Abstract:

In the 3rd century CE the Ionian city of Erythrai honoured its citizen and councillor M. Aur. Nikomachos with a statue. Its inscription, which is edited here for the first time together with a commentary, presents the honorand as a particularly successful runner (dromeus), who because of his numerous victories at the sacred games had received the honorary titles παράδοξος, πλειστονείκης, ἱερονείκης and τριαστής. The title τριαστής («tripler») is rarely attested in literary and epigraphic sources and is commonly understood as meaning a sportsman who had won three competitions at one and the same festival. For his victories Nikomachos was awarded citizenship by numerous cities (explicitly mentioned are Chios, Ephesos and Tralleis, which also appointed him bouleutes). The subsequent list records six victories won by the athlete in the age group of boys in the dromos at the games of the Koinon Asias in Sardeis, in the dolichos at the Pythia in Tralleis, at the Pythia in Hierapolis, at the games of the Bithynian Koinon in Nikomedeia, at the Aktia in Perinthos and in Kastabala. Further victories, amongst which are those Nikomachos had won in the age group of ageneioi and andres, are lost because the lower part of the pedestal had stood in salt water for too long. The lost text comprises some 12–14 lines. These must have mentioned games held in both Chios and Ephesos, because Nikomachos also claims to have been a citizen and bouleutes of these two cities. Most of his victories he appears to have won in Asia Minor, while by the time the honorary monument was set up he hardly seems to have notched up any victory in any of the major periodical games in Greece or Italy.

Keywords: