ ταῦτα τῷ ἐς Ἀχαιοὺς λόγῳ.
Προμάχου δὲ οὐ πόρρω Τιμασίθεος ἀνάκειται γένος Δελφός, Ἀγελάδα μὲν ἔργον τοῦ Ἀργείου, παγκρατίου δὲ δύο μὲν ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ νίκας, τρεῖς δὲ ἀνῃρημένος Πυθοῖ. καὶ αὐτῷ καὶ ἐν πολέμοις ἐστὶν ἔργα τῇ τε τόλμῃ λαμπρὰ καὶ οὐκ ἀποδέοντα τῇ εὐτυχίᾳ, πλήν γε δὴ τοῦ τελευταίου· τοῦτο δὲ αὐτῷ θάνατον τὸ ἐγχείρημα ἤνεγκεν. Ἰσαγόρᾳ γὰρ τῷ Ἀθηναίῳ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν τὴν Ἀθηναίων καταλαβόντι ἐπὶ τυραννίδι μετασχὼν τοῦ ἔργου καὶ ὁ Τιμασίθεος—ἐγένετο γὰρ τῶν ἐγκαταληφθέντων ἐν τῇ ἀκροπόλει—θάνατον ζημίαν εὕρετο τοῦ ἀδικήματος παρὰ Ἀθηναίων.
Socrates of Pellene was victorious in the boys’ race, but the name of the sculptor who made his statue is not mentioned. The statue of Amertes, an Elean, who was victorious at Olympia in the boys’ wrestling-match, and vanquished all comers in the men’s wrestling-match at Pytho, is by Phradmon, an Argive. Euanoridas, an Elean, won the boy’s wrestling-match both at Olympia and Nemea; when he was umpire, he also inscribed at Olympia the names of the victors.
As to a certain boxer, Damarchus by name, an Arcadian of the Parrhasian district, the story told of him is to me incredible, except, of course, what relates to his Olympic victory. The story, as told by some humbugs, is this: he was turned into a wolf at the sacrifice of Lycaean Zeus, and in the tenth year afterwards he became a man again. I do not believe that the Arcadians themselves say this of him, otherwise it would have been recorded in the inscription at Olympia, which runs thus :— This image was dedicated by Damarchus, son of Dinnytas, By birth a Parrhasian from Arcadia. Eubotas the Cyrenian, being informed beforehand by the oracle in Libya that he would be victorious in the foot-race at Olympia, had his statue made before the race was run, and dedicated it on the very same day on which he was proclaimed victor. It is said that he was also victorious in the chariot-race in that Olympiad which, according to the Eleans, was no real Olympiad, because the Arcadians presided over the games.
The statue of Timanthes of Cleonae, who won the crown in the men’s pancratium, is by Myron the Athenian ; and the statue of Baucis of Troezen, victor in the men’s wrestling-match, is by Naucydes. The occasion of Timanthes’ death is said to have been as follows. He had ceased practising as an athlete, but nevertheless he continued to test his strength by bending a mighty bow every day. Well, he went away from home, and while he was away his practice with the bow was discontinued. But when he came back and could no longer bend the bow, he lit a fire and flung himself on the burning pile. In my opinion such deeds, whether they have been done in the past or shall be done hereafter, ought to be set down to the score of madness rather than of courage. After the statue of Baucis there are statues of Arcadian athletes : Euthymenes, from the town of Maenalus, who won a victory in the men’s wrestling-match, and had won the boys’ match previously ; Philip, an Azanian from Pellana, who was victorious in the boys’ boxing-match ; and Critodamus from Clitor, who, like Philip, was proclaimed for a victory in the boys’ boxing-match. The statue of Euthymenes as victor among the boys is by Alypus: the statue of Damocritus is by Cleon; and that of Philip the Azanian is by Myron. The history of Promachus, son of Dryon, a pancratiast of Pellene, will be comprised in my account of Achaia.
Not far from the statue of Promachus is the statue of Timasitheus, a Delphian : it is a work of Ageladas the Argive. Timasitheus won two victories in the pancratium at Olympia, and three at Pytho. In the wars, too, he did bright deeds of valour, and fortune attended him in all his enterprises save the last, and that proved fatal to him. For when Isagoras, the Athenian, seized the Acropolis of Athens to make himself tyrant, Timasitheus had a hand in the affair, and being one of those who were captured on the Acropolis, he paid the forfeit with his life.
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