Athletes in New Inscriptions from Aphrodisias

New epigraphic finds from Aphrodisias concern local athletes of the early 3rd cent. CE. A sarcophagus was used for the burial of Achilleus, a runner who owed his nick-name Δρόμαξ (“Dromedary”) to his speed. He held the office of the ἀρχιγραμματεύς, probably of the xystos. His identification with a homonymous pankratiast or boxer is unlikely (1). A grave epigram for the athlete Adrastos (2) praises him both as athlete and as citizen. An inscribed statue base commemorates the victory of an anonymous athlete at the agonistic festival of the Aphrodisieia Adoneia (3). The new texts confirm the importance of athletic competitions and athletic training in early third-century Aphrodisias.