This is the first comprehensive examination of Olympic victor lists. The origins, development, content, and structure of Olympic victor lists are explored and explained, and a number of important questions, such as the source and reliability of the date of 776 for the first Olympics, are addressed. Olympic victor lists emerge as a clearly defined type of literature that has largely escaped the attention of modern-day scholars. This book offers a new perspective on works by familiar writers such as Diodorus Siculus and a sense of the potential importance of less well-known authors such as Phlegon of Tralleis.
Paul Christesen is assistant professor of ancient Greek history at Dartmouth College.
PAUL CHRISTESEN
Dartmouth College
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
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© Paul Christesen 2007
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First published 2007
Printed in the United States of America
A catalog record for this publication is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Christesen, Paul, 1966–
Olympic victor lists and ancient Greek history / Paul Christesen.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-521-86634-7 (hardback)
ISBN-10: 0-521-86634-0 (hardback)
1. Olympic games (Ancient) 2. Greece – History. I. Title.
GV23.C48 2007
796.48 – dc22 2006101121
ISBN 978-0-521-86634-7 hardback
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| List of Illustrations | page ix | ||
| List of Tables | xi | ||
| Preface | xiii | ||
| A Note on Terminology, Transliterations, and Editions | xv | ||
| 1 | An Introduction to Olympic Victor Lists | 1 | |
| 1.1 | Three Questions | 1 | |
| 1.2 | A Brief Introduction to Greek Chronography | 8 | |
| 1.3 | A Very Brief Introduction to Panhellenic Athletic Festivals | 15 | |
| 1.4 | A Capsule History of Olympionikai | 21 | |
| 2 | Hippias of Elis and the First Olympic Victor List | 45 | |
| 2.1 | The Authorship and Date of the First Olympic Victor List | 46 | |
| 2.2 | Hippias’ Olympionikai: Context | 51 | |
| 2.3 | Hippias’ Olympionikai: Content | 57 | |
| 2.4 | An Archival Source for Hippias’ Catalog of Olympic Victors? Part One: Background | 73 | |
| 2.5 | An Archival Source for Hippias’ Catalog of Olympic Victors? Part Two: Documentary Records in Eighth-Century Greece | 76 | |
| 2.6 | An Archival Source for Hippias’ Catalog of Olympic Victors? Part Three: Inconsistencies in the Dating of Events in the Early History of Olympia | 112 | |
| 2.7 | Hippias’ Sources | 122 | |
| 2.8 | Whence 776? | 146 | |
| 2.9 | The Olympic Victor List: An Assessment | 157 | |
| 3 | Olympionikon Anagraphai and Standard Catalogs of Olympic Victors | 161 | |
| 3.1 | History of the Type | 165 | |
| 3.2 | Aristotle’s Olympionikon Anagraphe | 170 | |
| 3.3 | Eratosthenes’ Olympionikon Anagraphe | 173 | |
| 3.4 | The Aristotelian Pythionikai | 179 | |
| 3.5 | Standard Victor Catalogs | 202 | |
| 3.6 | Lists of Athletes with Multiple Olympic Victories | 215 | |
| 3.7 | Discontinued Events in the Olympic Program, the Order of Events at Olympia, Contest Rules | 220 | |
| 4 | Olympiad Chronographies | 228 | |
| 4.1 | Eusebius and His Chronographic Work | 232 | |
| 4.2 | Eusebius’ Chronographia | 240 | |
| 4.3 | The Eusebian Olympic Victor List | 243 | |
| 4.4 | The Source of the Eusebian Olympic Victor List | 250 | |
| 4.5 | Timaeus of Tauromenium | 277 | |
| 4.6 | Dionysius of Halicarnassus | 289 | |
| 4.7 | Castor of Rhodes | 295 | |
| 5 | Olympiad Chronicles | 296 | |
| 5.1 | Philochorus | 304 | |
| 5.2 | Ctesicles | 307 | |
| 5.3 | Diodorus Siculus | 310 | |
| 5.4 | Castor of Rhodes | 311 | |
| 5.5 | Dionysius of Halicarnassus | 322 | |
| 5.6 | Thallus | 322 | |
| 5.7 | Phlegon | 326 | |
| 5.8 | POxy ⅩⅦ 2082 | 334 | |
| 5.9 | POxy Ⅰ 12 | 337 | |
| 5.10 | Cassius Longinus | 340 | |
| 5.11 | Dexippus | 341 | |
| 6 | Conclusion | 348 | |
| Appendices | 361 | ||
| Appendix 1.1 Scopas | 363 | ||
| Appendix 1.2 Tiberius Claudius Polybius | 364 | ||
| Appendix 1.3 Aristodemus of Elis | 366 | ||
| Appendix 2 Hippias of Elis | 368 | ||
| Appendix 3.1 Aristotle’s Olympionikon Anagraphe | 369 | ||
| Appendix 3.2 Eratosthenes’ Olympionikon Anagraphe | 371 | ||
| Appendix 3.3 The Aristotelian Pythionikai | 374 | ||
| Appendix 3.4 POxy Ⅱ 222 | 382 | ||
| Appendix 3.5 IG Ⅱ2 2326 | 385 | ||
| Appendix 4.1 The Eusebian Olympic Victor List | 386 | ||
| Appendix 4.2 Timaeus of Tauromenium | 408 | ||
| Appendix 4.3 Dionysius of Halicarnassus | 410 | ||
| Appendix 5.1 Philochorus | 415 | ||
| Appendix 5.2 Ctesicles | 416 | ||
| Appendix 5.3 Diodorus Siculus | 417 | ||
| Appendix 5.4 Castor of Rhodes | 418 | ||
| Appendix 5.5 Dionysius of Halicarnassus | 433 | ||
| Appendix 5.6 Thallus | 434 | ||
| Appendix 5.7 Phlegon | 437 | ||
| Appendix 5.8 POxy ⅩⅦ 2082 | 445 | ||
| Appendix 5.9 POxy Ⅰ 12 | 448 | ||
| Appendix 5.10 Cassius Longinus | 452 | ||
| Appendix 5.11 Dexippus | 453 | ||
| Appendix 6 A Catalog of Olympic Victors Before Hippias? | 461 | ||
| Appendix 7 Aristotle on the Foundation of the Olympic Truce and of the Olympic Games | 466 | ||
| Appendix 8 Olympiads and Pankration Victors in Thucydides | 468 | ||
| Appendix 9 More on the Accuracy of Hippias’ Olympic Victor Catalog | 475 | ||
| Appendix 10 The Olympic Victor List and the First Messenian War | 482 | ||
| Appendix 11 Memorization and the Olympic Victor List | 488 | ||
| Appendix 12 Hippias’ Calculation of the Date of 776 | 491 | ||
| Appendix 13 The Spartan King Lists | 505 | ||
| Appendix 14 Variant Olympiad Dating Systems | 508 | ||
| Appendix 15 Menaechmus of Sicyon’s Pythikos | 514 | ||
| Appendix 16 The Sicyonian Anagraphe | 517 | ||
| Appendix 17 Relationships between Olympionikai | 519 | ||
| Bibliography | 533 | ||
| General Index | 565 | ||
| Index Locorum | 575 | ||
| 1. | Map of Elis. | page 52 |
| 2. | Inscription from Olympia listing members of athletic guild who won Olympic victories (Olympia Inv. 1148). | 144 |
| 3. | Entries from Jerome’s translation of Eusebius’ Chronikoi Kanones for the years equivalent to 1506–1488 BCE (44a–b Helm). | 236 |
| 4. | Entries from Jerome’s translation of Eusebius’ Chronikoi Kanones for the years equivalent to 704–692 BCE (92a–b Helm). | 238 |
| Apx 14.1. Discus from Olympia with dedicatory inscriptions giving alternate numbers for the same Olympiad (255th and 456th) (IvO 240/1). | 511 | |
| 1. | Additions to the Program of Events at Olympia | page 17 |
| 2. | Terminology for Different Types of Olympionikai | 29 |
| 3. | Known Examples of Olympionikon Anagraphai and Standard Catalogs of Olympic Victors Circulating as Independent Works | 39 |
| 4. | Known Examples of Olympiad Chronographies | 40 |
| 5. | Known Examples of Olympiad Chronicles | 41 |
| 6. | Pisatan Seizures of Olympia | 114 |
| 7. | Victor Lists from Local Athletic Contests | 130 |
| 8. | IG Ⅻ 9 952 | 133 |
| 9. | Olympia 1148 | 142 |
| 10. | Known Examples of Olympionikon Anagraphai and Standard Catalogs of Olympic Victors Circulating as Independent Works | 162 |
| 11. | Probable Contents of Specific Olympionikon Anagraphai | 164 |
| 12. | The Olympionikai and Pythionikai in Lists of Aristotle's Works | 200 |
| 13. | The Structure of Catalogs of Olympic Victors and the Evolution of the Olympic Program | 211 |
| 14. | Known Examples of Olympiad Chronographies | 231 |
| 15. | Ordering of Greek Chronographic Material in Eusebius' Chronographia | 254 |
| 16. | The Eusebian Source List (Chronographia 125.6–24 Karst) and Explicit Citations in the Chronographia of the Authors in that List | 260 |
| 17. | Source Citations Pertaining to Secular History in Eusebius’ Chronikoi Kanones | 262 |
| 18. | Known Examples of Olympiad Chronicles | 300 |
| 19. | Sources and Subjects of the Shorter Fragments of Castor's Olympionikai | 314 |
| Apx 3.1. Pythiad Dates in the Pindaric Scholia | 377 | |
| Apx 13.1. The Spartan King Lists: Agiads | 505 | |
| Apx 13.2. The Spartan King Lists: Eurypontids | 506 | |
| Apx 17.1. Overlap in Victor Listings in Extant Olympionikai | 528 | |
In the course of bringing this project to completion I have been immeasurably aided by more individuals than I can properly thank. The Class of 1962 at Dartmouth College generously provided a fellowship that made it possible to carry out much of the research for this book. I was also fortunate to spend a summer as a Margo Tytus scholar at the Department of Classics at the University of Cincinnati and to make use of their wonderful facilities.
Numerous people, most notably Michael Flower, Mark Golden, Donald Kyle, Alden Mosshammer, Max Nelson, Kurt Raaflaub, and Zara Torlone, have taken the time to read earlier drafts and to make suggestions that contributed markedly to the final product. My colleagues in the Department of Classics at Dartmouth, Margaret Graver, Jeremy Rutter, Roberta Stewart, Jim Tatum, Hakan Tell, and Roger Ulrich, also provided helpful comments for which I am most grateful. Along the way I have received advice on specific points and assistance from Richard Burgess, Dominic Machado, Susannah Maurer, Elliot May, Sarah Murray, Peter Siewert, Michael Stone, Elizabeth Sullivan, Meg Sullivan, and Christoph Ulf. William Stoddard edited the manuscript and notably improved it in the process. Peter Katsirubas was immensely helpful in shepherding the manuscript through the various stages of publication. The debt I owe to my family in general and my parents in particular defies simple expression but is no doubt well known to readers from their own experience. Finally, special thanks are due to my wife, Cecilia, for her unswerving patience and support.
Hanover, New Hampshire
February 17, 2007
This book is aimed primarily at scholars who specialize in classical antiquity, but I have made an effort throughout to ensure that the narrative is as accessible as possible to a broader audience. In the interests of brevity, I have refrained from explaining terms and abbreviations that might be unfamiliar to nonspecialists but that can be found in the standard reference book for all things Greek and Roman, the Oxford Classical Dictionary. I have supplied definitions of terms not found in the OCD in notes to the main text. Both specialists and nonspecialists will want to consult Section 1.4 for discussion of the terminology used to distinguish different kinds of Olympic victor lists.
Much of the evidence for Olympic victor lists consists of fragments.1 In collections such as Felix Jacoby’s Fragmente der griechischen Historiker (FGrH) and Karl Müller’s Fragmenta Historicum Graecorum (FHG), a fragment is considered to be either a verbatim quote from a lost text or a reference that makes clear the content of a piece of a lost text. Jacoby also compiled what he called testimonia, which provide evidence for an author’s biographical details and corpus. Throughout the discussion that follows, the terms fragment and testimonium are employed in accordance with the usages of Jacoby and Müller.
All dates are BCE unless otherwise specified. In some cases dates are cited in a split-year format, such as 884/3. This is a necessary convention because both Olympiads and Athenian archon years, two of the basic time-reckoning systems used by ancient Greeks, began in the summer and hence straddle two Julian years. Some events dated on the basis of Olympiads or Athenian archons can be assigned to a specific point in time and hence to a specific Julian year. In other cases, that is not possible, and the date is indicated in a split-year format.
All translations of ancient Greek sources are those of this author unless otherwise specified. Greek names have been transliterated in such a way as to be as faithful as possible to original spellings while taking into account established usages for well-known people and places. Unless otherwise specified, all ancient Greek texts are taken from the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (TLG), and authors’ names are spelled as in the TLG. The latter practice, in combination with the transliteration system used here, can have the unfortunate effect of producing variant spellings for homonyms, such as King Theopompos of Sparta and Theopompus of Chios. I have, nonetheless, employed the spellings from the TLG because many of the authors cited below are sufficiently obscure to make easy reference to the TLG desirable. I have also adopted the titles for individual works suggested by the TLG. Many of those titles are Latinized (e.g., Pausanias’ guide to Greece is given the appellation Graeciae Descriptio). This custom has the weight of tradition behind it, but is not without its problems. When dealing with works not specifically listed in the TLG, I have as a rule directly transliterated the Greek title. It is, unfortunately, impossible to achieve complete consistency in transliterating the names of people, places, authors, and works without detaching oneself completely from earlier conventions or ruthlessly Latinizing all Greek names and words.
All citations pertaining to Eusebius’ Chronographia, with the exception of the Greek version of the Olympic victor list found in that work, refer to the 1911 translation of Josef Karst. All citations of line numbers in the Greek version of Eusebius’ Olympic victor list refer to the text printed in Appendix . All citations pertaining to Jerome’s translation of Eusebius’ Chronikoi Kanones refer to the second edition of Rudolf Helm’s Die Chronik des Hieronymus.2
The texts of inscriptions and papyri are marked in accordance with the Leiden system, which can be briefly summarized as follows:
| α.β. | Letters that survive in part, but not sufficiently to exclude alternative readings |
| [αβ] | Letters not now preserved that the editors believe to have been part of the original text |
| {αβ} | Letters inscribed/written in error by the cutter/scribe and deleted by the editors |
| <αβ> | Letters supplied by the editors because the cutter/scribe either omitted them or inscribed/wrote other letters in error |
| (αβ) | Letters supplied by the editors to fill out an abbreviation in the text as transmitted |
| [[αβγ.δ.[εζ]] | A passage that has been erased and can [or cannot] now be read |
|
[…] |
Lost letters that cannot be restored, of the number indicated |
| [- - - -] | A lacuna or space of indeterminate size |
| v | One letter-space uninscribed |
| vacat | (Remainder of) line uninscribed/left blank3 |
Series of letters that are capitalized indicate places where the reading of the letters is clear, but the meaning is not.