320 HISTORICAL TALES.

Victory in these contests was esteemed the highest
of honors. When the victor was crowned, the
heralds loudly proclaimed his name, with those of
his father and his city or native land. He was also
privileged to erect a statue in honor of his triumph
at a particular place in the sacred Altis. This was
done by many of the richer victors, while the win-
ners in the chariot-races often had not only their
own figures, but those of their chariots and horses,
reproduced in bronze.

In addition to the Olympic, Greece possessed other
games which, like the former, were of great popu-
larity, and attracted crowds from all parts of the
country. The principal among these were the Pyth-
ian, Nemean and Isthmian games, though there
were various others of lessimportance. Of them all,
however, the Olympic games were much the older
and more venerated, and in the laws of Solon every
Athenian who won an Olympic prize was given the
large reward of five hundred drachmas, while an
Isthmiac prize brought but one hundred drachmas.

On several occasions the Olympic games became
occasions of great historical interest. One of these
was the ninetieth Olympiad, of 420 B.c., which took
place during the peace between Athens and Sparta,—
in the Peloponnesian war, Athens having been ex-
cluded from the two preceding ones. It was sup-
posed that the impoverishment of Athens would
prevent her from appearing with any splendor at
this festival, but that city astonished Greece by her
ample show of golden ewers, censers, etc., in the
sacrifice and procession, while in the chariot-races