download - IOA

ebuilt it (96 B.C.). close to Mount Taurus (Bull) and called it Tauromenio
(Paus. VI, 13.8.). Today it is called Taormina.
Prilostratos writes about Mandrogenes (Gymn. 23 & 273) that
he was an athlete of great endurance at the pancration. I myself heard
him say that he owed his victories to his coach, who once wrote to his
mother "If you ever hear that your son has died, you may believe it,
but if you ever hear that he has been beaten at the Games, you should
not believe it".
His coach had realised that the great pancratist Promachus of
Pellene was in love and told him so. But, he added, I did not say so to
accuse you, indeed I have seen the maiden and she said I do not consider
him unworthy of my love, provided he proves himself victor at Olympia".
Promachus was well pleased with the words that he heard, in spite of
the fact that the coach had lied to him in order to boost him. Indeed
he did not only win (404 B.C.) but he was victorious over his great
opponent the famous athlete Polydamas, who had just returned from
Persia, where he had made great performances in front of Darius II
Ochon (Philostr. Gymn. 22 & 273).
Pausanias saw the statue of Polydamas at Olympia and wrote
(VI, 5, 1) "And he on a high pedestal, the work of Lysippus, greater
than all men, except for those called heroes,and of any other race that
preceded mankind, and of contemporary men, Polydamas the Nicean
is the greatest. Julian the African (Euseb. 93rd Olymp.) wrote: The
oversize Polydamas won at the pancration, he who in Persia, in front
of King Ochon, naked and unarmed, killed lions, had a duel with three
of the fully armed bodyguard of the king, of those called the immortals
a"and killed them. The same man stopped chariots which were
moving at full speed.
Greatly famed was the family of the Diagoridae. Pausanias in order
to honour them wrote one of his finest laudations. (VII Olym.) Diagoras
was a boxer. He won twice in Olympia, twice in Nemea, four times in
Isthmia and twice in his native land of Rhodes. He also had victories
in Athens, Thebes, Plataea, Argos, Pellene, Megara and at Aegina·
Pindar who lauded his great victories called him "huge" and "straight
fighter" that is to say an athlete who contested straight, that is without
side-tracking and avoiding his opponent. His great glory is not due only
to his victories. Of his three sons Damagetus was an Olympic victor
twice (452, 448 B.C.) at the pancration, Acousilaus Olympic victor at
160