Pythian 8 is one of Pindar’s epinician odes that establish particularly strong connections with the historical context in which they were composed and performed. The structure of the ode is coherently built on a system of explicit and implicit references to the events of the Persian War and to the opposing roles played in it by Aegina, the homeland of the laudandus Cleander, and Thebes, the poet’s own city. Here, the mythical paradigm of the Trojan War and the deeds of Achilles undergo a new interpretation, shared with other sophoi, that enforces a correspondence with the historical events of the Persian War.