Letter 539: My cousin established the games in honor of Olympian Zeus some time ago.

To Antiochus. (356/57) My cousin long ago dedicated the contest to Olympian Zeus, and now he has entered upon a public service [liturgy], of which he was acquainted with not a few features, but the one he pursued with the greatest zeal was the combats of men against wild beasts. But we have need of beasts that do not drowse and that give confidence to those who confront them, but rather of such as will require great skill in the man who is not to be caught. Such are the bears that your mountains nourish, formidable to devise a plan against and to capture. And the capturing of these formidable beasts, escaping their attack, brings delight to the theater. And since our country is good for hunting, you have many hunters and skilled ones, in whom I suppose even Artemis takes pleasure. Make our public service [liturgy] splendid, then, by the fierceness of the bears and by the same [...] Free the farmers among you from fear, but bring fear upon the hunters among us, and be eager on behalf of your own people. It was fitting that a letter should come to you from me concerning these matters, but to your good sister one from the most excellent Bassiana.

Ἀντιόχῳ. (356/57) Τῷ μὲν Ὀλυμπίῳ Διὶ πάλαι τὸν ἀγῶνα τέθεικεν οὑμὸς ἀνεψιός, νῦν δὲ εἰς λειτουργίαν εἰσῆλθεν, ἧς οὐκ ὀλίγα μὶν ᾔδει, τὸ δὲ ἐν πλείστῃ σπουδῇ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀγωνίσματα πρὸς τὰ θηρία. δεῖ δὲ θηρίων ἡμῖν οὐ νυσταζόντων καὶ θαρρεῖν παρεχόντων τοῖς ἀπαντῶσιν, ἀλλ’ ἐφ᾿ ἃ διήσει πολλῆς σοφίας τῷ γε οὐχ ἁλωσομένῳ. τοιαύτας δὲ ὑμῖν τὰ ὄρη τρέφει τὰς ἄρκτους δεινὰς ἐπινοῆσαι καὶ ἑλεῖν. τὸ δὲ τὰς δει- νὰς ἑλεῖν διαφυγεῖν τὴν χάριν ἔχει τῷ θεάτρῳ. οὔσης δὲ ἡμῖν εὐθήρου τῆς χώρας εἰσί σοι θηραταὶ πολλοὶ καὶ ἐπιστήμονες, οἷς ἡγοῦμαι τέρπεσθαι καὶ Ἄρτεμιν. ποίησον δὴ ἡμῖν λαμπρὰν τὴν λειτουργίαν ἄρκτων χαλεπότητι καὶ τῷ αὐτῷ τοὺς μὲν παρ’ ὑμῖν γεωργοὺς ἀπάλλαττε φόβου, τοῖς δὲ παρ’ ἡμῖν κυνηγέταις ἔπαγε φόβον καὶ γίγνου πρόθυμος εἰς τοὺς οἰκείους. ἔπρεπε δὲ σοὶ μὲν παρ’ ἐμοῦ περὶ τούτων ἐλθεῖν ἐπιστολὴν, πρὸς δὲ τὴν ἀδελφήν σου τὴν ἀγαθὴν παρὰ τῆς ἀρίστης Βασσιανῆς.