A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

248 PHEIDIAS. PIEIDIAS.
to have been felt, much less manifested, at the exile, banished for peculation? All that is told us
moment when he had finished the works which of his visit combines to show that he went attended
placed Athens at the very summit of all that was by his principal disciples, transferring in fact his
beautiful and magnificent in Grecian art. It is school of art for a time from Athens, where his
necessary to bear in mind these arguments from the chief work was ended, to Elis and Olympia, which
probabilities of the case, on account of the meagre- he was now invited to adorn. Among the artists
ness of the positive facts that are recorded. There who accompanied him were COLOTES, who worked
is, however, one fact, which seems to fix, with to- with him upon the statue of Zeus, as already upon
lerable certainty, the timle when Pheidias was en- that of Athena, and who executed other important
gaged on the statue at Olympia. Pausanias informs worls for the Eleians; PANAENUS, his relative,
us (v. 11. ~ 2) that, on one of the flat pieces which who executed the chief pictorial embellishments of
extended between the legs of the throne of the the statue and temple; ALCAMEN;S, his most disstatue, among other figures representing the athletic tinguished disciple, who made the statues in the
contests, was one of a youth binding his head with hinder pediment of the temple; not to mention
a fillet (the symbol of victory), who was said to re- PAEONIUS of Mende, and CLEOETAS, whose consemble Pantarces, an Eleian boy, who was beloved nection with Pheidias, though not certain, is exby Pheidias; and that Pantarces was victor in tremely probable. It is worthy of notice that,
the boys' wrestling, in 01. 86, B. c. 436.* If there nearly at the time when the artists of the school of
be any truth in this account, it follows, first, that Pheidias were thus employed in a body at Olympia,
the statue could not have been completed before those of the Athenian archaic school-such as
this date, and also that, in all probability, Pheidias Praxias, the disciple of Calamlis, and Androsthenes,
was engaged upon it at the very time of the victory the disciple of Eucadmus, were similarly engaged
of Pantarces. That the relief was not added at a on the temple at Delphi (see Miiller, de P/Auidn. Fit.
later period, is certain, for there is not the least p. 28, n. y.). The honour in which Pheidias lived
reason for supposing that any one worked upon the among the Eleians is also shown by their assigning
statue after Pheidias, nor would any subsequent to him a studio in the neighbourhood of the Altis
artist have the motive which Pheidias had to re- (Paus. v. 15. ~ 1), and by their permitting him to
present Pantarces at all. A more plausible ob- inscribe his name upon the footstool of the god, an
jection is founded on theuncertainty of the tradition, honour which had been denied to him at Athens+
which Pausanias only records in the vague terms (Paus. v. 10. ~ 2; Cic. T7tsc. Quaest. i. 15). The
EocKeva To'r e1os A&yovrra. But it must be remem- inscription was as follows:bered that the story was derived from a class of
persons who were not only specially appointed to beillas Xappiov vus'ABrsvazos {' croes'.
the charge of the statue, but were the very descendants of Pheidias, and who had, therefore Without raising a question whether he would thus
every motive to preserve every tradition respecting solenily have inscribed his name as an Athenian
him. The very utmost that can be granted is if he had been an exile, we may poinlt to clearer
that the resemblance may have been a fancy, but proofs of his good feeling towards his native city
that the tradition of the love of Pheidias for Pan- in some of the figures with which he adorned his
tarces was true; and this vwould be sufficiient to great work, such as that of Theseus (Paus. v. 10.
fix, pretty nearly, the time of the residence of the ~ 2), and of Salamis holding the aplestre, ill a
artist among tlhe Elcians. If we are to believe group with personified Greece, probably crovwning
Clemens of Alexandria, and other late writers, her (Paus. v. 11. ~ 2). These subjects are also
Pheidias also inscribed the name of Pantarces on important in another light. They seem to shov
that the work was executed at a tinue when the
the finger of the statue (Cohlort. p. 16; Arnob. that the ork executed at a tin e when the,Cv. G'ent. vi. 13). Eleians were on a good understanding with Athells,
Besides urging the objections just referred to that is, before the breaking out of the Peloponagainst the story of Pantarces, Heyne endeavours
to establish an earlier date for the statue from th t From the above considerations, making uwllowance
of the temple; which was built out of the spoils also for the time hich so great a work would ietaker in the war between the Eleians and Pisaeans. cessarily occupy, it may be inferred, with great
The date of this war was 01. 50, s. c. 580; but it probability, tht Pheidias was engaged on tile
is impossible to argue from tile time when spoils statue of Zeus aid his other works amouig the
wvere gained to the time when they were applied Eleians, for about the four or five years from a. c.
437 to 434 or 433. It would seem that he then
to their sacred uses: and the argument, if pressed 437 to 434 or 433. It would seem that he the
at all, would obviously prove too much, and throw returNed to Athens, and there fell aPvictim to the
back the completion of the temple long before the jealousy against his great patron, Pericles, which
titme of Pheidias. On the whole, therefore, we "was then at its height. That he was the object of
lay conclude that Pheidias was at work among some fierce attack by the party opposed to Pericles,
itiaye Elins about B. C. 436, or two years later than the general consent of the chief ancient authorities
the Elsians about B. c. 436, or two years later than
the dedication of his Athena of the Parthenon. forbids us to doubt; and a careful attention to the
Now, was lie there at the invitation of the internal politics of Athens will, perhaps, guide us
Eleians, who desired that their sanctuary of the through the conflicting statements which we have
supreme deity, the centre of the religious and social to deal with, to a tolerably safe conclusion.
uiion of Greece, should be adorned by a work of The most important testimony on the subject,
art, surpassing, if possible, the statue which had and one which is in fact enough to settle the
just spread the fame of AtheIls and of Pheidias question, is that of Aristophanes (Par, 605),
over Greece; or was he there as a dishonoured
+ He had, however been honoured by the in* The important bearing of this tradition on scription of his name on a column as the maker of
the qliestioni of the age of Pheidias is obvious. tile throne of the goddess. (Plut. Per. 13.)