This inscription gives a good indication of the work and expense that was needed to prepare for one of the major panhellenic games.
The translation - apart from the first paragraph - is adapted from S.G.Miller, "Arete: Greek Sports from Ancient Sources", no. 81 ( Google Books ). There is a French translation by M-C.Hellmann, "Choix d?inscriptions architecturales grecques, traduites et commentées", pp.71-72 ( Persée ).
When Dion was archon at Delphi, and the hieromnemones were as follows:
The following men were given the contracts for the Pythian works:
| Agazalos: | digging and levelling the xystos and the peristyle: 18 staters and 1 drachma. |
| Agazalos: | digging and levelling the open-air track {paradromis}: 16 staters & 1 drachma. |
| Agazalos: | 270 medimnoi of white earth for the xystos at 1¾ obols per medimnos: 43 staters & ½ obol. |
| Kritolaos: | fencing the xystos: 37 staters. |
| Olympichos: | maintenance work on the xystos and the open-air track and the ball courts {sphairisteria} and the gymnasion: 36 staters. |
| Kritolaos: | repairs to the drain alongside the shrine of Demeter: (?) 20 staters 1 drachma & 2 obols. |
| Sochares: | for six picks: . . . |
| Eucharos: | roping off the peristyle: . . . |
| Kleon: | repairs to the wall of the ball court: 30 staters. |
| Asandros: | sifting the mortar: 5 staters. |
| Euthydamos: | 201 medimnoi of black earth on the ball court at 1 obol per medimnos: 16 staters 1 drachma & 3 obols. |
| Kleon: | repairs to the wall by the shrine of Demeter: 29 staters & 1 drachma. |
| Pasion: | plastering the changing room {apodyterion} and the wall by the shrine of Demeter: 8 staters. |
| Lyson: | 15 medimnoi of white earth for plastering the changing room and the wall at 1¾ obols per medimnos: 2 staters & 2¼ obols. |
| Smyrnaios: | cleaning out the Pythian stadium and repairing the "ridges": 10 staters & 1 drachma. |
| Smyrnaios: | digging the Pythian stadium and digging and levelling the jumping pits: 110 staters. |
| Nikon: | construction of the odeion: 44 staters 1 drachma & 3 obols. |
| Xenon: | 600 medimnoi of white earth in the Pythian stadium at 1½ obols per medimnos: 83 staters & 4 obols. |
| Melission: | a pedestal in the Pythian theatre: 28 staters. |
| Euthydamos: | fencing the Pythian stadium: 10 staters. |
| Nikon: | setting up the proskenion in the Pythian stadium: 6 staters. |
| Nikon: | the platform in the Pythian stadium at . . . per foot for . . . feet: 5 staters. |
| Euthydamos: | construction of the vaulted entrance in the Pythian stadium: 20 staters. |
| Smyrnaios: | cleaning out the . . .: 8 staters. |
| Anaxagoras: | construction of the 36 turning posts {kamptēres}: 12 staters. |
| Agazalos: | that for the pentathletes: 14 staters. |
| . . . : | for 280 . . . at 2½ obols each: 58 staters & 4 obols. |
| Damastratos: | . . . for the boxers: 77 staters & 1 drachma. |
| Melission: | repair to the . . . in the vaulted entrance: 1 stater & 1 drachma. |
| [Smyrnaios]: | cleaning out the hippodrome: . . .. |
| Dionysios: | digging around the turning posts in the hippodrome: . . .. |
| Euthydamos: | [levelling] around the turning posts in the hippodrome: 10 staters. |
| Kallon: | provision of the . . . in the hippodrome: 89 staters. |
| Dion: | the . . . in the hippodrome: 38 staters. |
| Dion: | the . . . of the houses: 24 staters. |
| Pleistos: | for the prizes: 1 Aiginetan mina. |
| Euthydamos: | for plating the . . . with bronze: 9 staters & 3 obols. |
| Kleon: | cleaning out and fencing the Kastalian spring with the Gorgon's head spout: 9 staters. |
| Agazalos: | cleaning out the . . .: 1 stater & 2½ obols. |
| . . . : | cleaning out the smithy . . . : . . . |
| . . . : | . . . the water channel of the open-air track and the pool: . . . |
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