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Book Eleven
(2 x ), as is u(3piaTT|s (13.633). The O(3pis of the Epeans is Augeias' greed and
mistreatment of Neleus' charioteer.
696-7 TpIr|K6cTr(cx): the irregular prosody suggests the derivative nature
of the verse, cf. Od. 21.18-19 ufjAa ... TprnKoar r|Se voiif^as. The formula is
thus proper to flocks of sheep and should be taken here as an explication of
TTCOU ueya in 696. A reference to both ayeAr|v pooov and TTGOU oicov so as
to mean 'three hundred beasts' would be the only place in Homer where
sheep and cattle were counted together, an unnatural calculation for any
pastoralist, cf. 244-5^
699—700 This and the controversial passage 8.185 are the sole allusions
in the Iliad to four-horsed chariots (the singular sAaT-qp' at 702 shows that
one chariot is meant here). Aristarchus (Arn/A) and Pap. viii (see 688n.)
note the anachronism. But Nestor's booty were d0Ao9Opoi (on the contracted
vowel see 9.124^), i.e. yoked for racing not for war. In this context
ueT' OCEOAOC, unless it is anachronistic, seems to imply some precursors of the
classical Olympic games (reputedly founded in 776 B.C.). Paus. 5.8.7 alleges
that chariot racing was introduced in Ol. 25. Prize-giving for sports is
restricted in the epic to funeral games. For Pylian participation in such
games in Elis see 23.630, the games of Amarunkeus. Those, however, are
not the subject of the present passage, for Nestor himself took part.
701 Augeias borrows avoc£ dvSpcov as his epithet from the formula system
of Agamemnon, as do the metrically similar Aineias, Ankhises, Euphetes,
and Eumelos, all once only. dva£ evepcov 'AiScoveus (20.61) is another variant.
These incipient generic uses of the epithet indicate that whatever
specific force it may have had as a description of Agamemnon's status is no
longer understood by the poet. Augeias was brother of Aktor (cf. 75on.) and
father of Phuleus whose son Meges was now fighting alongside Nestor.
Phuleus, however, had no love for his father, see 2.627-30 and n. For his
daughter Agamede see 74on. The epic has no reference to the famous
stables or their cleansing. For his stinginess cf. Pind. 01. 10.28-30; he
refused to pay Herakles for clearing the dung.
703 8TT6C0V implies that in a less summary narrative of these events Augeias
added insult to injury. He can hardly be supposed to have sent the charioteer
home without some message for Neleus. 'Noun + f|8e KCU + noun' is a
regular phrase pattern (8x in //.) but the words that enter it are not for
that reason themselves formular; epycov, which consistently preserves its
digamma in the nominative and accusative cases within formulas, has here
its Ionic vernacular form without digamma.
704-5 There is a certain confusion (doubtless also in practice) between
forcible restitution of debt and simple pillage: Neleus is entitled to his four
horses or their value and takes it, the 8fj|ios then makes assignments in
301