Theagenes of Thasos

Theagenes of Thasos (Greek: Θεαγένης) was an ancient Greek Olympian, typically spelled Theogenes before the first century AD.^[1]

Background

Son of Timosthenes, Theagenes was renowned for his extraordinary strength and swiftness. At the age of nine, he was said to have carried home a brazen statue of a god from the agora.

As he grew up he became distinguished in every kind of athletic contest, and gained numerous victories at the Olympian, Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmian games. Altogether he was said to have won 1300 crowns. He gained a victory at Olympia in the 75th Olympiad, 480 BC. (Paus. vi. 6. § 5.) The popular story among the Thasians was that Heracles was his father. The story of Theagenes is recounted in the historical novel The Olympian: A Tale of Ancient Hellas.^[2]

Statue and death

A curious story is told by Pausanias about a statue of Theagenes made by Glaucias of Aegina. There was a man on Thasos who had a grudge against Theagenes, and scourged the statue by way of revenge. One night, the statue fell upon this man, killing him.

The statue was put on trial for murder and exiled by being thrown into the sea, but was later recovered, because the Delphic oracle had declared that the country would remain in a period of barrenness until they restored the statue of Theagenes. Pausanias mentions having seen many statues of Theagenes among both the Greeks and the Barbarians, (vi. 11. § 9.). The statue in Thasos became the focus of a hero cult and was said to have healing properties.^[3]

Modern recognition

The football club of the island, founded in 1969, bears his name (A.O. Theagenes Thasou, Α.Ο. Θεαγένης Θάσου) and its emblem represents the head of Theagenes.

In fiction

The Olympian: A Tale of Ancient Hellas by E.S. Kraay, ISBN 1439201676

Notes

↑ KU Leuven, 2012 at http://ancientolympics.arts.kuleuven.be/eng/tp007en.html
↑ ISBN 978-1-4392-0167-1
↑ Sport and spectacle in the ancient world By Donald G. Kyle, p. 201 ISBN 0-631-22971-X

References

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). "^{article name needed}". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.

Ancient Olympic Games

Sports

Foot races	Diaulos Dolichos Hoplitodromos Stadion

Horse races	Apene Chariot of polos Decapolon Kalpe Keles Perfect chariot Polos Synoris Synoris of polos Tethrippon Tethrippon of polos

Combat	Boxing Pankration Wrestling

Special	Herald and Trumpet contest Pentathlon

Winners

Acanthus of Sparta Agasias of Arcadia Agesarchus of Tritaea Alcibiades of Athens Alexander I of Macedon Anaxilas of Messenia Aratus of Sicyon Archelaus I of Macedon Arrhichion of Phigalia Arsinoe II Astylos of Croton Berenice I of Egypt Bilistiche Chaeron of Pellene Chilon of Patras Chionis of Sparta Cimon Coalemos Coroebus of Elis Cylon of Athens Cynisca of Sparta Damarchus Damasias of Amphipolis Demaratus of Sparta Desmon of Corinth Diagoras of Rhodes Diocles of Corinth Diocles of Messenia Diognetus of Croton Ergoteles of Himera Eurycles of Laconia Euryleonis Herodorus of Megara Hiero I of Syracuse Hypenus of Elis Hysmon of Elis Iccus of Taranto Isomachus of Croton Leonidas of Rhodes Leophron Lycinus of Croton Lycotas of Laconia Milo of Croton Nero Caesar Augustus Oebotas of Dyme Onomastus of Smyrna Orsippus of Megara Peisistratos of Athens Phanas of Pellene Philinus of Cos Philip II of Macedon Philippus of Croton Phrynon of Athens Polydamas of Skotoussa Pythagoras of Laconia Pythagoras of Samos Sostratus of Pellene Theagenes of Thasos Theron of Acragas Tiberius Caesar Augustus Timasitheus of Delphi Troilus of Elis Varazdat of Armenia Xenocles of Messenia Xenophon of Aegium Xenophon of Corinth

Lists of winners	Ancient Olympic victors Stadion race Archaic period Classical period Hellenistic period Roman period

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/25/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.