Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

OLYMPIA. OLYMPIA. 831
brated contrary to law. (Paus. vi. 22. ~ 2, 4. obliged to swear to in the BovEvTr-ptor, at
~ 2.) Olympia before the statue of Zeus "'Opzios. The
The Hlellanodicae were chosen by lot from the fathers, brothers, and gymnastic teachers of the
whole body of the Eleans. Pausanias (v. 9. ~ 4, 5) competitors, as well as the competitors themselves,
has given an account of their numbers at different had also to swear that they would be guilty of no
periods; but the commencement of the passage crime (acaacoippyyua) in reference to the contests.
is unfortunately corrupt. At first, he says, there (Pans. v. 24. ~ 2.) All competitors were obliged,
were only two judges chosen from all the Eleans, thirty days previous to the festival, to undergo
but that in the 25th 01. (75th 01.?) nine Hel- certain exercises ill the Gymnasium at Elis, under
lanodicae were appointed, three of whom had the the superintendence of the Hellanodicae. (Paus.
superintendence of the horse-races, three of the vi. 26. ~ 1-3, 24. ~ 1.) The different contests,
Pentathlum, and three of the other contests. Two and the order in which they would follow one
Olympiads after, a tenth judge was added. In another, were written by the Hellanodicae upon a
the 103rd 01. the number was increased to 12, as tablet (XeVcKwua) exposed to public view. (Comat that time there were 12 Elean Phylae, and a pare Dion Cass. lxxix. 10.)
judge was chosen from each tribe; but as the The competitors took their places by lot, and
Eleans afterwards lost part of their lands in war were of course differently arranged according to the
with the Arcadians, the number of Phylae was re- different contests in which they were to be engaged.
duced to eight in the 104th 01., and accordingly The herald then proclaimed the name and country
there were then only eight Hellanodicae. But in of each competitor. (Compare Plato, Leg. viii. p.
the 108th 01. the number of Hellanodicae was in- 833.) When they were all ready to begin the
creased to 10, and remained the same to the time contest, the judges exhorted them to acquit themof Pausanias. (Paus.. e.) selves nobly, and then gave the signal to cornThe Hellanodicae were instructed for ten months mence. Any one detected in bribing a competitor
before the festival by certain of the Elean magis- to give the victory to his antagonist was heavily
trates, called Nouo(p6AaKes, in a building devoted to fined; the practice appears to have been not unthe purpose near the market-place, which was called common fromi the many instances recorded by Pau-'E1XAeaosucaLc6V. (Pans. vi. 24. ~ 3.) Their office sanias (v. 21).
probably only lasted for one festival. They had The only prize given to the conqueror was a
to see that all the laws relating to the games were garland of wild olive (icdruVOs), which according to
observed by the competitors and others, to deter- the Elean legends was the prize originally instimine the prizes, and to give them to the con- tuted by the Idaean Heracles. (Paus. v. 7. ~ 4.)
querors. An appeal lay from their decision to the But according to Phlegon's account (Ilepl Ar,
Elean senate. (Panus. vi. 3. ~ 3.) Their office was'OAMuranowv,, p. 140), the olive crown was not given
considered most honourable. They wore a purple as a prize upon the revival of the games by Iphitus,
robe (7rop(pup's), and had in the Stadium special and was first bestowed in the seventh Olympiad
seats appropriated to them. (Paus. vi. 20. ~ 5, 6, with the approbation of the oracle at Delphi. This
7; Bekker, Anecd. p. 249. 4.) Under the direc- garland was cut from a sacred olive tree, called
tion of the Hellanodicae was a certain number of eXalea KcXXia-raE'avos, which grew in the sacred
ad.Srai with an &XuVrCipx7s at their head, who grove of Altis in Olympia, near the altars of Aphroformed a kind of police, and carried into execution dite and the Hours. (Paus. v. 15. ~ 3.) Heracles
the commands of the Hellanodicae. (Lucian, Hernz. is said to have brought it from the country of the
c. 40. vol. i. p. 738, Reitz; Etym. bMag. p. 72. HIyperboreans, and to have planted it himself in
13.) There were also various other minor officers the Altis. (Pind. 01. iii. 14; MUller, Dor. ii. 12.
under the control of the Hellanodicae. ~ 3.) A boy, both of whose parents were still
All free Greeks were allowed to contend in the alive (&iwptOa\As 7ra7s) cut it with a golden sickle
games, who had complied with the rules prescribed (Xpvur apsrdioT). The victor was originally
to candidates. The equestrian contests were neces- crowned upon a tripod covered over with bronze
sarily confined to the wealthy; but the poorest (rpLrovs EriXaXKos), but afterwards, and in the
citizens could contend in the athletic contests, of time of Pausanias, upon a table made of ivory and
which Pausanias (vi. 10. ~ 1) mentions an exam- gold. (Paus. v. 12. ~ 3, 20. ~ 1, 2.) Palm
ple. This, however, was far from degrading the branches, the common tokens of victory on other
games in public opinion; and some of the noblest occasions, were placed in their hands. The name
as well as meanest citizens of the state took part of the victor, and that of his father and of his
in these contests. The owners of the chariots and country, were then proclaimed by a herald before
horses were not obliged to contend in person; and the representatives of assembled Greece. The
the wealthy vied with one another in the number festival ended with processions and sacrifices, and
and magnificence of the chariots and horses which with a public banquet given by the Eleans to the
they sent to the games. Alcibiades sent seven conquerors in the Prytaneum. (Paus. v. 15. ~ 8.)
chariots to one festival, a greater number than had The most powerful states considered an Olympic
ever been entered by a private person (Thuc. vi, victory, gained by one of their citizens, to confer
16), and the Greek kings in Sicily, Macedon, and honour upon the state to which he belonged; and
other parts of the Hellenic world contended with a conqueror usually had immunities and privileges
one another for the prize in the equestrian contests. conferred upon him by the gratitude of his fellowAll persons, who were about to contend, had to citizens. The Eleans allowed his statue to be
prove to the Hellanodicae that they were freemen, placed in the Altis, or sacred grove of Zeus, which
of pure lIellenic blood, had not been branded with was adorned with numerous such statues erected
Atimia, nor guilty of any sacrilegious act. They by the conquerors or their families, or at the exfurther had to prove that they had undergone the pence of the states of which they were citizens.
preparatory training (7rpo-yvydado'ara) for ten On his return home, the victor entered the city in
months previously, and the truth of this they were a triumphal procession, in which his praises were