Atleti, eroi ed epigrafia del sacro di Magna Grecia

This paper deals with some epigraphical evidence of the ancient, persistent, and multifaceted relationship between the athletic value and the holy in Magna Grecia. This phenomenon is observable, e.g., in the dedication of statues and inscribed monuments to gods (along victory odes) by the victorious athletes and in the heroization of a number of athletes. In this context, the paper especially focuses on the epigraphical material concerning the athlete and hero Euthymos of Locri, chiefly on the epigram celebrating his victories at Olympia (CEG 399) and on the alterations it underwent. It also addresses the role played by the admixture of iconography, i.e., depictions of young ephebes, and epigraphy, i.e., inscriptions referring to Greek heroes, to suggest the heroic status of the young dead on South Italian red-figure vases.