Smith, William: A smaller dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities (London, 1871)

OLYMPIA.

275

OLYMPIA.

9. The horse-race (177-71-0; kc'Ajjs), hoth intro-
duced in 01. 33. 10 and 11. The foot-race
and wrestling for boys, both introduced in
01. 37. 12. The Pcntathlum for boys, in-
troduced in 01. 38., but immediately after-
wards abolished. 13. Boxing for boys, in-
troduced in 01. 41. 14. The foot-race, in
which men ran with the equipments of heavy-
armed soldiers (™v ottAi/tw Spo/xos), introduced
in 01. 65., on account of its training men for
actual service in war. 15. The chariot-race
with mules (a-n~qvr)), introduced in 01. 70. ;
and 16. The horse-race with mares (Kak-n-q),
introduced in 01. 71., both of which were
abolished in 01. 84. 17. The chariot-race
with two full-grown horses Qirntav TeAeiW
<rvvu>pfc), introduced in 01. 93. 18, 19. The
contest of heralds (fojpv/ces) and trumpeters
(o-aA7nyKTat), introduced in 01. 96. 20. The
chariot-race with four foals {nutkui' ap/xacrii/),
introduced in 01. 99. 21. The chariot-race
with two foals (iruikiov mnnapW), introduced in
01. 128. 22. The horse-race with foals
(7rwAo9 /ce'Arjs), introduced in 01. 131. 23.
The Pancratium for boys, introduced in 01.
145. 24. There was also a horse-race ('171-77-0;
kcAt;;) in which boys rode, but we do not
know the time of its introduction.—The judges
in the Olympic Games, called Hellanodicae
('EAAai>oS(.';«zi), were appointed by the Eleans,
who had the regulation of the whole festival.
It appears to have been originally under the
superintendence of Pisa, in the neighbourhood
of which Olympia was situated, but after the
conquest of Peloponnesus by the Dorians on
the return of the Heraclidae, the Aetolians,
who had been of great assistance to the He-
raclidae, settled in Elis, and from this time
the Aetolian Eleans obtained the regulation of
the festival, and appointed the presiding
officers. The Hellanodicae were chosen by
lot from the whole body of the Eleans. Their
number varied at different periods, but at a
later time there were eight Hellanodicae.
Their office probably lasted for only one fes-
tival. They had to see that all the laws
relating to the games were observed by the
competitors and others, to determine the
prizes, and to give them to the conquerors.
An appeal lay from their decision to the
Elean senate. Under the direction of the
Hellanodicae was a certain number of Alytae
(iAuTai) with an Ahjtarclies (aAvrapxTjs) at
their head, who formed a kind of police, and
carried into execution the commands of the
Hellanodicae. There were also various other
minor officers under the control of the Hel-
lanodicae.—All free Greeks were allowed to
contend in the games, who had complied with
the rules prescribed to candidates. The eques-
trian contests were necessarily confined to

the wealthy ; but the poorest citizens could
contend in the athletic games. This, how-
ever, was far from degrading the games in
public opinion ; and some of the noblest as
well as meanest citizens of the state took
part in these contests. The owners of the
chariots and horses were not obliged to con-
tend in person ; and the wealthy vied with
one another in the number and magnificence
of the chariots and horses which they sent to
the games. All persons, who were about to
contend, had to prove to the Hellanodicae
that they were freemen, and of pure Hellenic
blood, that they had not been branded with
atimia, nor guilty of any sacrilegious act.
They further had to prove that they had
undergone the preparatory training (77-poyvp;-
v6.ap.aTa) for ten months previous. All com-
petitors were obliged, thirty days before the
festival, to undergo certain exercises in the
Gymnasium at Elis, under the superinten-
dence of the Hellanodicae. The competitors
took their places by lot. The herald then
proclaimed the name and country of each
competitor. When they were all ready to
begin the contest, the judges exhorted them
to acquit themselves nobly, and then gave the
signal to commence.-—The only prize given
to the conqueror was a garland of wild olive
(kotivos), cut from a sacred olive tree, which
grew in the sacred grove of Altis in Olympia.
The victor was originally crowned upon a
tripod covered over with bronze, but after-
wards upon a table made of ivory and gold.
Palm branches, the common tokens of victory
on other occasions, were placed in his hands.
The name of the victor, and that of his father
and of his country, were then proclaimed by
a herald before the representatives of assem-
bled Greece. The festival ended with pro-
cessions and sacrifices, and with a public
banquet given by the Eleans to the conquerors
in the Prytaneium. The most powerful states
considered an Olympic victory, gained by one
of their citizens, to confer honour upon the
state to which he belonged ; and a conqueror
usually had immunities and privileges con-
ferred upon him by the gratitude of his
fellow-citizens. On his return home the
victor entered the city in a triumphal pro-
cession, in which his praises were celebrated,
frequently in the loftiest strains of poetry.
[Athletae.] As persons from all parts of
the Hellenic world were assembled together
at the Olympic Games, it was the best oppor-
tunity which the artist and the writer pos-
sessed of making their works known. It
answered, to some extent, the same purpose
as the press does in modern times. Be-
fore the invention of printing, the reading of
an author's works to as large an assembly

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