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Achaea. Corinthia, Corinth. Lucius Verus AE26 Melikertes-Palaimon
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Peloponnesus. Corinthia, Corinth. Obv. bare-headed bust of Lucius Verus wearing cuirass, r. [IMP L AVR VERVS AVG] Rev. Melikertes-Palaimon riding on dolphin, l.; in pine wreath C L I COR.
A fragmentary Isthmian ode of Pindar portrays the founding of the Isthmian Games as a funerary celebration for Melikertes. Examination of the language in which Pindar speaks of the cults of other heroes at places where athletic contests were celebrated in their honour leads to the conclusion that Melikertes was worshipped as a hero at the Isthmian Sanctuary, at least by the time of Pindar, although no remains of a shrine to him before the Roman period have been found.
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