§10.7.1ἔοικε δὲ ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὸ ἱερὸν τὸ ἐν Δελφοῖς ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων ἐπιβεβουλεῦσθαι πλείστων ἤδη.
It seems that from the beginning the temple in Delphi has already been plotted against by very many people.
οὗτός τε ὁ Εὐβοεὺς λῃστὴς καὶ ἔτεσιν ὕστερον τὸ ἔθνος τὸ Φλεγυῶν, ἔτι δὲ Πύρρος ὁ Ἀχιλλέως ἐπεχείρησεν αὐτῷ, καὶ δυνάμεως μοῖρα τῆς Ξέρξου, καὶ οἱ χρόνον τε ἐπὶ πλεῖστον καὶ μάλιστα τοῦ θεοῦ τοῖς χρήμασιν ἐπελθόντες οἱ ἐν Φωκεῦσι δυνάσται, καὶ ἡ Γαλατῶν στρατιά.
This Euboean plunderer, and years later the tribe of the Phlegyans, and furthermore Pyrrhus the son of Achilles made attempts upon it, as did a part of the force of Xerxes, and those rulers in Phocis who for the longest time and most of all attacked the property of the god, and the army of the Galatians.
ἔμελλε δὲ ἄρα οὐδὲ τῆς Νέρωνος ἐς πάντα ὀλιγωρίας ἀπειράτως ἕξειν, ὃς τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα πεντακοσίας θεῶν τε ἀναμὶξ ἀφείλετο καὶ ἀνθρώπων εἰκόνας χαλκᾶς.
And indeed, it was destined not to remain without experience of the disregard of Nero, who was neglectful in all things, and who deprived Apollo of five hundred bronze statues of gods and men mixed together.
§10.7.2ἀρχαιότατον δὲ ἀγώνισμα γενέσθαι μνημονεύουσι καὶ ἐφʼ ᾧ πρῶτον ἆθλα ἔθεσαν, ᾆσαι ὕμνον ἐς τὸν θεόν· καὶ ᾖσε καὶ ἐνίκησεν ᾄδων Χρυσόθεμις ἐκ Κρήτης, οὗ δὴ ὁ πατὴρ λέγεται Καρμάνωρ καθῆραι Ἀπόλλωνα.
They record that the oldest contest, and the one for which they first offered prizes, was to sing a hymn to the god; and Chrysothemis of Crete sang and won, whose father Carmanor is said to have purified Apollo.
Χρυσοθέμιδος δὲ ὕστερον Φιλάμμωνά τε ᾠδῇ μνημονεύουσι νικῆσαι καὶ ἐπʼ ἐκείνῳ Θάμυριν τὸν Φιλάμμωνος.
After Chrysothemis, they record that Philammon won in song, and after him Thamyris, the son of Philammon.
Ὀρφέα δὲ σεμνολογίᾳ τῇ ἐπὶ τελεταῖς καὶ ὑπὸ φρονήματος τοῦ ἄλλου καὶ Μουσαῖον τῇ ἐς πάντα μιμήσει τοῦ Ὀρφέως οὐκ ἐθελῆσαί φασιν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ ἀγῶνι μουσικῆς ἐξετάζεσθαι.
But they say that Orpheus, because of his solemnity regarding initiations and his general pride, and Musaeus, because of his imitation of Orpheus in everything, did not wish to be examined in a musical contest.
§10.7.3φασὶ δὲ καὶ Ἐλευθῆρα ἀνελέσθαι Πυθικὴν νίκην μέγα καὶ ἡδὺ φωνοῦντα, ἐπεὶ ᾄδειν γε αὐτὸν οὐχ αὑτοῦ τὴν ᾠδήν.
They say also that Eleuther carried off a Pythian victory because of his loud and sweet voice, although he sang a song that was not his own.
λέγεται δὲ καὶ Ἡσίοδον ἀπελαθῆναι τοῦ ἀγωνίσματος ἅτε οὐ κιθαρίζειν ὁμοῦ τῇ ᾠδῇ δεδιδαγμένον.
It is also said that Hesiod was excluded from the contest because he had not been taught to play the cithara together with his singing.
Ὅμηρος δὲ ἀφίκετο μὲν ἐς Δελφοὺς ἐρησόμενος ὁπόσα καὶ ἐδεῖτο, ἔμελλε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ κιθαρίζειν διδαχθέντι ἀχρεῖον τὸ μάθημα ὑπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τῆς συμφορᾶς γενήσεσθαι.
And Homer came to Delphi to ask about the things he needed, but even if he had been taught to play the cithara, the instruction was destined to be of no use to him because of the misfortune of his eyes.
§10.7.4τῆς δὲ τεσσαρακοστῆς Ὀλυμπιάδος καὶ ὀγδόης, ἣν Γλαυκίας ὁ Κροτωνιάτης ἐνίκησε, ταύτης ἔτει τρίτῳ ἆθλα ἔθεσαν οἱ Ἀμφικτύονες κιθαρῳδίας μὲν καθὰ καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς, προσέθεσαν δὲ καὶ αὐλῳδίας ἀγώνισμα καὶ αὐλῶν· ἀνηγορεύθησαν δὲ νικῶντες Κεφαλήν τε Μελάμπους κιθαρῳδίᾳ καὶ αὐλῳδὸς Ἀρκὰς Ἐχέμβροτος, Σακάδας δὲ Ἀργεῖος ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐλοῖς· ἀνείλετο δὲ ὁ Σακάδας οὗτος καὶ ἄλλας δύο τὰς ἐφεξῆς ταύτης πυθιάδας.
In the third year of the forty-eighth Olympiad, in which Glaucias of Croton won, the Amphictyons established prizes for cithara-singing just as from the beginning, and they added a contest of flute-singing and of flutes; and there were proclaimed as winners Cephallen, the son of Melampus, in cithara-singing, and the Arcadian Echembrotus in flute-singing, and Sacadas of Argos on the flutes; and this Sacadas also carried off two other Pythiads successive to this one.
§10.7.5ἔθεσαν δὲ καὶ ἆθλα τότε ἀθληταῖς πρῶτον, τά τε ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ πλὴν τεθρίππου καὶ αὐτοὶ νομοθετήσαντες δολίχου καὶ διαύλου παισὶν εἶναι δρόμον.
They also then established prizes for athletes for the first time, the same as those in Olympia except for the four-horse chariot, and they themselves made it a law that there should be a long race and a double race for boys.
δευτέρᾳ δὲ πυθιάδι οὐκ ἐπὶ ἄθλοις ἐκάλεσαν ἔτι ἀγωνίζεσθαι, στεφανίτην δὲ τὸν ἀγῶνα ἀπὸ τούτου κατεστήσαντο· καὶ αὐλῳδίαν τότε κατέλυσαν, καταγνόντες οὐκ εἶναι τὸ ἄκουσμα εὔφημον· ἡ γὰρ αὐλῳδία μέλη τε ἦν αὐλῶν τὰ σκυθρωπότατα καὶ ἐλεγεῖα προσᾳδόμενα τοῖς αὐλοῖς.
In the second Pythiad they did not summon contestants to compete for prizes anymore, but from that time on they established the contest as a crown-only game; and they then abolished flute-singing, judging that the listening was not auspicious; for flute-singing was the most gloomy melodies of flutes and elegies sung to the flutes.
§10.7.6μαρτυρεῖ δέ μοι καὶ τοῦ Ἐχεμβρότου τὸ ἀνάθημα, τρίπους χαλκοῦς ἀνατεθεὶς τῷ Ἡρακλεῖ τῷ ἐν Θήβαις· ἐπίγραμμα δὲ ὁ τρίπους εἶχεν· "
Ἐχέμβροτος Ἀρκὰς θῆκε τῷ Ἡρακλεῖ
νικήσας τόδʼ ἄγαλμʼ Ἀμφικτυόνων ἐν ἀέθλοις,
Ἕλλησι δʼ ἀείδων μέλεα καὶ ἐλέγους.
And the offering of Echembrotus also bears witness to me, a bronze tripod dedicated to Heracles in Thebes; and the tripod had the inscription: "Echembrotus the Arcadian dedicated this beautiful gift to Heracles, having won in the contests of the Amphictyons, singing melodies and elegies to the Greeks.
"
κατὰ τοῦτο μὲν τῆς αὐλῳδίας ἐπαύσθη τὸ ἀγώνισμα· προσέθεσαν δὲ καὶ ἵππων δρόμον, ἀνηγορεύθη δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ ἅρματι Κλεισθένης ὁ Σικυῶνος τυραννήσας.
"In this way, indeed, the contest of flute-singing was stopped; but they added a horse race, and Cleisthenes, who became tyrant of Sicyon, was proclaimed winner in the chariot race.
§10.7.7ὀγδόῃ δὲ πυθιάδι προσενομοθέτησαν κιθαριστὰς τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν κρουμάτων τῶν ἀφώνων· καὶ Τεγεάτης ἐστεφανοῦτο Ἀγέλαος.
In the eighth Pythiad they added a law for cithara-players who play without singing; and Agelaus of Tegea was crowned.
τρίτῃ δὲ πυθιάδι ἐπὶ ταῖς εἴκοσι προστιθέασιν ὁπλίτην δρόμον· καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ Τιμαίνετος ἐκ Φλιοῦντος ἀνείλετο τὴν δάφνην, Ὀλυμπιάσιν ὕστερον πέντε ἢ Δαμάρετος Ἡραιεὺς ἐνίκησεν.
In the twenty-third Pythiad they added the armed race; and in it Timaenetus of Phlius carried off the laurel, five Olympiads before Damaretus of Heraea won at Olympia.
ὀγδόῃ δὲ ἐπὶ τεσσαράκοντα πυθιάδι καὶ συνωρίδος εἶναι κατεστήσαντο δρόμον· καὶ Ἐξηκεστίδου Φωκέως ἐνίκησεν ἡ συνωρίς.
In the forty-eighth Pythiad they also established a race for a two-horse chariot; and the two-horse chariot of Execestides the Phocian won.
πέμπτῃ δὲ πυθιάδι ἀπὸ ταύτης πώλους ἔζευξαν ὑπὸ ἅρματι· καὶ παρέδραμεν Ὀρφώνδα Θηβαίου τέθριππον.
In the fifth Pythiad from this one they yoked colts to a chariot; and the four-horse chariot of Orphondas of Thebes ran past and won.
§10.7.8παγκράτιον δʼ ἐν παισὶ καὶ συνωρίδα τε πώλων καὶ πῶλον κέλητα πολλοῖς ἔτεσιν ὕστερον κατεδέξαντο Ἠλείων, τὸ μὲν πρώτῃ πυθιάδι ἐπὶ ταῖς ἑξήκοντα, καὶ Ἰολαΐδας ἐνίκα Θηβαῖος· διαλιπόντες δὲ ἀπὸ ταύτης μίαν κέλητι ἔθεσαν δρόμον πώλῳ, ἐνάτῃ δὲ ἐπὶ ταῖς ἑξήκοντα συνωρίδι πωλικῇ, καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τῷ πώλῳ τῷ κέλητι Λυκόρμας ἀνηγορεύθη Λαρισαῖος, Πτολεμαῖος δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ συνωρίδι Μακεδών· ἔχαιρον γὰρ δὴ Μακεδόνες οἱ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καλούμενοι βασιλεῖς, καθάπερ γε ἦσαν.
They admitted the pancratium for boys, the two-colt chariot, and the single-colt race many years later than the Eleans, the first in the sixty-first Pythiad, and Iolaidas the Theban won; and leaving an interval of one Pythiad from this, they established a race for a single colt, and in the sixty-ninth Pythiad for a two-colt chariot; and for the single colt, Lycormas of Larissa was proclaimed winner, and Ptolemy the Macedonian for the two-colt chariot; for the Macedonians who were called kings in Egypt indeed took pleasure in these, just as indeed they were.
δάφνης δὲ στέφανος ἐπὶ τῶν Πυθίων τῇ νίκῃ κατʼ ἄλλο μὲν ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν ἐστιν οὐδέν, ὅτι δὲ τῆς Λάδωνος θυγατρὸς Ἀπόλλωνα ἐρασθῆναι κατέσχηκεν ἡ φήμη.
And the crown of laurel for victory at the Pythian games is, in my opinion, for no other reason than that the story has taken hold that Apollo fell in love with the daughter of Ladon.