464 



GREEK INSCRIPTIONS. 



" The senate and people honour Aurelius Posidonius, the son of 

 Hermias, (who bore away the prize three times in wrestling in the 

 great Didymean games,) in the temple of the Didymean Apollo, 

 according to the decree proposed ; the statue being raised by his 

 father Aurelius Hermias, in the magistracy of Aurelius Agathopus, 

 son of Apollonius." 



IX. 



Found near the temple of the Didymean Apollo, on the thigh of a 

 statue. From the same. 



^ATNIqANA^OT 



Some more letters were found written in the Boustrophedon 

 character on the thigh of the same statue ; those we have printed 

 contain distinctly the words rovg uv^uvrotg. If they relate to the 

 person who made this or other statues, we see an additional proof of 

 the custom of inscribing the name of the artist on the thigh of the 

 figure. Cicero, in one of the Verrine orations, mentions an Apollo, 

 on whose thigh was written in letters of silver the name of Myron. 



There are also representations of Etruscan Athletse, which bear 

 characters inscribed on this part of their body. There is one of a 

 Greek wrestler, on whose thigh are written the words KA<WIOAflPOS 

 and AISXPAMIOT. It would appear therefore that inscriptions placed 

 on this part of the body designated the persons bearing them to 

 have been successful combatants or conquerors. Montfaucon has 

 introduced on this subject the following remark in his great work : — 

 " S'il est permis de meler la sacre avec le profane, ceci a quelque 

 rapport avec ce passage de 1' Apocalypse, ou il est dit de notre Seigneur 

 victorieux, qu'il portoit ecrit sur sa cuisse, et sur son habit, le Roi 

 des Rois. Cette ecriture sur la cuisse etoit done une marque d'hon- 

 neur et de victoire." Vol. iii. part ii. 269. An. Ex. 



X. 



Found at Daulis, by the Earl of Aberdeen. On the other side of 

 the same stone is an inscription of equal length, which was copied by 



