THE GREEK OLYMPIC GAMES

AS COMPARED WITH MODERN ATHLETICS

By ARTHUR L NCH

I N reading ancient history, as for ex-ample, in the pages of Plutarch, weknow of the value of great exploits in

reference to the times in which they oc-curred; but it is difficult to realize thoserecords in terms of the performances thatexcite our admiration in our own day, forwe are at a loss to determine the relationof what might be called the scales of thecharts which form the basis of comparison.The statistic’s of the physical powers of theancients and moderns would afford us themeans of fixing a common scale, if suchstatistics were fully available.

But it must be remembered that theGreeks of the old Olympic days had noexact time-measures, and that partly inconsequence, no doubt, of the lack of thatadvantage they were not at all precise intheir measurement of distance. Homerspeaks of a chariot beating another by adistance “as far as a vigorous youth couldthrow a disk.” The distance by which asteer could outplow a heifer, was anotherstandard of measurement. In readingsome of the ancient records, indeed, we aretempted to believe that it was a Greek, andnot the much-abused Irishman, who de-scribed something as “about the size of apiece of chalk.”

Exact measurement in the domain ofathletics, is of very recent growth. TheEnglish records of the eighteenth centuryare hardly one whit more useful for com-parison than those of the Greeks.

First of all, let us consider some long-distance feats. One of the most famousis that of Pheidippides, who traversedabout 135 miles in rough country in acouple of days on his journey to Sparta,to bring the news of the advance of thePersian hosts. Pheidippides was hence-forth held in very high honor by his coun-trymen, who treated him with the respectdue to a demi-god. The Spartan forcewhich obeyed the summons reached Atticain three days, or rather in the course of thethird day, according to Herodotus, afterleaving Sparta. The information is vague

and Herodotus is notoriously credulousand inaccurate, and if the Spartan forcecovered the same ground as Pheidippides,it performed an extraordinary feat, andin any case, it is evident that the men musthave done wonderfully good marching.

Argeus won the dolichos, the long dis-tance race of a little less than two and ahalf miles at the Olympic Games, andimmediately started for his home, sixtymiles distant, to be himself the bearer ofthe joyful news.

Lasthenes beat a war charger over thecountry from Koronoea to Thebes, a dis-tance of about twenty miles.

Pliny speaks of Anystos of Sparta andPhilonides, the runner of Alexander theGreat, completing between them about140 miles from Sycione to Elis, in one day;but Pliny’s statements in regard to ath-letic feats are certainly very loose. Forexample, he tells of a boy nine years ofage covering a distance of 70 miles rounda course during the hours of sunlight, butthis is beyond the bounds of credulity;and in referring to another athlete whocovered in the performance of a feat, adistance of not less than 150 miles, heforgets to mention the time occupied in thejourney.

At this point let us compare with thefeats of the Greeks a few modern per-formances. In 1882, Lieutenant Salva-tore of Marsala, traveled on foot fromLecce to Tarent, about 104 miles, in 24hours. The famous Foster Powell, whenno longer young—being then forty-threeyears old—walked from Canterbury andback, about 112 miles, in 24 hours.

The most remarkable performances areprobably those recorded in the professional“go-as-you-please” contests which werein vogue a couple of decades ago. C.Rowell, of Cambridge, England, com-pleted 150 miles in 22 hours, 28 minutes,25 seconds, in New York, February 27,1882. He traveled 90 miles in 12 hours,0 minutes, 15 seconds. G. Littlewood,of Sheffield, covered 6233/4 miles in 141

Y

Boxer—Canova, Vatican, Rome.

Discobolus—Vatican, Rome.

Photo by Pictorial News Co.Ralph Rose, Michigan University, who made the World’sAmateur Sixteen-pound Shot-putting Record of 48 ft. 71/4 inat Philadelphia, April 23, 1904.

7 1 8 The Greek Olympic Games

hours, 27 minutes 30 seconds in NewYork, December 1, 1888.

These modern feats were all performedon prepared tracks by men speciallytrained for the events, and supplied withevery possible convenience. Apart fromthe enormous muscular exertion de-manded, the conditions were entirelyfavorable to the athletes. Pheidippides,on the other hand, had no especial trainingfor his feat, and he had to make his jour-ney over a severe stretch of country, de-pending a good deal on hazard, no doubt,for food and repose. Nevertheless it mustbe again borne in mind that it is themuscular exertion which is the predomi-nant condition in the records cited; andafter a careful estimation of all the circum-stances, I am inclined to believe that therehave existed men in our time, and thatthere exist men to-day, who could equalif not surpass the great performance ofthe Greek over the same country andunder similar conditions.

E. P. Weston, the celebrated Americanpedestrian, covered 1,000 miles in 400 con-secutive hours at Northumberland CricketGround, Newcastle, England, starting at7 a.m., Wednesday, December 26, 1877,and finishing at 10 hours 41 minutes p.m.,Friday, January 11, 1878. Weston didnot walk on the two Sundays intervening.He rested altogether 150 hours 38½ min-utes. Accordingly, his average rate ofprogression, while actually walking, was4 miles 18 yards an hour. If we considerthe two Sundays as dies non, and make noother allowance for stoppages, we find thatWeston averaged 68 miles, 320 yards aday, or 136 miles, 640 yards for every twodays. This is already in excess of thedistance covered in the same time byPheidippides. As a set-off against thehard conditions under which the Greekperformed his feat, we have the considera-tion that Weston walked, and that he keptup the average for 162/3 days, or in otherwords, repeated the performance eighttimes consecutively. Much more re-cently, William Buckler of Newport, inthe Black Bull Field, Hunslct, England,walked 4,000 quarter miles in 4,000 con-secutive periods of 91/4 minutes, May 12to June 6, 1898.

The march of the Spartan forces fromtheir country into Attica, magnificent as itwas, has probably been equaled in mod-

ern times. The French, though theircontribution to athletic records, as wegenerally understand the term, is not verybrilliant, probably carry off the palm, asfar as the continent of Europe at least isconcerned, in the domain of military feats.Marmont, one of Napoleon’s most capablemarshals, is said to have marched a largebody of men across Europe to rejoinNapoleon in Austria, at an average rate of40 miles a day for a fortnight, and to havehad very few stragglers. MacDonald’scrossing of the Splügen was a feat to com-pare not unfavorably with Hannibal’s.While on the side of the Emperor’s ad-versaries, a most brilliant marching featis that of Crauford, who brought his Irishsoldiers sixty miles to participate in thebattle of Talavera, and turned them intothe fight in time to save Wellington froma tight corner.

The Olympic short distance races wererun under conditions that seem to precludebrilliant performance. The men wereheld at the start with long supple leathernthongs—literally like greyhounds in theleash; and on many vases may be seen thedesigns representing the very act of slip-ping the runners. Then there are frequentdescriptions in the pasts, referring to the“dusty” course, the dust sometimes en-veloping the runners from the view. Theshort distance pedestrians used to swingtheir arms as they ran, and, according toDion Chrysostomos, encouraged them-selves by loud shouts. They ran quitenaked, their limbs rubbed with oil, and,at every movement of the perfect muscle,glistening in brilliance.

The short distance races were two innumber—one, the length of the stadium(about 180 yards); the other, the dialos,double that distance, losing simply thelength of the stadium and back. The longdistance race, the dolichos, was 24 timesthe length of the stadium, and thereforeabout 80 yards short of 21/2 miles. It is tobe specially noted that the courses of thedialos and of the dolichos were not in thenature of laps, but simply forwards andbackwards along the same track. Nowwhen we try and realize all these condi-tions, we do not find the atmosphere ofreally first-class athletic performances;and I have grave doubt that Ladas, orDandes the Argive, or Antipatros ofEpeiros, were ever able to crack evens.

The Wrestlers—Uffizi, Florence.

7 20 The Greek Olympic Games

Of other records of speed and distance, nowhere—contrary to what has been atthe only one which I can discover does times advanced as an explanation—anynot immediately refer to the Olympic mention of a spring-board or the like,Games, although it indicates what was which would give assistance to the com-considered a great performance in the petitor. The vases frequently representdays when they flourished. Tiberius, the Halma in progress, and it has all theafterwards Roman Emperor, in the appearance of being a simple leap of suchcourse of a famous journey to see his character as in our own games.brother who lay ill in Germany, traveled But, on the other hand, the greatest leap189 miles in twenty-four hours, with three of modern times, without weights, is thatrelays of horses. This feat has often been of Peter O’Connor, who holds the world’sexcelled in modern times as far as actual record of 24 feet 113/4 inches, made it cou-distance is concerned, but it must be re- ple of years ago in Ireland.membered that the conditions of such a The greatest long-jumper of modernjourney could not have been prearranged, times, however, was probably Howardand, all things considered, Tiberius must of Bradford, who, as far back as May 8,be credited with a brilliant record. 1854, at Chester, is said to have cleared

Napoleon, though he had a rather un- 29 feet 7 inches, taking off a solid wedge-gainly and by no means a safe seat, was shaped block of wood, 4 inches high at theyet capable of doing splendid work in the take-off, and 2 feet in length, and usingsaddle, and one of his feats places him in dumb-bells of five pounds each, which hea high notch. Las Casas says of it: flung behind him at the moment of taking“His most celebrated ride was that from his spring. Amongst Howard’s feats wasValladolid to Burgos— thirty-five Span- that of springing over an English billiardish leagues—in five hours and a half. table lengthwise.The Emperor had left Valladolid with a The record running hop-step-and-jumpnumerous escort on account of the danger is that of W. M’Manus, at Cooramundra,from guerrillas; at every town some one N. S. W., Australia, April 15, 1893—49was found to have dropped behind, and feet 21/4 inches; while J. Purcell, Tralee,Napoleon arrived almost alone.” Ireland, May 7, 1887, has the record for

Now, considering that 35 Spanish two running hops-and-a-jump, with 47leagues are equivalent to 145 English feet 91/2 inches.miles, these figures are absurd, but that The disc-throwing of the Greeks wasthe ride was an extraordinary one is at- their only representative of all the finelytested by many independent accounts. developed series of our own similar sports

The Greeks had no high jump, so that —weight-throwing, shot-putting, throwingone possible chance of comparison, in the various hammers, quoits, skittles,default of time-records, is thus removed et cetera. Now, according to the principlefrom us; and unfortunately the records of evolution, we find that increasing higherin the long jump are only such as to development is always accompanied bydarken counsel. Phayllos of Kroton, increasing heterogeneity, complexity, andwe are told in many inscriptions on the precision; and in every branch of athleticspedestals of statues, leaped a distance of this test is entirely in favor of the moderns.55 feet! And the Greek fool, it should be Even the art of running, the simplest, asnoted, was a little longer than our own. well as the most ancient and the mostJaeger, a learned German authority, it is assiduously practised of all sports, has onlytrue, makes the distance to have been since its renaissance in England some13.75 meters, which is 45 feet 1 inch; but sixty years ago been brought to a highany one having any practical acquaintance state of perfection. At that time, thewith this branch of athletics will find no great runners were all professionals, theexplanation of the mystery in this reduc- most noted being the celebrated American,tion. The Greeks used halteres—weights George Seward, who beat all his Englishshaped like dumb-bells—in their hands, rivals in a series of memorable contests.probably throwing them behind them He was credited with having run 100at the moment of taking the leap. The yards in 91/4 seconds at Hammersmith,Halma, or leap, as far as we are informed, London, September 30, 1844, but theconsisted of a single bound, and there is element of precision was lacking in those

Photo by James Burton.McLanahan, of Yale University, who has Pole-vaultedTwelve Feet in Exhibition. The World’s Record is 12ft. 132/100 in., made by Norman Dole of Leland StamfordUniversity, April 23, 1904.

7 2 2 The Greek Olympic Games

days. Since Seward’s day, running, aswell as all athletic sports, has been moreand more practised by amateurs; and theirprowess has gradually increased, until nowtheir records are the leading ones, in themajority of events.

After a careful study of the Olympiccestus methods, and our own displays, Iam convinced that every point is in favorof the moderns. The cestus was a terriblething. It was a gauntlet or glove—theform varied, and in speaking of Greekgames, we must remember that a periodof a thousand years is covered by ourreferences—composed of raw-hide thongs,sometimes studded with lead. A cestusfound in Herculaneum was formed oflayers of thick hide, bound together androunded off, through which the fingerspassed, the thumb being on the outside.That was a nice “mitten,” but it was onewith which it would have been dangerousto strike a straight blow. The Greeksseem to have used round blows, andsledge-hammer blows, and “choppers,”and considering that the weight of theirfists would diminish speed, the picture webegin to form already is not that of a highlyscientific performance. The poets, par-ticularly Lucilius and Lucan, containmany references to the brutality of thecestus, “that brave Olympian used onceto have a chin, eyebrows, ears, and eye-lids,” etc.

The fight between Pollux and Amycus,the king of the Bebryces, which formedone of the most exciting episodes in thevoyage of the Argonaut, is celebrated bothby Theocritus and Appolonius. Theantagonists wore the cestus in the formof a gauntlet of thongs wound together.Amycus was a tricky and rather unfairboxer, but Pollux was cool and wary. Hecountered on the impetuous attack ofAmycus, broke his jaw, then with anotherstroke landed on his forehead and left itbare to the bone, and finally killed himwith a smashing blow on the temple.

Then there is the story of the encounterbetween Damoxenes and Kreugas. Theywere fighting until darkness began to setin, and it was agreed to decide the contestby allowing each man to deliver a blow inturn. Kreugas struck the first blow onthe head of Damoxenos, who, when histurn arrived, took an unfair advantage ofhis man by telling him to hold up his arm,

and them smiting him with such force inthe short ribs with outstretched fingers,that he killed him. The Greeks, whowere severe in the ordinances of theGames, crowned Kreugas, though dead,as the victor.

As a set-off to this brutality, it should bementioned that the Greeks cultivatedhighly the art of blocking, side stepping,ducking, and dodging, in the boxing con-tests. The celebrated Melancomas isworthy to be placed beside Bendigo andCorbett, for he frequently beat his op-ponents—sometimes, indeed, it is said,without striking a blow—by wearing themout by his skilful avoidance of theirattacks. The contest between Kreugasand Damoxenos, which lasted till sunset,must also have been distinguished by greatskill. On some of the vases the boxersare represented as adopting a quite mod-ern orthodox guard—left foot forward,left arm advanced, though not too far, andright arm guarding the solar plexusregion. Most of the pictures, however,suggest the early days of the English ringand the style of Mendoza.

A comparison of the Greek wrestlingwith modern wrestling is difficult. TheGreeks anointed their nude bodies withoil, but the opponents made free use ofthe dust of the arena to counteract theslipperiness of the holds. But the sportwas hardly so developed as with ourselves.The French school of wrestling alone hasthirty-eight arm holds, and a vast numberof positions, and yet it excludes many of thefavorite “chips” of the Cumberland style.With great freedom therefore in the regu-lations, such as obtained in the pancreas,there was scope for an endless diversity ofplay and for a very elaborate training.But the descriptions that have come downto us reveal no great complexity or ap-preciation of varied “points.”

Certainly some of the old wrestlers, suchas Milo, have extraordinary feats ofstrength accredited to them. Milo, forexample, carried an ox on his shoulders;and he is said to have met his death as anindirect consequence of his prowess, for,having rent the boughs of a tree asunder,he was caught by the rebound and de-voured by wolves.

We find nothing in the ancient recordscorresponding to the great feats of strengthof Louis Cyr, Sandow, Sampson, or even

The Discus Thrower—Bronze from Herculaneum, 1754.National Museum, Naples.

7 2 4 The Greek Olympic Games

the less famous Jefferson, who, with handsonly, lifted 1,5711/4 pounds, solid iron, atBoston, December 11, 1890; or Schmidt-Mitchell, who, at the Athletic Institute,Wilton Place, London, S. W., December12, 1891, lifted, with one finger, a weightof 560 pounds attached to an iron rig.

We have a few other sources of com-parison left. For instance, the Greekshad little to compare with our highlydeveloped and varied series of ball games:cricket, baseball, handball, tennis, lawntennis, hurling, lacrosse, football, etc.Their principal open-air game was notunlike the French jeu de paume; and theirgames of the Spheristeria resembled ourhandball and rackets, though that, ofcourse, may place them very high in thecategory of sports.

Swimming was one of the most uni-versally practised of all exercises, and thelegendary feat of Leander seems to havebeen the literal high-water mark of theGreeks. But in the whole course of an-cient history there is nothing comparableto the feat of Captain Matthew Webb,who swam from Dover to Calais, 21 hours45 minutes, August 24 and 25, 1875.

As to food and training, one is forcedto believe that the Greek system was a badone. The tendency was to produce menof bulky muscles, but sapped of energy andelasticity. The food was too simple inquality, and too much restricted to thevegetarian régime. Plato, who was him-self trained as an athlete, speaks of theirsleepiness and luck of intelligence. Eu-ripides, Plutarch and Galen are inclinedto believe that the whole system of ath-letics was of more detriment than advan-tage. The athletes did not long remain—five years on the average—in the fullvigor of their powers, and that in spite oftheir quite remarkable temperance andchastity. In our day some of the mostremarkable feats, not only of strength, buteven of skill, speed, and agility, have beenperformed by men well up to forty. Didour athletes practise the temperance of theGreeks, they might keep up their form fora period of twenty years.

As to the crown of laurel and the crownof gold, it should be remembered that theGreek athletes were in a technical senseall professionals. Those who were pre-

paring for the contests had to entergymnasiums and go through a specifiedcourse, being debarred meanwhile fromall other pursuits. Golden crowns werefrequently given at Olympia, and moneyprizes were distributed to the successfulathlete, not only a the games, but also bytheir native towns on their return. Theathletic champions were also given freeplaces at the Prytaneum; and, indeed, toall intents and purposes they becamepensioners of state. It is true that men ofhigh birth often competed, even the sonsof kings; but it is also true that Corebeswas a cook, Egon a shepherd, Argeus apeasant, and that no question was everraised as to the rank of life of an athlete’sfather. On the other hand, pure Greekbirth was insisted on. Alexander, son ofAmyntas, king of Macedon, was refusedadmittance to the Games until he wasable to prove that he was an Argive byblood.

With regard tot he physique of theGreeks, we must not place too muchreliance on their sculpture, for the statueswere often formed by taking the bestpoints from a number of different models.Xenophon, referring to the athletes whomhe knew, complains of the tendencytowards specialization which left themsomewhat unevenly developed. He speaksof the long-distance runner with his goodlegs and bad shoulders, and of the wrestlerwith his fine torso, but comparativelyslighter muscles of the thigh and calf.

Amongst our own athletes it is rare tofind a man whose form shows the samesense of beauty, symmetry, strength, andgrace as may be observed in the bestGreek models. That divergence fromthe standard is a necessary result ofspecialization. But on the whole, whenone considers in turn the immense diver-sity of the fields of physical accomplish-ment which are cultivated in these times,and the excellence, the very witchery ofaccomplishment of some of our bestathletes of to-day, I believe we shall becontent to conclude that in the terms ofevolution, which measures all our deeds,we have reached a higher stage of de-velopment than has hitherto been knownin the history of the world, and we arestill progressing in the upward path.

A. C. Kraenzlein—Pennsylvania—who holds the World’sPhoto by James Burton

Record of 151/5 seconds for 120-yard hurdles, and 244/5 sec-onds for 220-yard hurdles. He also has 24 ft. 6 in. to hiscredit for the running broad jump, the American Recordof which, 24 ft. 21/4 in., was made by Prinstein, Syracuse,April 28, 1900.