Abstract

In the summer of 166 BC, the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes staged a massive and memorable festival at Daphne, outside of Antioch. Polybius reports than in addition to thousands of soldiers a remarkable two hundred and forty pairs of gladiators marched in the opening procession and fought in the subsequent spectacles, which lasted for thirty days. Though a remarkable event, this provision of Roman style spectacles by a Hellenistic monarch has not received sustained, focused attention from scholars. Most are content to conclude that Antiochus imported the Roman spectacle. It is the intention of this paper to argue that Polybius has been mistranslated as gladiators, and that thes should instead be understood to be Greek competitors, rather than imported Roman performers. Verf.-Ref.