The athletes competed for themselves, not their city-states. In this way,
they could be celebrated for their own accomplishments and not honoured as only representatives of their city-states. This
was another way in which the Olympic Games shifted emphasis away from the city-state. If Demetrius of Corinth won the running race, then he
was celebrated as Demetrius – just Demetrius – not Demetrius of Corinth. This was to make sure that battlefield
prejudices didn't spill onto the Olympic athletic fields.
The pentathlon was a five-event
combination of discus, javelin, jumping, running and wrestling
WRESTLING:
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Wrestling was popular among the men.
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Wrestling could be won by throwing your opponent 3 times or by forcing him to surrender.
There were no rounds.
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There were 3 wrestling events at the Olympics.
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1st event was wrestling.
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2nd event was boxing.
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3rd event was pankration.
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Biting and genital holds were not permitted.
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Wrestling was on the 4th day of the Olympics.
BOXING:
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Boxing started in 336 BCE
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Apollo was the god of boxing
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They wore leather thongs wrapped around their fists to fight (himantes)
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Boxing was on the 4th day of the Olympics.
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The fighters got many cuts due to the ‘sharp thongs’ there opponents wore (from
4th century BC) As a result boxing matches became very bloody contests
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Ancient boxing had fewer rules than the modern sport
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Fought until one man was knocked out – there were no rounds as such; this tested the
boxers stamina
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There were no rings; they kept the boxers together with sticks
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No clinging onto ones opponent. If any rules were broken they would be beaten by an official
with a stick
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This was the most brutal sport but also a great spectator sport – how nice!
PANKRATION
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The Pankration event was wrestling and boxing put together.
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Like the modern sport an athlete needed to throw his opponent on the ground, landing on a
hip, shoulder, or back for a fair fall.
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Breaking your opponent's fingers was permitted (especially used in the early stags of the
match to give yourself an advantage) however, himantes were not worn
DISCUS THROW:
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This was one of the only games that did not have any relation to military exercises
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Discus was on the 4th day of the Olympics.
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People gathered around a small area called the Balbis. The Balbis was marked off by a stone
starting line and by rows of pegs on either side.
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The thrower could take as many steps as needed before releasing the Discus.
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Whoever threw the discus the furthest would win.
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The rhythm and precision of an athlete was just as important as his strength.
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The discus was made of stone, iron, bronze or lead with two convex curves.
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Engraved scenes were inscribed on the discus, purely decorative
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Sizes varied as boys were not expected to throw the same weight as the men
LONG JUMP:
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Long Jump is on the 4th day of the Olympics.
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The purpose of this event was to see who could jump the farthest.
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When the people jump they wore heavy armour with weapons.
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Long Jump started in 664 B.C.E
CHARIOT RACING (equestrian events):
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Horse racing took place in a hippodrome, a large stadium that contained a racetrack very
much like today's track and field ovals. It contained two pillars at either end marking the start and finish of each race.
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The athletes would ride in war chariots that were fitted to either two horses (synoris) or
four horses (tethrippon). Even with four horses, only one man rode in the chariot. This needed great skill.
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The races numbered three, eight, or twelve times around, depending on the age of the horse.
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The chariot was a small wooden vehicle with an open back, wide enough of take two standing
men (although only one charioteer rode)
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The stronger, faster horse was always placed on the right. This was to make it go efficiently
round bends.
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Everyone tried to take the inside bend on the hippodrome (i.e. the shortest route), however,
this caused many collisions but also revealed who had the greatest technique
RUNNING:
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There were 4 different running events.
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1 was racing in armour, where the contestants carried a shield, a helmet and shim plates.
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The others were Stade (Stadium) racing, Dialulos racing and Dolichos racing.
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The Stadium racing was 192 meters. Racing in Armour was 192 meters. Dialulos racing was 2
lengths of the stadium.
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Dolichos racing was 20 – 24 lengths of the stadium.
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Runners wore loin cloth around their waist, but this was then abandoned and they completely
de-briefed (the only exception was the armour race)
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A husplex was used to start the races (similar
to a modern starting pistol). Early starters were beaten and/or disqualified.
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No pushing, knocking or hindering any of the opponents of any kind (again the armour race
was an exception)
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Athletes of this period were said to have amazing endurance and running speed; most important
was their strength, speed and endurance
JAVELIN
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Javelin was greatly related to life and incorporated many techniques used in war and hunting.
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The javelin was man-high length of wood, with a sharpened point and lighter than that of
combat. It had a thong, a leather strap, for a hurler’s fingers attached to its centre of gravity, which increased the
precision and distance of the javelins flight.
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These were also used in war and hunting but they were permanently attached.
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There were two forms of this event, either throwing for distance or at a target.
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When throwing for distance, you started from a fixed point and had to fall within a certain
area (similar to modern Olympics) otherwise the throw would be invalid.
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Throwing at a predetermined target was usually carried out on horseback. In doing so, the
rider had to ensure co-ordination between the horses gallop and movement of his hand, while still being able to focus on the
target. This required the steady eye, strong hand and flexibility of an experienced
horseman