DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0409
OF THE RELIGION OF GREECE.
387
dred and eight years after the Trojan war, from which time, according to
Solinus, the number of the olympiads are reckoned (1). After this time
they were again neglected till the time ofChoroebus, who, according to
Phlegon's computation, lived in the 28th olympiad after Iphitus, and then
instituted again the Olympian games ; which, after this time, were con-
stantly celebrated. And this really fell out in the 418th year after the
destruction of Troy, or two years sooner, by Eusebius's account, which
reckons four hundred and six years from the taking of Troy to the first
olympiad ; by the first olympiad, meaning that which was first in the
common computation of olympiads, which was begun at this time.
The care and management of these games belonged sometimes to the
Piszeans, but, for the most part, to the Eleans, by whom the Pisasans were
destroyed, and their very name extinguished. Polybius, in the fourth
book of his history, reports, that the Eleans by the general consent of
the Greeks, enjoyed their possessions without any molestation, or fear of
War or violence, in consideration of the Olympian games, which were
there celebrated. And this he assigns as a reason why they chiefly de-
lighted in a country life, and did not flock together into towns like other
states of Greece. Nevertheless we find, that the 104th olympiad was
celebrated by order of the Arcadians, by whom the Eleans were at that
time reduced to a very low coudition ; but this, and all those managed by
the inhabitants of Pisa, the Eleans called Avohv^TnxSss, i. e. unlawful olym-
piads, and left them out of their annals, wherein ihe names of the vic-
tors, and all occurrences at these games were recorded. Till the 50th
olympiad a single person superintended, but then two were appointed to
perform that office. In the !03d olympiad that number was increased to
twelve, according to the number of the Elean tribes, out of every one of
which one president was elected : but in the following olympiad, the
Eleans having suffered great losses by a war with the Arcadians, and be-
ing reduced to eight tribes, the presidents were also reduced to that
number : in the 105th olympiad, they were increased by the addition of
one more ; and, in the 106th, another was joined to them, whereby they
made ten; which number continued till the reign of Adrian, the Roman
emperor. These persons were called 'EAA?va<?<xa<, and assembled toge-
ther in a place named 'EAA^vaJWiay, in the Elean forum, where they were
obliged to reside ten months before the celebration of the games, to take
care that such as offered themselves to contend, performed their 7r^oyv^-
vJ&ctpaTa., or preparatory exercises, and to be instructed in all the laws of
the games, by certain men called NopoQu'kcixeg, i. e. keepers of the laws:
farther, to prevent all unjust practices, they were obliged to take an oath,
that they would act impartially, would take no bribes, nor discover the
reason for which they disliked or approved of any of the contenders.
At the solemnity they sat naked, having before them the victorial crown
till the exercises were finished, and then it was presented to whomsoever
they adjudged it. Nevertheless there lay an appeal from the hellanodicce
to the Olympian senate. Thus, when two of the hellanodicos adjudged
the prize to Eupolemus the Elean, and the third (they being then only
three in number) to Leon the Ambracian, the latter of these appealed to
the Olympian Senate, who condemned the two judges to pay a conside-
rable fine (2).
(1) Solini Polyhist. cap. i.
(2) PausaniusEliaC.C'. page 457,458,edit,. Lips.
387
dred and eight years after the Trojan war, from which time, according to
Solinus, the number of the olympiads are reckoned (1). After this time
they were again neglected till the time ofChoroebus, who, according to
Phlegon's computation, lived in the 28th olympiad after Iphitus, and then
instituted again the Olympian games ; which, after this time, were con-
stantly celebrated. And this really fell out in the 418th year after the
destruction of Troy, or two years sooner, by Eusebius's account, which
reckons four hundred and six years from the taking of Troy to the first
olympiad ; by the first olympiad, meaning that which was first in the
common computation of olympiads, which was begun at this time.
The care and management of these games belonged sometimes to the
Piszeans, but, for the most part, to the Eleans, by whom the Pisasans were
destroyed, and their very name extinguished. Polybius, in the fourth
book of his history, reports, that the Eleans by the general consent of
the Greeks, enjoyed their possessions without any molestation, or fear of
War or violence, in consideration of the Olympian games, which were
there celebrated. And this he assigns as a reason why they chiefly de-
lighted in a country life, and did not flock together into towns like other
states of Greece. Nevertheless we find, that the 104th olympiad was
celebrated by order of the Arcadians, by whom the Eleans were at that
time reduced to a very low coudition ; but this, and all those managed by
the inhabitants of Pisa, the Eleans called Avohv^TnxSss, i. e. unlawful olym-
piads, and left them out of their annals, wherein ihe names of the vic-
tors, and all occurrences at these games were recorded. Till the 50th
olympiad a single person superintended, but then two were appointed to
perform that office. In the !03d olympiad that number was increased to
twelve, according to the number of the Elean tribes, out of every one of
which one president was elected : but in the following olympiad, the
Eleans having suffered great losses by a war with the Arcadians, and be-
ing reduced to eight tribes, the presidents were also reduced to that
number : in the 105th olympiad, they were increased by the addition of
one more ; and, in the 106th, another was joined to them, whereby they
made ten; which number continued till the reign of Adrian, the Roman
emperor. These persons were called 'EAA?va<?<xa<, and assembled toge-
ther in a place named 'EAA^vaJWiay, in the Elean forum, where they were
obliged to reside ten months before the celebration of the games, to take
care that such as offered themselves to contend, performed their 7r^oyv^-
vJ&ctpaTa., or preparatory exercises, and to be instructed in all the laws of
the games, by certain men called NopoQu'kcixeg, i. e. keepers of the laws:
farther, to prevent all unjust practices, they were obliged to take an oath,
that they would act impartially, would take no bribes, nor discover the
reason for which they disliked or approved of any of the contenders.
At the solemnity they sat naked, having before them the victorial crown
till the exercises were finished, and then it was presented to whomsoever
they adjudged it. Nevertheless there lay an appeal from the hellanodicce
to the Olympian senate. Thus, when two of the hellanodicos adjudged
the prize to Eupolemus the Elean, and the third (they being then only
three in number) to Leon the Ambracian, the latter of these appealed to
the Olympian Senate, who condemned the two judges to pay a conside-
rable fine (2).
(1) Solini Polyhist. cap. i.
(2) PausaniusEliaC.C'. page 457,458,edit,. Lips.