Description of Greece

​In this country there is a hill rising to a sharp peak, and upon it are the ruins of the city Phrixa and a temple of Athena with the surname Cydonia. This temple is not entirely preserved, but the altar is still there in my time; they say that Clymenus, a descendant of the Idaean Heracles, founded the temple for the goddess, and that he had come from Cydonia in Crete and the river Iardanus. The Eleans also say that Pelops sacrificed to Cydonian Athena before he entered the contest with Oenomaus.

​Going on from there, there is the water of the Parthenias, and by the river is the tomb of the horses of Marmax. The story goes that this Marmax arrived first as a suitor of Hippodameia and was killed by Oenomaus before the others, and that the names of his horses were Parthenia and Eripha—Oenomaus slaughtered the horses over Marmax, but allowed them also to be buried—and the name of the river Parthenias is derived from the horse of Marmax.

​There is also another river called Harpinates, and not far from the river are other ruins of the city Harpina, especially the altars; they say that Oenomaus founded the city and gave it its name after his mother Harpina.

​Proceeding a little further, there is a high mound of earth, the tomb of the suitors of Hippodameia. Now they say that Oenomaus buried them near one another without distinction; but Pelops afterwards raised a great monument in common for them, out of honor to them and to please Hippodameia, and also, as it seems to me, as a memorial to posterity of how many and what sort of men Oenomaus had mastered before Pelops himself conquered him.

​According to the epic poem the Great Eoeae, there were killed by Oenomaus Alcathous the son of Porthaon, who was the second after Marmax, and after Alcathous, Euryalus, Eurymachus, and Crotalus. Now of these I was not able to learn the parents and countries, but as for Acrias, who was killed after them, one might conjecture that he was a Lacedaemonian and the founder of Acriae. After Acrias, they say Capetus was slain by Oenomaus, and Lycurgus, Lasius, Chalcodon, and Tricolonus; and the Arcadians say that this last was a descendant and namesake of Tricolonus the son of Lycaon.

​After Tricolonus, fate overtook Aristomachus and Prias in the race, and also Pelagon, Aeolius, and Cronius. Some also add to those enumerated Erythras, the son of Leucon the son of Athamas—from whom Erythrae, a town of the Boeotians, was named—and Eioneus, the son of Magnes the son of Aeolus. For these indeed there is the monument here, and they say that Pelops, when he held the rule over the Pisatans, used to make offerings to them every year.