Ancient Olympic pentathlon
Encyclopedia
The Ancient Olympic pentathlon was an athletic contest at the Ancient Olympic Games, and other Panhellenic Games
of Ancient Greece
. The name derives from Greek
, combining the words pende (five) and -athlon (competition). Five events were contested over one day, starting with the long jump
, javelin throw
, and discus throw
, followed by the stadion (a short foot race) and wrestling
. Pentathletes were considered to be among the most skilled athletes, and their training was often part of military service
—each of the five events was thought to be useful in battle. It was the first documented type of pentathlon
, a competition composed of five distinct events, and was the precursor to all competitions of this type, to which it lends its name.
, javelin throw
, and discus throw
, the stadion foot race, and wrestling
as the final event. The first three events were generally not held as individual events, but rather as only part of pentathlon competitions.
It is unclear how a winner was chosen, but it has been suggested that the victor of all five events, or perhaps just three events, was declared the overall winner. Similarly, historians are uncertain as to how the wrestling event was competed and how victory was achieved.
The wide variety of skills needed to compete meant that pentathletes were held in high esteem as physical specimens: in Rhetoric
, Aristotle
remarked "a body capable of enduring all efforts, either of the racecourse or of bodily strength...This is why the athletes in the pentathlon are most beautiful".
, while the other events were all held in the stadion (or stadium
) from which the name of the race was taken. Wrestling and the discus throw had essentially the same basic format as their modern versions (although the actual technique and rules may have differed). However, the discus throw was completed atop a raised podium, rather than on a level field.
The javelin throw used a leather strap, called an amentum
, rather than having the athlete grip the shaft of the javelin itself. The stadion was a sprint of approximately 200 yards (or about 180 metres), longer than the modern 100 metres
sprint, but shorter than all other ancient running events.
The long jump is perhaps the most unusual, compared to the modern athletics version. A long jumper used weights called halteres
to propel himself farther out of standing, and his jump probably consisted of five separate leaps, more like the modern triple jump
; otherwise, distances of known jumps (which are often as far as 50 feet) would seem to be impossible.
Competitors in the javelin and discus throws were allowed five throws each, and only their longest throw would count. It is possible that the long jump was also attempted five times. In the classical games, it was traditional for all of these events to be performed naked.
Panhellenic Games
Panhellenic Games is the collective term for four separate sports festivals held in ancient Greece. The four Games were:-Description:The Games took place in a four-year cycle known as the Olympiad, which was one of the ways the Greeks measured time...
of Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
. The name derives from Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, combining the words pende (five) and -athlon (competition). Five events were contested over one day, starting with the long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
, javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
, and discus throw
Discus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
, followed by the stadion (a short foot race) and wrestling
Amateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA : Greco-Roman and freestyle. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style...
. Pentathletes were considered to be among the most skilled athletes, and their training was often part of military service
Military service
Military service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
—each of the five events was thought to be useful in battle. It was the first documented type of pentathlon
Pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five different events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente and -athlon . The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games...
, a competition composed of five distinct events, and was the precursor to all competitions of this type, to which it lends its name.
History
The event was first held at the 18th Ancient Olympiad around 708 BC, and changed format a number of times. By the 77th Ancient Olympiad, the pentathlon was generally ordered into three sections: the triagmos of the long jumpLong jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
, javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
, and discus throw
Discus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
, the stadion foot race, and wrestling
Amateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport wrestling. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games under the supervision of FILA : Greco-Roman and freestyle. Freestyle is possibly derived from the English Lancashire style...
as the final event. The first three events were generally not held as individual events, but rather as only part of pentathlon competitions.
It is unclear how a winner was chosen, but it has been suggested that the victor of all five events, or perhaps just three events, was declared the overall winner. Similarly, historians are uncertain as to how the wrestling event was competed and how victory was achieved.
The wide variety of skills needed to compete meant that pentathletes were held in high esteem as physical specimens: in Rhetoric
Rhetoric (Aristotle)
Aristotle's Rhetoric is an ancient Greek treatise on the art of persuasion, dating from the 4th century BC. In Greek, it is titled ΤΕΧΝΗ ΡΗΤΟΡΙΚΗ, in Latin Ars Rhetorica. In English, its title varies: typically it is titled Rhetoric, the Art of Rhetoric, or a Treatise on...
, Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
remarked "a body capable of enduring all efforts, either of the racecourse or of bodily strength...This is why the athletes in the pentathlon are most beautiful".
Events
Wrestling was held in a sand pit, at the Olympic Games outside the Temple of ZeusZeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
, while the other events were all held in the stadion (or stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
) from which the name of the race was taken. Wrestling and the discus throw had essentially the same basic format as their modern versions (although the actual technique and rules may have differed). However, the discus throw was completed atop a raised podium, rather than on a level field.
The javelin throw used a leather strap, called an amentum
Amentum
An amentum was a leather strap attached to a javelin used in ancient Greek athletics, hunting, and warfare, which helped to increase the range and the stability of the javelin in flight. Stability in flight was important because it allowed the javelin to land on its point, which was the only way...
, rather than having the athlete grip the shaft of the javelin itself. The stadion was a sprint of approximately 200 yards (or about 180 metres), longer than the modern 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
sprint, but shorter than all other ancient running events.
The long jump is perhaps the most unusual, compared to the modern athletics version. A long jumper used weights called halteres
Halteres (ancient Greece)
Halteres were a type of dumbbells used in Ancient Greece. In ancient Greek sports, halteres were used as lifting weights, and also as weights in their version of the long jump, which was probably a set of three jumps. Halteres were held in both hands to allow an athlete to jump a greater distance;...
to propel himself farther out of standing, and his jump probably consisted of five separate leaps, more like the modern triple jump
Triple jump
The triple jump is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump, but involving a “hop, bound and jump” routine, whereby the competitor runs down the track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit.The triple jump has its origins in the Ancient Olympics and has been a...
; otherwise, distances of known jumps (which are often as far as 50 feet) would seem to be impossible.
Competitors in the javelin and discus throws were allowed five throws each, and only their longest throw would count. It is possible that the long jump was also attempted five times. In the classical games, it was traditional for all of these events to be performed naked.