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9. The second day began with the equestrian events. This is the famous bronze charioteer of Delphi. Charioteers were normally hired by the chariot owners, just as jockies are hired today.
10. The detail on this statue is quite refined. The headband denotes that the charioteer has been crowned a victor.
11. This is the four horse chariot, fully rigged. The big event came first: the quadrigae. From twenty to forty or fifty chariots did twelve laps around the equestrian track. The equestrian track has not been located at Olympia. Some believe that the river has washed out all traces.
12. Here is a chariot on its way to the finish line. It is extremely unlikely that all four horses would have their front feet in the air at one time. The artist has tried to capture the bounding energy of the four horse team.
13. The next event on the schedule was the bareback race. The riders as well as the horses were bareback. The size of the horses is somewhat exaggerated. This makes the horses appear more powerful.
14. Mules were also raced. This, I believe, is a chariot being pulled by two mules.
15. The afternoon of the second day witnessed the pentathlon. The four main events were the long jump, the discus, the javelin, and the stade race. If no winner emerged from the pack, the contest was decided by wrestling. Here are some pentathlon competitors coming onto the field.
16. The technique of the long jump is most curious, because the jumpers used weights. We know the motion they used to swing the weights, and we know that they released the weights before they landed, but we do not know whether they jumped from a standing position or whether they ran towards the fifty foot pit. This is an athlete preparing to jump. The act is recorded on a discus.
17. An athlete appears to be running towards the pit, swinging the weights. The tool beneath his feet is a pick used to soften the ground
18. The athlete takes off.
19. He is now completely airborne. The judge is ready to mark.
20. The athlete lands. He has yet to release the weights. No one has been able to duplicate the distances of the ancient long jumpers using weights. Those modern athletes who have experimented with the ancient technique, using weights, could not outleap the distances they attained without weights. Nevertheless, one ancient athlete was recorded as having jumped more than fifty feet, for he overleaped the pit and broke his leg.
21. Here we have the discus. Apparently, various sizes were used. Also, the discus itself could be made of stone or metal. The athletes stood on a platform or throwing box. Here the athlete grips the discus. I have been told that the grip portrayed here is incorrect.
22. The wind up.
23. And, the dramatic instant before the discus is released.
24. The javelin throw was performed differently than it is today. A string was wrapped around the ancient javelin, which caused it to spin when released. This increased both accuracy and distance. Modern experiments have proven the usefulness of the ancient method. Each contestant was allowed three tosses. This young man seems to have the javelin well in hand.
25. Another contestant about to launch his javlin. The ancients were able to hurl the javelin around 300 feet. |
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