§7.72.1πρὶν ἄρξασθαι τῶν ἀγώνων, πομπὴν ἔστελλον τοῖς θεοῖς οἱ τὴν μεγίστην ἔχοντες ἐξουσίαν, ἀπὸ τοῦ Καπιτωλίου τε καὶ διʼ ἀγορᾶς ἄγοντες ἐπὶ τὸν μέγαν ἱππόδρομον.
Before beginning the games, those who held the greatest power sent a procession to the gods, leading it from the Capitol and through the forum to the Circus Maximus.
ἡγοῦντο δὲ τῆς πομπῆς πρῶτον μὲν οἱ παῖδες αὐτῶν οἱ πρόσηβοί τε καὶ τοῦ πομπεύειν ἔχοντες ἡλικίαν, ἱππεῖς μέν, ὧν οἱ πατέρες τιμήματα ἱππέων εἶχον, πεζοὶ δʼ οἱ μέλλοντες ἐν τοῖς πεζοῖς στρατεύεσθαι· οἱ μὲν κατʼ ἴλας τε καὶ κατὰ λόχους, οἱ δὲ κατὰ συμμορίας τε καὶ τάξεις ὡς εἰς διδασκαλεῖον πορευόμενοι· ἵνα φανερὰ γίνοιτο τοῖς ξένοις ἡ μέλλουσα ἀνδροῦσθαι τῆς πόλεως ἀκμὴ πλῆθός τε καὶ
Leading the procession, first indeed, were their sons who had reached puberty and were of age to join the procession, some as cavalry, whose fathers had the census of knights, and others as infantry, who were to serve among the infantry; the former marched by squadrons and cohorts, the latter by companies and ranks, as if they were going to school, so that the future prime of the city’s youth, which was about to reach manhood, might be manifest to the foreigners, showing what it was like in both number and beauty.
§7.72.2κάλλος οἵα τις ἦν. τούτοις ἠκολούθουν ἡνίοχοι τὰ τέθριππά τε καὶ τὰς συνωρίδας καὶ τοὺς ἀζεύκτους ἵππους ἐλαύνοντες· μεθʼ οὓς οἱ τῶν ἀθλημάτων ἀγωνισταὶ τῶν τε κούφων καὶ τῶν βαρέων τὸ μὲν ἄλλο σῶμα γυμνοί, τὸ δὲ περὶ τὴν αἰδῶ καλυπτόμενοι.
These were followed by charioteers driving four-horse and two-horse chariots, and unyoked horses; after whom came the contestants of the athletic games, both of the light and heavy events, naked as to the rest of their body, but covered around their loins.
τοῦτο καὶ εἰς ἐμὲ τὸ ἔθος ἐν Ῥώμῃ διέμενεν, ὡς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐγίνετο παρʼ Ἕλλησιν· ἐν δὲ τῇ Ἑλλάδι καταλέλυται Λακεδαιμονίων αὐτὸ καταλυσάντων.
This custom remained in Rome even down to my time, just as it was in the beginning among the Greeks; but in Greece it has been abolished, the Lacedaemonians having abolished it.
§7.72.3ὁ δὲ πρῶτος ἐπιχειρήσας ἀποδυθῆναι τὸ σῶμα καὶ γυμνὸς Ὀλυμπίασι δραμὼν ἐπὶ τῆς πεντεκαιδεκάτης ὀλυμπιάδος Ἄκανθος ὁ Λακεδαιμόνιος ἦν.
The first to attempt to strip his body and run naked at Olympia, during the fifteenth Olympiad, was Acanthos the Lacedaemonian.
τὰ δὲ πρὸ τούτων διʼ αἰσχύνης εἶχον ἅπαντες Ἕλληνες ὅλα γυμνὰ φαίνειν ἐν ταῖς ἀγωνίαις τὰ σώματα, ὡς Ὅμηρος τεκμηριοῖ, μαρτύρων ἀξιοπιστότατός τε καὶ ἀρχαιότατος ὢν ζωννυμένους τοὺς ἥρωας ποιῶν.
Before this, all Greeks held it a matter of shame to show their bodies completely naked in the games, as Homer attests, being the most trustworthy and ancient of witnesses, representing the heroes as girded.
τὴν γοῦν Αἴαντος καὶ Ὀδυσσέως πάλην ἐπὶ τῇ Πατρόκλου ταφῇ γενομένην ἀφηγούμενός φησι· "τὼ δὲ ζωσαμένω βήτην ἐς μέσσον ἀγῶνα· " §7.72.4καὶ ἔτι σαφέστερον ἐν Ὀδυσσείᾳ τοῦτο ποιεῖ φανερὸν ἐπὶ τῆς Ἴρου καὶ Ὀδυσσέως πυγμῆς ἐν τοῖσδε τοῖς ἔπεσιν· "ὥς ἔφαθʼ· οἱ δʼ ἄρα πάντες ἐπῄνεον·
At any rate, in relating the wrestling match of Ajax and Odysseus at the funeral of Patroclus, he says: "The two, having girded themselves, stepped into the midst of the contest." And still more clearly in the Odyssey he makes this manifest in the case of the boxing match of Irus and Odysseus, in these lines: "So he spoke, and they all approved.
αὐτὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς ζώσατο μὲν ῥάκεσιν περὶ μήδεα, φαῖνε δὲ μηροὺς καλούς τε μεγάλους τε.
But Odysseus girded his rags around his loins, and showed his thighs, fair and great.
φάνεν δέ οἱ εὐρέες ὦμοι στήθεά τε στιβαροί τε βραχίονες. "
τὸν δὲ πτωχὸν οὐκέτι βουλόμενον μάχεσθαι, ἀλλʼ ἀποδειλιῶντα εἰσάγων τάδε εἴρηκεν· "ὡς ἂρ ἔφαν· Ἴρῳ δὲ κακῶς ὠρίνετο θυμός·
And his broad shoulders and chest and strong arms appeared." And introducing the beggar as no longer wishing to fight but shrinking back in fear, he spoke thus: "So they spoke, and the heart of Irus was terribly dismayed.
ἀλλὰ καὶ ὣς μνηστῆρες ἄγον ζώσαντες ἀνάγκῃ. "
τοῦτο δὴ τὸ ἔθος ἀρχαῖον ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ὂν οἱ φυλάττοντες μέχρι τοῦδε Ῥωμαῖοι δῆλοί εἰσιν οὐ προσμαθόντες παρʼ ἡμῶν ὕστερον, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ μεταθέμενοι σὺν χρόνῳ καθάπερ ἡμεῖς.
Yet even so, the suitors girded him and dragged him on by force." Therefore, it is clear that the Romans, who have preserved this custom, which was ancient among the Greeks, down to this day, did not learn it from us later as a new acquisition, nor did they change it over time as we did.
§7.72.5ἠκολούθουν δὲ τοῖς ἀγωνισταῖς ὀρχηστῶν χοροὶ πολλοὶ τριχῇ νενεμημένοι, πρῶτοι μὲν ἀνδρῶν, δεύτεροι δʼ ἀγενείων, τελευταῖοι δὲ παίδων, οἷς παρηκολούθουν αὐληταί τʼ ἀρχαϊκοῖς ἐμφυσῶντες αὐλίσκοις βραχέσιν, ὡς καὶ εἰς τόδε χρόνου γίνεται, καὶ κιθαρισταὶ λύρας ἑπταχόρδους ἐλεφαντίνας καὶ τὰ καλούμενα βάρβιτα κρέκοντες.
The athletes were followed by many choruses of dancers divided into three groups: the first of men, the second of youths, and the last of boys, accompanied by flute-players blowing into short archaic flutes, as is still done to this day, and cithara-players striking ivory seven-stringed lyres and those instruments called barbitons.
ὧν παρὰ μὲν Ἕλλησιν ἐκλέλοιπεν ἡ χρῆσις ἐπʼ ἐμοῦ πάτριος οὖσα· παρὰ δὲ Ῥωμαίοις ἐν ἁπάσαις φυλάττεται ταῖς ἀρχαίαις θυηπολίαις.
The use of these has died out among the Greeks in my time, though it was ancestral; but among the Romans it is preserved in all their ancient sacrifices.
§7.72.6σκευαὶ δὲ τῶν ὀρχηστῶν ἦσαν χιτῶνες φοινίκεοι ζωστῆρσι χαλκέοις ἐσφιγμένοι, καὶ ξίφη παρηρτημένα, καὶ λόγχαι βραχύτεραι τῶν μετρίων· τοῖς δʼ ἀνδράσι καὶ κράνη χάλκεα λόφοις ἐπισήμοις κεκοσμημένα καὶ πτεροῖς.
The dress of the dancers consisted of scarlet tunics girded with bronze belts, and swords suspended at their sides, and spears shorter than the average; and the men had also bronze helmets adorned with conspicuous crests and feathers.
ἡγεῖτο δὲ καθʼ ἕκαστον χορὸν εἷς ἀνήρ, ὃς ἐνεδίδου τοῖς ἄλλοις τὰ τῆς ὀρχήσεως σχήματα, πρῶτος εἰδοφορῶν τὰς πολεμικὰς καὶ συντόνους κινήσεις ἐν τοῖς προκελευσματικοῖς ὡς τὰ πολλὰ ῥυθμοῖς.
Each chorus was led by one man, who gave the figures of the dance to the others, being the first to represent the martial and vigorous movements, for the most part in proceleusmatic rhythms.