The Pentathlon

1
The Pentathlon

• Akon, Halma, Diskos, Stadion, Pale

Class 08
2
Prestige of the Pentathlon

• Pausanias origins in games set by Herakles to
  favor his friend Peleus, no great athlete
• Plato (Arete 39) makes the pentathlete the
  essence of second-best at everything sacrifice
  excellence by not specializing
• But Aristotle (Arete 48) thought the pentathlon
  produced the most rounded athletes and most
  beautiful bodies

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Pentathlon order of events
Held on the 2nd day at Olympia

• late Hellenistic inscription from Rhodes how
  could this be good evidence?

• diskos 5 throws event
• halma longest in diskos jumps 1st
• akon throw for accuracy or distance?
• stadion
• pale

4
Diskos
Each contestant had 5 throws in rounds or all at
once?
5
Diskos ready position
6
Myrons Discus Thrower
Hellenistic marble Vatican Museum one revolution
7
Discus Thrower
Many copies confirm position of arm
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The Throw
Beginning the turn with wrist rotated so palm of
hand is upward
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Diskos

• thrown for distance
• no military ancestry?

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Halma complex event

• skamma (landing pit), usually 50 ft. ong
• halteres (jumping weights)
• aulos (double flute), to provide pacing because
  the event is the most difficult of competitions
  (Philostratos)
• clean landing with 2 sharp footprints
• not a foul to sit back when landing

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Halma jumping weights
4 lbs, but weight varies
Akmantidas the Spartan dedicated these. He won
the pentathlon without dust.
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Jumping beyond the dug-out area

• pentathlete Phayllos supposedly jumped 55 ft.,
  beyond the skamma, and tore up his leg
• becomes proverb for suffering from outdoing
  yourself
• nice saying, but no one jumped 50 ft

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Halma preparation
Pick the symbol of pentathletes because they
(sometimes?) prepared the skamma themselves
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Halma sequence
Pentathletes training
15
Halma the approach
Arms swinging as usual
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Halma take-off
Athenian kylix (drinking cup), 5th c.
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Halma airborne
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Halma descent
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Halma stop-action
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Akon
a military event? a thrown spear?
Favorite view of javelin throw beforehand. what
are they doing?
Tying on the ankyle, leather thong for throwing
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Akon the throw
Run up to the balbis index finger holds thong
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Pentathlon scoring
5 contests, how determine winner? Points Greeks
never used points Pausanias (Arete 50) and
Xenophon (Arete 51) suggest wrestling last,
deciding contest What if someone won the first 3
events?
He won without dust, without having to wrestle