Pausanias Analysis

Passage 6.20.14

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Passage 6.20.14: Cleoitas's horse-racing starting gate, later improved by Aristides.

Historical Skeptical

Greek Text

τὸ μὲν δὴ ἐξ ἀρχῆς Κλεοίτας ἐστὶν ἄφεσιν μηχανησάμενος, καὶ φρονῆσαί γε φαίνεται ἐπὶ τῷ εὑρήματι, ὡς καὶ ἐπίγραμμα ἐπὶ ἀνδριάντι τῷ Ἀθήνῃσιν ἐπιγράψαι ὃς τὴν ἱππάφεσιν ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ εὕρατο πρῶτος, τεῦξέ με Κλεοίτας υἱὸς Ἀριστοκλέους· Κλεοίτα δέ φασιν ὕστερον Ἀριστείδην σοφίαν τινὰ καὶ αὐτὸν ἐς τὸ μηχάνημα ἐσενέγκασθαι.

English Translation

The starting device was originally a contrivance of Cleoitas, who indeed seemed proud of his invention, as he even inscribed an epigram on his statue in Athens stating he was the first to devise the horse-racing starting gate at Olympia: "Cleoitas, son of Aristocles, made me." They say that afterwards Aristides himself also contributed some skill towards the improvement of the apparatus.

Proper Nouns

Kleoitās (Κλεοίτας) person
Aristeides (Ἀριστείδης) person
Aristokles (Ἀριστοκλῆς) person
Athens (Ἀθῆναι) place Q844930
Olympia (Ὀλυμπία) place Q38888 Pleiades
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