In the course of a careful examination of the coins of Corcyra, I have come upon a variety of types which seem to me to allude to races of galleys. That the Greeks had such races is in itself probable, and is clearly proved by the testimony of ancient writers. But on consulting the ordinary works on the games and races of the Greeks, as well as those which deal with naval archæology, I have found that the matter has hitherto almost entirely escaped observation. I therefore feel called on to add a new chapter, which will indeed be but a short one, to the history of Greek athletic sports. And I imagine that Englishmen, who take so much interest in the races of yachts and rowing-boats, will not be ungrateful to me if I am able to show that such races are of greater antiquity than is commonly imagined.

That galley-races are as old as Homer may seem a rash assertion; yet this does seem to be implied in a passage of the Odyssey, though it is not directly asserted. This passage occurs in the 8th book of the Odyssey, at the place where Alcinoüs is speaking of the aptness in athletic sports of his subjects the Phaeacians.