Pseudo-Aeschines, Epistulae 4.5: Pherenike/ Callipateira breaking the Olympic ban

Title

Pseudo-Aeschines, Epistulae 4.5: Pherenike/ Callipateira breaking the Olympic ban

Date

2nd/3rd century CE (?)

Type

Letter

Source Type

Literary source

Commentary

The letters of Aischines are later forgeries. This letter praises the otherwise unknown Cleocrates by exalting his ancestors, including the female protagonist of this anecdote, whose name is not mentioned by the author.

The same anecdote is also transmitted, though with several minor and major differences, by Pausanias 5.6.7-8, 6.7.2; Scholion to Pindar, Olympian 7.1; Flavius Philostratus, De Gymnastica 17; Claudius Aelianus, Varia Historia 10.1; Plinius Maior, Naturalis Historia 7.133; Valerius Maximus, Facta et Dicta Memorabilia 8.15.12 ext. 4.

Translation

Now it seems to me necessary to tell you this story, for it is worthy of being heard, even if it does not feature Cleocrates. It is said that an old woman once came into the stadium at Olympia, and she stood with the men and watched the competitors. But when the Hellanodicae confronted her because she had dared to come into the stadium, she answered: “To what other woman has the god granted (the opportunity) to proclaim that she has both a father and three brothers as Olympic champions as well as bringing a son to Olympia?”

Translation used

translation by Alexander Meeus for the Cynisca project

Text

δοκεῖ οὖν μοι ἀνάγκη εἶναι διηγήσασθαί σοι τὸ διήγημα τοῦτο· ἄξιον γὰρ ἀκοῦσαι, εἰ καὶ μὴ προσῆκον Κλεοκράτει. λέγεται γὰρ γυνή ποτε πρεσβῦτις Ὀλυμπίασι παρελθοῦσα εἰς τὸ στάδιον ἑστάνει τε ἅμα τοῖς ἀνδράσι καὶ θεᾶσθαι τοὺς ἀγωνιζομένους, ἐπιστάντων δὲ αὐτῇ τῶν Ἑλλανοδικῶν, ὅτι ἐτόλμησε παρελθεῖν εἰς τὸ στάδιον, ἀποκρίνασθαι ‘τίνι γὰρ ἄλλῃ γυναικὶ τοῦτο δέδωκε καυχήσασθαι οὕτως ὁ θεὸς, ὅτι καὶ πατέρα καὶ τρεῖς ἀδελφοὺς Ὀλυμπιονίκας ἔχει καὶ υἱὸν ἐπ᾿ Ὀλύμπια ἄγει;’

Edition used

Friedrich Franke (ed.), Aeschinis orationes, Leipzig 1887.

Collection

Citation

Pseudo-Aeschines, “Pseudo-Aeschines, Epistulae 4.5: Pherenike/ Callipateira breaking the Olympic ban,” Cynisca: Documenting Women and Girls in Ancient Greek Sports, accessed December 22, 2024, https://fdz.bib.uni-mannheim.de/cynisca/items/show/65.

Output Formats