DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14697#0356
Zeus Philios 1191
of unusual significance at Daphne1, not to mention the high jinks2 which earned
him the sobriquet of Epimane's. Antiochos Grypos followed suit3. And in later
times the Olympic contests of Daphne obtained a wide celebrity4. Diocletian is
said to have built a sanctuary of Zeus Olympios in the Stddion at Daphne—a
statement of uncertain value5. Meantime in Antiocheia itself Commodus had
built a temple of Zeus Olympios with an adjoining portico known as the Xyston6.
Didius Iulianus had added a Plethroii"', which was later doubled in size by
Argyrios and Phasganios8, and still further enlarged by Proklos9. The whole
complex of buildings was evidently modelled on its counterpart at Elis and was
meant to accommodate athletes preparing for the Olympia, which were actually
held at Daphne. At Daphne too there was a temple of Zeus Sote'r, built to
commemorate a crisis in the history of the city. For at dawn on Apellaios, i.e.
December, 13 in the year 115 Antiocheia was shaken by a great earthquake
with most disastrous results. The survivors founded this temple and inscribed
upon it the words :
'The saved set up (this edifice) for Zeus the Saviour10.'
The earthquake was preceded by many thunderbolts and unusual winds11 ; and
so severe was it that the tops of Mount Kasion were broken off and threatened
destruction to the town below12. Finally, there was the ancient cult of Zeus
1 Polyb. 31 ap. Athen. 194 c—195 f and 439 b—d.
2 E.g. Polyb. 31 ap. Athen. 195 f ( = 439 d) vtto tujv fiifiuv 6 j3acn\evs eiaerpepero 6'Xos
KeKa\v/j,fj.evos /cat ets ttjv yijv eridero, <I/s ets uv Srjra tGiv /ulL/j.iov /cat rrjs crvp-tpiovias irpoKoKov-
fjLevrjs avairrjSrjaas ihpxeiro /cat vireKpLvero fxera. rQv yeKwroiroiwv. Was this sheer foolery, or
the take-off of some resurrection-rite ?
y Poseidonios of Apameia 28 frag. 31 [Frag. hist. Gr. iii. 263 Midler) ap. Athen.
210 D—E and 540 A—B.
4 Liban. or. 60. 6 f. (iv. 315, 5 ff. Foerster) = Io. Chrys. de Babyla c. Jul. 19 (ii. 568 A
Montfaucon), Liban. epist. 763 Wolf, Io. Malal. chron. 9 p. 224 f. Dindorf (see P. Per-
drizet in the Bull. Corr. Hell. 1900 xxiv. 290 f.), 12 pp. 289 f., 307 Dindorf, 16 p. 396
Dindorf. Cp. Liban. or. 10. 30 (i. 2. 409, 15 ff. Foerster).
5 Io. Malal. chron. 12 p. 307 Dindorf §KTicre 5-e iv atrip tu tTradiip Adcpvrjs iepbv 'OXv/ul-
tt'lov Atos, /cat iv rij <t<pev86vy rod avrov crradiov iKriaev iepbv rrj Ne/xecret. C. O. Midler
Antiquitates Antiochenae Gottingae 1839 P- ^2 ^ thinks it far more likely that the temple
of Zeus '0\vf/.Trios at Daphne was founded by Antiochos Epiphanes. Overbeck Gr. Kunst-
myth. Zeus p. 59 dismisses the claims of Diocletian ('wohl ohne alien Zweifel verkehrt')
and attributes to Antiochos Epiphanes merely a redecoration of the temple ('nur eine neue
Ausschmiickung des Zeusheiligthums von Daphne, nicht dessert Griindung'). But is it
certain that Malalas is referring to the big temple of Zeus? A small shrine in the Stddion
would be appropriate enough.
6 Io. Malal. chron. 12 p. 283 Dindorf /cat ets rrjv dpxvv de rr\v kcltw tov Evarov eKTtaev
iepbv Tip 0\v/j.ttl(p Att.
7 Io. Malal. chron. 12 p. 290 Dindorf HXedpiv.
3 Liban. or. 10. 9 ff. (i. 2. 403, 22 ff. Foerster).
9 Liban. or. 10. 1 ff. (i. 2. 401, -2 ff. Foerster).
10 Io. Malal. chron. 11 p. 275 Dindorf oi awdevres aviarr/crav Att 2wr^pt. Eust.ath. in
Dionys. per. 916 quotes the dedication as ot '$r)cravTes (fyrriaavTes cod. y.) ave<TTri<xa.v deip (ev
6e<p cod. y. H. S. Reiner cj. dvecrTrjaafiev) Swr^pt, which amounts to much the same thing.
11 Dion. Cass. 68. 24.
12 Dion. Cass. 68. 25. See further Iuv. 6. 411, Aur. Vict, de Caes. [3. 10, cp. epit. 13.
12, Oros. hist. adv. pag. 7. 12. 5, Euagrios hist. eccl. 2. 12, Synkell. chron. 348 A (i. 657
Dindorf), Euseb. vers. Armen. in ann. Abr. 2130 (= 116 A.D.), Hieron. in Euseb. ann.
Abr. 2130 (= 116 A.D.), Zonar. 11. 22 (iii. 68 f. Dindorf).
of unusual significance at Daphne1, not to mention the high jinks2 which earned
him the sobriquet of Epimane's. Antiochos Grypos followed suit3. And in later
times the Olympic contests of Daphne obtained a wide celebrity4. Diocletian is
said to have built a sanctuary of Zeus Olympios in the Stddion at Daphne—a
statement of uncertain value5. Meantime in Antiocheia itself Commodus had
built a temple of Zeus Olympios with an adjoining portico known as the Xyston6.
Didius Iulianus had added a Plethroii"', which was later doubled in size by
Argyrios and Phasganios8, and still further enlarged by Proklos9. The whole
complex of buildings was evidently modelled on its counterpart at Elis and was
meant to accommodate athletes preparing for the Olympia, which were actually
held at Daphne. At Daphne too there was a temple of Zeus Sote'r, built to
commemorate a crisis in the history of the city. For at dawn on Apellaios, i.e.
December, 13 in the year 115 Antiocheia was shaken by a great earthquake
with most disastrous results. The survivors founded this temple and inscribed
upon it the words :
'The saved set up (this edifice) for Zeus the Saviour10.'
The earthquake was preceded by many thunderbolts and unusual winds11 ; and
so severe was it that the tops of Mount Kasion were broken off and threatened
destruction to the town below12. Finally, there was the ancient cult of Zeus
1 Polyb. 31 ap. Athen. 194 c—195 f and 439 b—d.
2 E.g. Polyb. 31 ap. Athen. 195 f ( = 439 d) vtto tujv fiifiuv 6 j3acn\evs eiaerpepero 6'Xos
KeKa\v/j,fj.evos /cat ets ttjv yijv eridero, <I/s ets uv Srjra tGiv /ulL/j.iov /cat rrjs crvp-tpiovias irpoKoKov-
fjLevrjs avairrjSrjaas ihpxeiro /cat vireKpLvero fxera. rQv yeKwroiroiwv. Was this sheer foolery, or
the take-off of some resurrection-rite ?
y Poseidonios of Apameia 28 frag. 31 [Frag. hist. Gr. iii. 263 Midler) ap. Athen.
210 D—E and 540 A—B.
4 Liban. or. 60. 6 f. (iv. 315, 5 ff. Foerster) = Io. Chrys. de Babyla c. Jul. 19 (ii. 568 A
Montfaucon), Liban. epist. 763 Wolf, Io. Malal. chron. 9 p. 224 f. Dindorf (see P. Per-
drizet in the Bull. Corr. Hell. 1900 xxiv. 290 f.), 12 pp. 289 f., 307 Dindorf, 16 p. 396
Dindorf. Cp. Liban. or. 10. 30 (i. 2. 409, 15 ff. Foerster).
5 Io. Malal. chron. 12 p. 307 Dindorf §KTicre 5-e iv atrip tu tTradiip Adcpvrjs iepbv 'OXv/ul-
tt'lov Atos, /cat iv rij <t<pev86vy rod avrov crradiov iKriaev iepbv rrj Ne/xecret. C. O. Midler
Antiquitates Antiochenae Gottingae 1839 P- ^2 ^ thinks it far more likely that the temple
of Zeus '0\vf/.Trios at Daphne was founded by Antiochos Epiphanes. Overbeck Gr. Kunst-
myth. Zeus p. 59 dismisses the claims of Diocletian ('wohl ohne alien Zweifel verkehrt')
and attributes to Antiochos Epiphanes merely a redecoration of the temple ('nur eine neue
Ausschmiickung des Zeusheiligthums von Daphne, nicht dessert Griindung'). But is it
certain that Malalas is referring to the big temple of Zeus? A small shrine in the Stddion
would be appropriate enough.
6 Io. Malal. chron. 12 p. 283 Dindorf /cat ets rrjv dpxvv de rr\v kcltw tov Evarov eKTtaev
iepbv Tip 0\v/j.ttl(p Att.
7 Io. Malal. chron. 12 p. 290 Dindorf HXedpiv.
3 Liban. or. 10. 9 ff. (i. 2. 403, 22 ff. Foerster).
9 Liban. or. 10. 1 ff. (i. 2. 401, -2 ff. Foerster).
10 Io. Malal. chron. 11 p. 275 Dindorf oi awdevres aviarr/crav Att 2wr^pt. Eust.ath. in
Dionys. per. 916 quotes the dedication as ot '$r)cravTes (fyrriaavTes cod. y.) ave<TTri<xa.v deip (ev
6e<p cod. y. H. S. Reiner cj. dvecrTrjaafiev) Swr^pt, which amounts to much the same thing.
11 Dion. Cass. 68. 24.
12 Dion. Cass. 68. 25. See further Iuv. 6. 411, Aur. Vict, de Caes. [3. 10, cp. epit. 13.
12, Oros. hist. adv. pag. 7. 12. 5, Euagrios hist. eccl. 2. 12, Synkell. chron. 348 A (i. 657
Dindorf), Euseb. vers. Armen. in ann. Abr. 2130 (= 116 A.D.), Hieron. in Euseb. ann.
Abr. 2130 (= 116 A.D.), Zonar. 11. 22 (iii. 68 f. Dindorf).