Editing Melankomas (section)

== Legacy ==
Melankomas is known to us mainly from the 28th and 29th Discourses of ''[[Dio Chrysostom]]'', in which that writer uses his life as a canvas for a discussion of the ideal athlete and the ideal man; Dio praises his athleticism, good looks, and brave heart. Dio says he never lost a match, hit an opponent, or was struck by an opponent.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":4">Melankomas is also mentioned in [[Themistius]], ''Orationes'' 10 (=165 Dinsdorf) and alluded to by [[Eustathius of Thessalonica|Eustathius]]. Michael B. Poliakoff, "Melankomas, ἐκ κλίμακο, and Greek Boxing", ''The American Journal of Philology'', Vol. 108, No. 3 (Autumn, 1987), p. 511.</ref> [[Themistius]] reports that the emperor [[Titus]] was his lover (''{{lang|el|[[Erastes (Ancient Greece)|erastes]]}}'').<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Heather|first1=Peter J.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m8p4SxNNk1YC&dq=Melankomas&pg=PA43|title=The Goths in the Fourth Century|last2=Heather|first2=Professor of Medieval History Peter|last3=Sozomen|last4=Matthews|first4=John|date=1991|publisher=Liverpool University Press|isbn=978-0-85323-426-5|language=en}}</ref>

Some scholars believe Melankomas to have been a real person, while others believe that he or his record was an invention of Dio's; there is nothing allowing a firm conclusion either way.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" />

Melankomas was mentioned in a second-season episode of ''[[Sports Night]]'' as a contender for "Athlete of the Millennium."{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

He appears as an opponent in the Cestarii expansion of the mobile game ''Gladiator Manager''.