RACE, WILLIAM H., The Six Crowns at Pindar, "Isthmian" 1.10-12 , Greek, Roman and 
Byzantine Studies, 30:1 (1989) p.27 

The Six Crowns 
at Pindar, Isthmian 1.10-12 

William H. Race 

Ma:tEp ("Hi, 'to 'tEOV, XPu(Jamtl 8ill3a, 
1tpay~a Kat acrxoAiae; intEp'tEPOV 
eftcro~al. ~ft ~Ol Kpavaa. VE~E(J(x(Jal 
~a.AOe;, EY ~ KEXU~Ul. 

5 'ti <piA'tEPOV KEovroV 'tOKErov ayaeo'ic;; 
d~ov, (b , A7tOAArov HIe;' a~<po'tEpa.V 

'tOl xaphrov (Juv eEOle; ~EU~ro 'tEAoe;, 
Kat 'tOY aKEp(JEK6~av <l>ol~ov XOPEUrov 
EV KEep a~<plpu't~ (Juv 7tOV'tiOle; 
avopaolv, Kat'ta.v aAlEpKEU 'Icre~ou 

10 onpao'· 

Mother of mine, Thebes of the golden shield, 
I shall put your concern above even my 
business obligations. Do not be angry with me, 
rocky Delos, on whose behalf I have been toiling: 
for what is dearer to good men than their beloved parents? 
Yield, island of Apollo; rest assured that god willing 
I shall combine the completion of both poems, 
not only by celebrating unshorn Phoebus 
on wave-washed Ceos with a chorus of seafaring 
men, but also the Isthmus' sea-girt ridge. 

In these opening lines so thoroughly explicated by E. L. Bundy,l 
Pindar sets aside temporarily the commitments of business (ef 
acrxoAiae;), the composition of a paean commissioned to be per­
formed by a Cean chorus, in order to take up the affair (7tpa.y­
~a) of Theba, his mother. The Kat (2), often neglected by mod­
ern translators,2 adds an essential nuance to his tact of putting 

1 Studia Pindarica (Berkeley 1962 [hereafter 'Bundy']) 36-48. 

2 Among them A. Puech, Pindare: Isthmiques et fragments 3 (Paris 1961) 20; 
R. Lattimore, The Odes of Pindar (Chicago 1947) 130; C. M. Bowra, Pin dar 
(Oxford 1964) 141; F. J. Nisetich, Pindar's Victory Odes (Baltimore 1980) 294. 

27 



RACE, WILLIAM H., The Six Crowns at Pindar, "Isthmian" 1.10-12 , Greek, Roman and 
Byzantine Studies, 30:1 (1989) p.27 

28 THE SIX CROWNS AT ISTHMIAN 1.10-12 

aside even so pressing a theme as Delos and Apollo, a god to 
whom he was particularly dedicated and on whose behalf he has 
been laboring (cf. KEXUJ.Ult, 4). He then turns to the other 
"mother," Delos, whose interests are being slighted, and asks 
her not to be angered by the delay, thus creating a tension 
between Delos' potential irritation (v£J.1£OaOCll, 3) at being put 
second on the poet's agenda and her willingness to yield her 
place (d~ov, 6) to a hometown theme. 

In the first place he justifies his choice by a rhetorical ques­
tion (5): ti cpU:r£pov K£OVroV 'tOKEC1lV a:YClSOt<;; Every word in this 
gnomic question plays a role in the apology. The word cptA:rEpov 
appeals to a spirit of cptAUx that surpasses mere business. The 
word el'YClSO\.<; points to the ethical code of the "noble,"3 while 
'tOKErov (strengthened by the affectionate K£OVroV) cannot help 
but remind Delos of her own dutiful child, Apollo, a point that 
is made clear when he addresses her by her son's name, 'A7toA.­
AroVla<; (6).4 

He then assures her ('tOl, 6) that both mothers will have their 
fair share of graces (xapi'trov)S because he will celebrate not only 
Apollo with the forthcoming performance of his paean on Ceos 
but also ... the Isthmus. This last place-name comes as a com­
plete surprise at this point in the poem. Suddenly Delos, Apol­
lo, and Ceos, who have been an integral part of the developing 
plot, are eclipsed by an entirely unexpected arrival. An explana­
tion is called for, and it comes immediately (10ff): 

,\ , 
E7tEl O't£CPClVOU<; 

E; ro7taOEV Kaollou o'tpa'tc!> £; elESA-roV. 
KaUivlKoV 7ta'tpiol 1&00<;. 

1 Cf ot. 4.4f: ~dvCl)v 0' E~ 1tp<laaov'tCl)v I taavav au'thc' urrEAlav 1to'tt "fA'\)­
lCt'iav WADi, a gnome that enunciates Pindar's eager reporting of his friend's 
success-a thing all [aMi would do . 

.. Note the cautionary litotes in the first appeal to Delos (/lit ~m lCpavaa VE­
/lEaaaal aaAo~, 3f), followed by the more positive appeal (u;ov, J> 'A1tOA­
ACI)vui~, 6) with its confident second-person address. This confidence is 
grounded in Delos' recognition of the dearness of parents to their children as 
enunciated in the gnomic question in line 5. For other examples of switching 
from negative expressions to climactic positive ones, see W. H. Race, CNega­
tive Expressions and Pindaric 1tollClAia," TAPA 113 (1983) 96 n.5. 

S Here, as elsewhere, xapl't£~ designate his poetry. Cf W. J. Slater, Lexicon to 
Pindar (Berlin 1969) S.'V. X6.pt~ 1.b.~. For the importance of the word x6.Pt~ in 
hymnal contexts see W. H. Race, «Aspects of Rhetoric and Form in Greek 
Hymns," GRBS 23 (1982) 8-10. 



RACE, WILLIAM H., The Six Crowns at Pindar, "Isthmian" 1.10-12 , Greek, Roman and 
Byzantine Studies, 30:1 (1989) p.27 

WILLIAM H. RACE 

because it bestowed 
six crowns on Cadmus' people from its games, 
the glory of victory for their fatherland. 

29 

The exact meaning of this justification has been in doubt since 
the time of the earliest editors: whose six victories are these? 
Herodotus'? Thebes'? where were they won? at the Isthmus 
or elsewhere? or, after all, is there only one victory because the 
number six is a misreading? what, finally, is the subject of the 
verb ron:UOEV? is it the Isthmus or the victor Herodotus? A 
scholium (11 c Dr.) records both possibilities only to reject 
them: 

EVtOt ~Ev o.ov 'tOY 'Icr9~ov <lK:OUOUcrw, ro<; i:~a.lCt<; VEVt1CT\lCO'tWV 'trov 
eT\~a{wv 'ta "Icr9~l.a· EVtOt OE au'tov 'tOY 'HpoOo'tov' 'tolhov yap 
i:~a.lClS "Icr9~ta VEvl1CT\lCEval eT\~atov ov'ta. 'tOU'twv OE OUOEtEPOV 
EV 'tats 'Icr9~laK'ats avuypaq>uts ro~oAOYll'tal. 

According to this account, the records showed neither six Isth­
mian victories by Herodotus nor six victories in one Isthmiad 
by Thebans, thus making it impossible for either the Isthmus or 
Herodotus to be the subject of Wn:UOEV. This predicament was 
recognized early in the history of Pindaric scholarship, for the 
scholium goes on to record the efforts of two early editors to 
address this apparent anomaly. Aristarchus emended E~ to E~ 
and read ESWn:Ucruv, thus producing a hapax legomenon and a 
very flat sentence. 6 Aristodemus kept ES but thought that it ap­
plied to the victories of Herodotus listed in lines 52-59, and that 
Apollo was the subject of Wn:UOEV. Although most commenta­
tors until the end of the nineteenth century rejected these scho­
liastic interpretations and assumed that the six victories were 

6 In two articles and in his commentary on the I sthmians G. A. Privitera 
has championed the reading t~c1)1ta.oa.v: "Lettura della prima I stmiea di Pin­
daro," QUCC 28 (1978) 98-104, "Due note alla prima Istmiea di Pindaro," in 
Studi in onore di Anthos Ardizzoni, edd. E. Livrea and G. A. Privitera (Rome 
1978) II 723-27, and Pindaro: Le I stmiche (Milan 1982) 140f. In all three he 
cites approvingly Thummer's comments (el n.8 infra) and tries to defend 
against possible objections on grammatical and syntactical grounds, but he 
never addresses the larger issues raised in this article. See n.11 infra. 



RACE, WILLIAM H., The Six Crowns at Pindar, "Isthmian" 1.10-12 , Greek, Roman and 
Byzantine Studies, 30:1 (1989) p.27 

30 THE SIX CROWNS AT ISTHMIAN 1.10-12 

won by Thebans in one festival/ the authors of three of the 
most recent commentaries on the Isthmians-Bury, Thummer, 
and Privitera-have espoused variations of the scholiastic hy­
potheses. 8 

One thing is obvious: it is unlikely that we shall ever be able to 
check the victory lists to ascertain the accuracy of the scholi­
ast's remark. That leaves us with only one option: to choose the 
hypothesis that makes the best sense in the poem. 9 I will try to 
show that, whatever the consulted lists may have contained, the 
poem makes it clear that the six victories were gained by The­
bans in the most recent Isthmian games. This assumption will, 
moreover, clarify some unusual features of the hymn to Castor 
and lolaus that have never been explained. In the following 
analysis I shall proceed by adopting the hypothesis that Theban 
competitors won six crowns; its persuasiveness will be deter­
mined by how much it illuminates the argument and develop­
ment of the poem. 

The first argument in favor of six victorious Thebans is, ad­
mittedly, based on subjective reasons. It would, I think, be 
bathetic, after such an elaborate apology to important gods 
(Delos and Apollo) occupying nine lines, to find out simply that 
a Theban had won the chariot race at the Isthmian games. Per-

7 For example F. Mezger, Pindars Siegeslieder (Leipzig 1880) 309, who 
glosses a't£<p6.vou~ i£~ with "dies kann nichts anderes heissen, als dass sechs 
Thebaner an dersclben d.h. jiingsten Isthmienfeier gesiegt haben." 

8 For Privitera's espousal of Aristarchus' solution see supra n.6. J. B. Bury, 
The Isthmian Odes of Pin dar (London 1892) 11 f, follows Aristodemus; see 
Bundy's criticism (43 n.24). E. Thummer, Pindar, Die Isthmischen Gedichte II 
(Heidelberg 1969) 13, who also maintains that the six victories are the same as 
those listed in lines 52-59, argues that Pindar is simply being vague ("In einer 
solchen Ausdrucksweise liegt freilich eine beabsichtigte Ungenauigkeit bzw. 
Verdrehung ... "). Against the hypothesis that the six are victories shared by 
Theban athletes in one Isthmiad he can only say: "dass Pindar in keinem Epi­
nikion Siege, welche von den Bewohnern der Heimatstadt des Siegers gewon­
nen wurden, erwahnt, dass er sich viclmehr nur urn die Siege dessen, dem die 
Ode gewidmet ist, und dessen Familie kiimmert." All one can respond is that, 
yes, this is the only such ode; in fact, this remarkable situation is precisely the 
reason for the ode's unusual opening. The latest commentator on the poem, 
G. Kirkwood, Selections from Pindar (Chico 1982) 281, succinctly presents the 
various scholiastic interpretations but makes no judgment on them. 

9 See L. R. Farnell, The Works of Pin dar II (London 1932) 336: "it is not Pin­
dar's accuracy that concerns us, but the probable meaning of the words." 



RACE, WILLIAM H., The Six Crowns at Pindar, "Isthmian" 1.10-12 , Greek, Roman and 
Byzantine Studies, 30:1 (1989) p.27 

WILLIAM H. RACE 31 

haps an Olympic victory might justify such a build-up, but not 
a victory at the Isthmus by an athlete whose record (c{. 52-63) 
hitherto includes only wins in minor games. On the other hand, 
six victories by Thebans would fully justify the pride of place 
given to Mother Thebes. tO 

This interpretation is strengthened by the emphasis the word 
E~ receives by its position at the head of its verse: EXEl. (J'tE­

q>avouc; I E~, "because crowns I six (of them) did the Isthmus be­
stow on Cadmus' people from its games." In two other odes 
Pindar calls attention to the number of crowns won by families 
by similarly placing the number at the head of its verse: 

aAA' EJl£ XPll JlvaJlocruvav aVEYElpov'ta q>pacrat 
XEtPWV ao)'tov BAE'IltaOatC; EXlVtlCOV, 
tl 'f' " ~ I , EK'W<; Ole; TjuTj O'IE<pavo<; XEplKEl'Ial 

<pu AAO <po p rov ax' aymv rov . 

But I must awaken memory to announce 
the foremost victories by the hands of the Blepsiadae, 
whose sixth crown now wreathes them 

won in the leaf-bearing games (01. 8.74-76) . 

.. . E1t'ta7tUAolcrl ei1~al<; 
xaplv eXYWVl 'IE Klppa<;. 
EV 'tii> epacruoC!oc; £JlVacrEv Ecr'tlav 

I .,,, 'A '1 ' 'IPl'IOV EXl O'IE<pavov xa'Ipcpav pal\.WV 

.. , in honor of seven-gated Thebes 
and of the contest at Cirrha, in which 
Thrasydaeus cause his paternal hearth to be remembered 
by bestowing a third crown on it (Pyth. 11.11-14). 

In these two instances Pindar designates the recent victory with 
an ordinal number because it constitutes the latest in a series, a 

10 Whether o-rpu-r</> (11) refers to Thebans in general or more particularly to 
the competitors (cf. "EAAUVU o-rpu-rov at Nem. 10.25 and 'EAAaVlOU o-rpu-ruxv 
at Pyth. 11.50), it should govern 1tu-rpiot: "Since [the Isthmus] bestowed six 
crowns from its games on the Theban people/contestants, [crowns that bring] 
the fame of victory to their fatherland." Importing a first-person possessive 
"my" from the participle xopeuwv (7), as do Bury, Sandys, and Nisetich, is 
awkward, unnecessary, and detracts from the dramatic re-entry of the poet in 
14: eXAA' £yw. 



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32 THE SIX CROWNS AT ISTHMIAN 1.10-12 

practice which argues against the view of Bury and Thummer 
that the cardinal El; designates the sixth victory of Herodotus.11 

After announcing that Thebans had earned six crowns in the 
Isthmian games, Pindar pauses to provide a heroic analogue that 
gives dimension to and helps explain this athletic success. Imme­
diately at hand is Thebes' most famous 'athlete', Heracles (12f): 

EV ~ Kat 'tOY aOetJlav'tov • AAKJlftva 'tEKEV 
7tatOa, 9paoE'iat 'tov 7tO'tE rllPuova cpPt~av ri>VE~. 

in which fatherland as well Alcmena bore her dauntless 
son, before whom the fierce dogs of Geryon once cowered. 

As in N em. 10, where the phenomenal success of Theaeus' clan 
is "no wonder" (ou 9auJla, 50), given the loyal ratronage of the 
Tyndaridae, here the allusion to another son 0 Thebes, whose 
travels and labors are paradigmatic for athletic competition, 
serves to explain the present success as being part of a long­
standing tradition. Once again the Kat-often omitted by 
translators-adds an important dimension and means "as well 
(as the present athletes)." 12 After all the references to mothers 
and sons in the opening apology, it is fitting that here he names 
Alcmene's parentage (' AAKJlftva 'tEKEV I 7tatOa ).13 The epithet 
uOetJlav'tov is well chosen for this prototypical athlete and it 
contrasts neatly with the fear of Geryon's hounds (cf cpPt~av, 
13) in the brief narrative that follows. This short excursion to 
the end of the world epitomizes Heracles' career without dwell­
ing on it at too great length and, as Bundy has pointed out, 

II Cf Thummer (supra n.8): "Der isthmische Sieg war der sechste Sieg fiir 
Herodotos,» an interpretation that, as Bundy (43 n.24) pointed out, overlooks 
the word 1ta.v'ta (60) in the victory catalogue: Herodotus' career entails more 
than six victories. In his two articles (supra n.6) Privitera argues that the posi­
tion of El; violates Pindar's normal ("di solito") placement of numerals. Not 
only can other exceptions be found, but such an argument overlooks the 
larger rhetorical determinants of sty Ie that free the poet from merely repeating 
grammatical formulae. 

12 Bury (supra n.8: 12) rightly observes that "teat suggests that Thebes has 
ancient as well as modern glories to be proud of," but his wording is a bit too 
general: teat links present-day sons with their heroic ancestor. 

13 Coming at the beginning of the epode, the key word 1ta"iOa receives ad­
ditional emphasis. For the importance of the theme of parents and children in 
the ode see G. W. Most, The Measures of Praise (= Hypomnemata 83 [Got­
tingen 1985]) 54. 



RACE, WILLIAM H., The Six Crowns at Pindar, "Isthmian" 1.10-12 , Greek, Roman and 
Byzantine Studies, 30:1 (1989) p.27 

WILLIAM H. RACE 33 

serves to divert attention from the six Isthmian victors so that 
Pindar can single out one of them.1 4 

At this point Pindar turns from the six athletes and from their 
legendary counterpart to one specific individual (14ff): 

'''I "I , , \ 'H ~I I 
a.1\,1\, £'Y(j) pooOtcp t£\)-

'XWV 'to JlEV apJla.n n:8phmcp 'YEpa.C;, 
(xv ta. 't' aAAo't P ta.lC; ou 'XE PO't v wJlaO'a.v't' E8EA(j) 
11 Ka.O''topdcp 11 'IoAaol' Eva.PJl6~a.l VlV UJlvcp. 

But in rendering my reward to Herodotus for his 
four-horse chariot, 

whose reins were plied by no other's hands, I wish 
to join him in a hymn to Castor or Iolaos. 

The JlEV (14) has given all commentators difficulties. At first 
sight, it seems to be answered by 'tE (15), but the two clauses are 
not logically coordinated. 15 Its position, however, shows that it 
marks the phrase ('to ... apJla.n n:8phmcp 'YEpa.c;), thereby singl­
ing out the chariot victory. On the assumption that Theban vic­
tors won in several events, the JlEV solitarium turns (on the one 
hand) to the premier event of the games, the chariot race, while 
implying that there are others to honor as well ('to ... 'YEpa.c;), but 
the poet does not go on to name them, for the 'tE adds such a 
striking fact (Herodotus drove the chariot himself) that Pindar 
never returns to the others. Thus the aAAa is not turning just 
from Heracles to Herodotus, but from Heracles and several 
successful Theban citizens to Herodotus, whose chariot victory 

14 See Bundy 43, who goes on to observe, "The positioning of IWl before 'tov 
aOEl!luv'tov ... II 1tu'iou suggests, without fanfare, comparison of the six Isth­
mian crowns with I-Ierakles' subduing of the hounds of Geruon" (44). Kirk­
wood (supra n.8) apparently misled by Bundy's vocabulary, says, "Heracles' 
subduing of animals symbolizes Herodotos's control of his chariot team." But 
Pindar does not say that Heracles "subdued" Geryon's dogs, only that they 
cringed before him. The dogs represent opponents, not one's own team about 
which one could never use the verb <ppiOOElv. 

15 Farnell (supra n.9) 337: "We cannot here harmonise the !lev and the 'tE, 
but we can see that Pindar wants to emphasise and praise two separate facts: 
(a) the victory itself; (b) the owner driving it himself." Slater (supra n.S: S.7l. 

!lev) calls them "irregularly coordinated." 



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34 THE SIX CROWNS AT ISTHMIAN 1.10-12 

sums up all the others. 16 That is why Pindar emphasizes the 
event in the phrase 'to )l£V apJ.ux'tt 'tE9pi1t7tql Y£PClC; and stresses 
the fact that Herodotus drove the team himself. The )l£V tacitly 
recognizes the other achievements, while singling out the char­
ioteer's special place of honor. 

The strongest confirmation of our hypothesis is provided by 
the hymn to Castor and Iolaus that follows: 

KEtVOl yap ilpwwv ()UPPllAa'tCll AClKE()Cli)lovl KClt 
ei1~Cllc; E't£KVWeEV Kpa'tto'tol' 

EV 't' uteAolOl elYOV 1tAElO'tWV uywvwv, 
KClt 'tPl1t08EOCHV EKOO)l110ClV ()O)lOV 

20 Kat AE~i1'tEOOlV <laaAaloi 'tE xpuoou, 
YEUO)lEVOl o'tE<pavwv 
vlKa<popwv' Aa)l1tEl ()E oa<pT]C; apE't<l 
EV n: 'YU)lVOtOl o'ta()lOl~ O<plOlV EV 

't' a01tl()O()o{mOlOlV o1tAhCll~ ()pO)lOle;, 
ola 'tE XEPOtV aKov'ti~oV'tEe; CllX)lClte; 

25 Kat AlOlVOle; 01t0't' EV 8l0KOle; tEV. 
ou yap ~v 1tEV'tClteAwV, UAA' E<p' EKao'tcp 
EpY)lan KEl'tO 'ttAo~. 
'trov UepOOle; uv8110a)lEVOl eCl)laKle; 
EPVEOlV xaha~ pEtepOlOl 'tE ~ip-

Kae; E<paVEV Kai1tap' Eu pW't~ 1t£ACle;, 
30 'I<plKAEOe; )lEv 1tate; o)lo()a)lOe; trov L1tap'trov Y£VEl, 

Tuv8api8ae; 8' EV 'AxaLOte; 
u'JIim:8ov eEpa1tVCle; olK£wv £()Oe;. 

xaipE't'. 

For they were the mightiest charioteers of the heroes, 
born in Laccdacmon and in Thebes, 

and in athletics they essayed the most contests, 
adorning their houses with tripods, 
cauldrons, and cups of gold, 

16 Bundy (44) maintains that" aAAa rejects not Thebes, but one of her citi­
zens in favor of another whose achievement satisfies, as that of Herakles does 
not, the category previously selected in the words 'loBJ.LOU (line 9) and at9AcoV 
(line 12)," but according to our argument, the «lAAn passes from Heracles and 
the other anonymous Theban victors to Herodotus. Cf W. Christ, Pindari 
Carmina (Leipzig 1986) 327: "Isthmici ludi sex simul coronas Cadmi populo 
Thebano dederant, inter quas princeps erat curulis victoriae [sic] Herodoti." 



RACE, WILLIAM H., The Six Crowns at Pindar, "Isthmian" 1.10-12 , Greek, Roman and 
Byzantine Studies, 30:1 (1989) p.27 

WILLIAM H. RACE 

whenever they won the crowns 
of victory; and their excellence shone brightly 
in the naked foot-races and in the race of 

armor with clanging shield; 
and how it shone as they shot javelins from their hands 
and whenever they made casts with discuses of stone-

there was no pentathlon, but for each event 
a prize was reserved. 
Often, with their hair crowned with thick wreaths from 
these events, did they appear beside Dirce's streams 

and close by the Eurotas, 
the one, Iphicles' son belonging to the race of the Spartoi, 
the other, Tyndareus' son dwelling among the Achaeans 

on his highland abode of Therapna. 
Farewell. 

35 

The KElVOl yap (17), an adaptation of the rhapsodic hymnal rela­
tive that regularly introduces an account of the god's deeds, 
here means "[I have chosen] these because.» Pindar's principal 
reason for selecting them is obvious: they were ol<PPllA.a'ta.l ... 
Kpan(J'tol; but in the intervening words, Aa.KEOa.tJ.1.0Vl Ka.t 811-
~a.lC; E'tEKvw8Ev, he keeps before us the concept of cities' suc­
cessful children that opened the ode (J.1.a'tEp EJ.1.a) and supplied 
the motive for the elaborate conceit that followed. The verb 
E'tEKVW8EV echoes 'tOKEWV (5) and 'tEKEV (12); each city is featured 
with a prominent native son: Thebes - Pindar, Delos - Apollo, 
Thebes - Heracles, Lacedaemon - Castor, Thebes - lolaus. At 
the conclusion of the hymn in lines 29-31, in an impressive dis­
play of naming, he again connects the two heroes with their 
lineage (L7ta.p'tWV YEVEl, EV 'AXa.lOlC;), their home (pEE8pol(Jl 
~tPKa.C;, 7ta.p' EupClYCct), and their fathers ('IcplKA.Eoc; 7ta.lC;. Tuv­
Oa.plOa.C;). 

There is nothing surprising in Pindar's emphasis on chariot 
driving or in his choice of Castor and lolaus, who were both 
famous as charioteers. Likewise, the following lines at the begin­
ning of the next triad, although difficult to understand precisely, 
duly detail the prizes they won in the games. 17 But in line 22 Pin-

17 Two interpretations of line 18 are possible, depending on whether 8tyov 
governs the genitive, 1tAdo't(J)vaywv(J)v (="they participated in the most con­
tests"), or the dative, a£8Aotot (="they won prizes from the most games"). 
Against the first interpretation is the fact that elsewhere in Pindar 8tyyav(J) 
always governs the dative (although it commonly takes a genitive in contem­
porary authors); against the second is the awkwardness of Ev (a preposition? 



RACE, WILLIAM H., The Six Crowns at Pindar, "Isthmian" 1.10-12 , Greek, Roman and 
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36 THE SIX CROWNS AT ISTHMIAN 1.10-12 

dar unexpectedly turns to their success in other events: the sta­
dion, the race in armor, the javelin throw, and the discus throw. 
These unforeseen details raise a number of questions. Why has 
Pindar chosen two heroic athletes to celebrate and why does he 
cover the full range of their successes, even pointing out that 
the pentathlon was not yet in existence in their times? No com­
mentator, as far as I know, has adequately addressed these ques­
tions. 1s The reason, however, becomes clear if one remembers 
that there are other Theban victors in the background. Pin dar 
has emphasized the fact that Castor and Iolaus were "sons" of 
their respective cities and that they gained victories in events of 
both running and throwing. 19 Presumably some of the other 
Theban victors won gymnastic events. Pindar omits boxing and 
wrestling from his list, but since he goes out of his way to men­
tion the pentathlon, one could suppose that it was one event 
that a Theban won. 20 Castor and Iolaus are therefore exempla, 
foremost of Herodotus (since they are best known as char­
ioteers), but not exclusively of him. Pindar's choice of two ath­
letes and his insistence upon the entire range of their athletic 
prowess would have little point if they applied merely to Herod-

an adverb? in tmesi?). Against Bury (supra n.8: 14) and Bundy (46 n.35), I 
take the first alternative and translate "in athletics they essayed the most con­
tests." I have, however, translated UYWVOlV by "contests" rather than the more 
specific "events" to preserve some of the ambiguity of the word. 

18 Most (supra n.13: 50-59) raises the issue but offers a reductively formal­
istic solution that implies that Pindar devised the catalogue as a pis-ailer: "It 
was Pindar's desire for symmetry that led him to create a catalogue of the 
events in which Castor and Iolaos had won victories to balance the catalogue 
of the games in which Herodotus had been successful.. .. Hence a mythic cata­
logue was needed: and, if not of places, then only of events" (56£). See L. 
Kurke, "The Poet's Pentathlon: Genre in Pindar's First Isthmian," GRBS 29 
(1988) 99 n.8. 

19 The phrases tv 'tE YUIlVOl<H o'tuBl.olC; and ota 'tE X£jlOtV (23f) sketch the two 
spheres of gymnastic events, and, taken with BUPP"lA.a'tat (17), provide the full 
range of athletic endeavor (cf XdPEOOt 1tOOtV 'tE leUI. a.Pllun at ot. 10.62). As 
usual (cf 01. 10.71-73) the throwing events come last and are given a more 
emotional treatment (ok, 24). 

20 L. Dissen (in A. Boeckh, Pindari opera quae supersunt 11.2 [Leipzig 1821] 
487) suggests that Pindar omitted boxing because Spartans were prohibited 
from engaging in boxing and the pancratium (cf Pluto Lye. 19.4); but Castor's 
brother was noted for boxing and Pindar needed have no such scruples about 
heroic times. 



RACE, WILLIAM H., The Six Crowns at Pindar, "Isthmian" 1.10-12 , Greek, Roman and 
Byzantine Studies, 30:1 (1989) p.27 

WILLIAM H. RACE 37 

otus' achievement. Only if Herodotus' chariot victory is but 
one of several Theban successes does the hymn make sense. 

There is additional evidence to help explain Pindar's choice of 
Iolaus and the Tyndaridae as mythical exempla. They seem to 
have been traditional models for all-round athletic ability. Pau­
sanias reports (5.8.4) that in the Olympic games instituted by 
Heracles Iolaus won the chariot race, Castor the foot-race, and 
Polydeuces the boxing-match. They appear together in only 
one other Pindaric ode, also to a Theban, at the end of Pyth. 
11.59-62: 

a [Sc. XUptC;] "CE "Cov 'Icpt1(Adoav 
OtacpEpEt 'IoAaov 
UJ.lvT\"Cov £ov"Ca, Kat KuO'''Copoc; ~lav, 
O'E "CE, &.va~ I1oAuOEUKEC;, U1.0t 8E&V .... 

[the grace] that makes known Iolaus, 
I phicles' son 
as a subject of song, and mighty Castor, 
and you, king Polydeuces, sons of gods .... 

Just a few lines earlier, the family of Thrasydaeus was praised 
for its success both in chariotry and in the stadion (46-50): 

"Ca J.l£V (EV) apJ.laO't KaAAlVtKOt mlAat 
'OAUJ.l1tlct "C' aywvwv 1t0AUCPU"CWV 
£O'Xov 80av aK"Clva O'uv Y1t1tO tC; , 
ITU80l "C£ YUJ.lvov £1tt O'''CaOLOv Ka"Ca~av"CEC; ~A£y~av 
'EAAavlOa O'''Cpanav ro K1n an. 

they were victorious of old with chariots 
and in the famous contests at Olympia 
they captured swift brilliance with their horses, and 
when they competed in the naked foot-race at Pytho 
they defeated the Hellenic host in speed. 

It seems likely that in Isthmian 1 as well these two heroes repre­
sent a full range of athletic success, although, of course, as a The­
ban and foremost a charioteer, lolaus is the nearer example for 
Herodotus' own success. 21 

21 Although lolaus is the more relevant example, last position in the farewell 
is reserved for the more distinguished Castor, exactly as in Pyth. 11.59ff, where 
Iolaus (the model relevant to the Theban victor Thrasydaeus) yields to Castor 



RACE, WILLIAM H., The Six Crowns at Pindar, "Isthmian" 1.10-12 , Greek, Roman and 
Byzantine Studies, 30:1 (1989) p.27 

38 THE SIX CROWNS AT ISTHMIAN 1.10-12 

One might well ask why, if there really were six victories by 
Thebans in the Isthmian games, Pindar is so vague about it, why 
he does not provide more specific information. I think that tact 
is the reason. After all, the ode was commissioned for Herodo­
tus. Yet the city' s hi gh spirits in the wake of six victories is too 
important to omit; therefore Pindar portrays himself as caught 
up in the general enthusiasm to the extent of postponing his 
panhellenic business-on such an occasion, what poet would be 
so tactless as to neglect his dear city's remarkable success? But 
to give specific information about the other victors would cer­
tainly detract from Herodotus' own glory. However, by sug­
gesting comparison of their collective achievement with Hera­
cles' victory over the hounds of Geryon,22 and by enlarging the 
hymn to Castor and Iolaus to include the full range of athletic 
events, Pindar pays tacit tribute to these other "sons" of Thebes 
without diminishing Herodotus' own glory.23 

What is the likelihood of one city's winning six victories in 
one Isthmiad? We have no records of any such occurrence, but 
when the Oligaethidae at Corinth can claim sixty victories in the 
Isthmian and Nemean games, the Timodemidae at Acharnae 
eight Isthmian victories, the Alcmaeonidae at Athens five, the 
Bassidae of Aegina twenty-five in the crowned games (many of 
which were undoubtedly won at the Isthmus), and the island of 
Ceos can claim a total of seventy Isthmian victories in 452 (cf 
Bacchyl. 2), then it seems probable that a city the size of Thebes 
could win six in one Isthmiad, especially since one athlete could 
win multiple victories in anyone of three divisions: men's, 
you ths', or boys'. 24 

and Polydeuces, \liOl ecrov. See Bundy 47. 
22 In all other accounts Geryon has but one dog. It is tempting to surmise 

that Pindar uses the plural because he has in mind the achievements of several 
athletes. 

23 Entirely in keeping with the motif of parents and children in his ode, 
Pindar follows the hymn with praise of the victor's father, Asopodorus, a turn 
neatly prepared for by the patronymics at 30f: 'IqmcMoc; 1tu'iC; ... TUVOUplOUC;. 

24 Of considerable importance is the fragmentary list of Cean victors in the 
Isthmian and Nemean games in the 450's (IG XII.5 608), conveniently repro­
duced and discussed by H. Maehler, Die Lieder des Bakchylides 1.2 (Leiden 
1982) 1-4 (cf R. C. Jebb, Bacchylides [Cambridge 1905] 18Mf). The victors ap­
pear to be arranged in chronological order, with multiple victories in a given 
year recorded in order of divisions. Thus in the Isthmian list the brothers Li­
parion and Phacdippides are said to have won on the same day, the former in 



RACE, WILLIAM H., The Six Crowns at Pindar, "Isthmian" 1.10-12 , Greek, Roman and 
Byzantine Studies, 30:1 (1989) p.27 

WILLIAM H. RACE 39 

As I have said, we shall probably never be in a position to con­
sult the Isthmian victory lists, but whatever they contained, the 
first two triads of the poem make the most sense on the as­
sumption that Thebans won six victories in the Isthmian games. 

V ANDERBIL T UNIVERSITY 

May, 1989 

the men's and the latter in the youths' class. The list proves that the three sep­
arate classes competed at the Isthmian games and that cities prided themselves 
on accumulated victories. It is likely that if such a list was kept at Thebes it 
would have been even more impressive.