Theodoros of Hierapolis (1405)

This article investigates the surviving fragments of Theodoros of Hierapolis' On Competitions, preserved by Athenaeus. The anecdotes concerning Milon of Kroton and Astydamas of Miletus are analysed in order to reconstruct the probable scope and character of the lost work. Although only two fragments survive, the article argues that Theodoros' treatise belonged to the antiquarian tradition devoted to Panhellenic athletes, combining historical information with anecdotal material on extraordinary feats of strength and endurance.