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A sculptor, who created a statue of Athena in ivory.[1] When Pericles was putting the accounts in order he overlooked 50 talents, and to avoid undergoing an audit[2] he stirred up a war.[3] And [there is] a saying: "Pheidias might be connected with peace," as a craftsman. And that very attractive [goddess Peace] is introduced.[4]
Polybius [writes]: "Lucius Aemilius was present at the sanctuary at Olympia and when had gazed upon the statue[5] he was dumbstruck and said something like, 'It seems to me that only Pheidias has represented what Zeus is like in Homer'. He had found the reality of Olympia even greater than his high expectations."[6]
And elsewhere: "just like, I think, Myrmekides tackling the art of Pheidias".[7]

*feidi/as, a)galmatopoio/s, o(\s e)lefanti/nhs *)aqhna=s ei)ko/na e)poi/hse. *periklh=s de\ e)pi\ toi=s a)nalw/masi taxqei\s e)nosfi/sato n# ta/lanta kai\ i(/na mh\ dw=| ta\s eu)qu/nas, po/lemon e)ki/nhse. kai\ paroimi/a: *feidi/as prosh/koi ei)rh/nh|, kaqo\ texni/ths. eu)/morfos de\ e)kei/nh ei)sa/getai. *polu/bios: *leu/kios *ai)mi/lios parh=n ei)s to\ te/menos to\ e)n *)olumpi/a| kai\ to\ a)/galma qeasa/menos e)cepla/gh kai\ toiou=ton ei)=pen, o(/ti mo/nos au)tw=| dokei= *feidi/as to\n par' *(omh/rw| *di/a memimh=sqai: dio/ti mega/lhn e)/xwn prosdoki/an th=s *)olumpi/as, mei/zw th=s prosdoki/as eu(rhkw\s ei)/h th\n a)lh/qeian. kai\ au)=qis: kaqa/per, oi)=mai, *murmhki/dhn a)ntitatto/menon th=| *feidi/ou te/xnh|.

On Pheidias see generally OCD(4) s.v. Phidias.
[1] In the Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis. It was actually gold-and-ivory (chryselephantine), like the Olympian Zeus mentioned below.
[2] cf. epsilon 3511.
[3] (The Peloponnesian War, 431-404 BCE.) For the material of the entry so far, cf. the scholia to Aristophanes, Peace 605, where Pheidias is mentioned (web address 1). See further, next note.
[4] This section of the entry stems from the scholia to Aristophanes, Peace 616, where the quoted phrase occurs: "nor had I heard how Pheidias might be connected with her".
[5] The chryselephantine Zeus done by Pheidias there.
[6] Polybius 30.10.6 (web address 2), on L. Aemilius Paullus (OCD(4) p.21).
[7] cf. gamma 118. Myrmekides appears to be a proper name but is not necessarily a real person; there is an etymological connection with ants.

David Whitehead (modified translation; added notes and bibliography) on 17 January 2001@11:21:07.
David Whitehead (tweaked translation; augmented notes and keywords) on 21 March 2006@07:47:57.
David Whitehead (more keywords; cosmetics) on 9 August 2011@05:35:50.
David Whitehead on 9 August 2011@05:37:04.
Catharine Roth (deleted links) on 5 October 2013@00:39:12.
David Whitehead on 6 December 2013@09:40:10.
David Whitehead on 6 August 2014@10:47:58.
Catharine Roth (restored some links) on 25 January 2023@00:56:14.

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