Polydamas of Scotoussa (pankratiast)
Polydamas (or Poulodamas), son of Nicias, came from Scotoussa in Thessaly. He won the pankration in 408 BC, in the 93rd Olympiad, and Pausanias mentions that his statue in the Altis was the work of the famous sculptor Lysippus.  However, he was mostly famous for his labors that, according to his contemporaries, equaled those of a hero.
Polydamas was said to have killed a lion with his bare hands and to have held down a bull using strictly the power of his arms. In addition, he had immobilized a moving chariot. Once, Darius II Ochus, the illegitimate son of Artaxerxes had invited him to his court and asked him to fight with three of his best soldiers in full armor. Polydamas killed them all with his club. However, he died tragically, buried under the ruins of a cave that he tried to support with his hands.
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