THE GREEK OLYMPIC GAMES

AS COMPARED WITH MODERN ATHLETICS

By ARTHUR LYNCH

N reading ancient history, as for ex- and Herodotus is notoriously credulous ample, in the pages of Plutarch, we and inaccurate, and if the Spartan force I know of the value of great exploits in covered the same ground as Pheidippides, reference to the times in which they oc- it performed an extraordinary feat, and curred; but it is difficult to realize those in any case, it is evident that the men must records in terms of the performances that have done wonderfully good marching. excite our admiration in our own day, for Argeus won the dolichos, the long dis- we are at a loss to determine the relation tance race of a little less than two and a of what might be called the scales of the half miles at the Olympic Games, and charts which form the basis of comparison. immediately started for his home, sixty The statistic’s of the physical powers of the miles distant, to be himself the bearer of ancients and moderns would afford us the the joyful news. means of fixing a common scale, if such Lasthenes beat a war charger over the statistics were fully available. country from Koronoea to Thebes, a dis- But it must be remembered that the tance of about twenty miles. Greeks of the old Olympic days had no Pliny speaks of Anystos of Sparta and exact time-measures, and that partly in Philonides, the runner of Alexander the consequence, no doubt, of the lack of that Great, completing between them about advantage they were not at all precise in 140 miles from Sycione to Elis, in one day; their measurement of distance. Homer but Pliny’s statements in regard to ath- speaks of a chariot beating another by a letic feats are certainly very loose. For distance “as far as a vigorous youth could example, he tells of a boy nine years of throw a disk.” The distance by which a age covering a distance of 70 miles round steer could outplow a heifer, was another a course during the hours of sunlight, but standard of measurement. In reading this is beyond the bounds of credulity; some of the ancient records, indeed, we are and in referring to another athlete who tempted to believe that it was a Greek, and covered in the performance of a feat, a not the much-abused Irishman, who de- distance of not less than 150 miles, he scribed something as “about the size of a forgets to mention the time occupied in the piece of chalk.” journey. Exact measurement in the domain of At this point let us compare with the athletics, is of very recent growth. The feats of the Greeks a few modern per- English records of the eighteenth century formances. In 1882, Lieutenant Salva- are hardly one whit more useful for com- tore of Marsala, traveled on foot from parison than those of the Greeks. Lecce to Tarent, about 104 miles, in 24 First of all, let us consider some long- hours. The famous Foster Powell, when distance feats. One of the most famous no longer young—being then forty-three is that of Pheidippides, who traversed years old—walked from Canterbury and about 135 miles in rough country in a back, about 112 miles, in 24 hours. couple of days on his journey to Sparta, The most remarkable performances are to bring the news of the advance of the probably those recorded in the professional Persian hosts. Pheidippides was hence- “go-as-you-please” contests which were forth held in very high honor by his coun- in vogue a couple of decades ago. C. trymen, who treated him with the respect Rowell, of Cambridge, England, com- due to a demi-god. The Spartan force pleted 150 miles in 22 hours, 28 minutes, which obeyed the summons reached Attica 25 seconds, in New York, February 27, in three days, or rather in the course of the 1882. He traveled 90 miles in 12 hours, third day, according to Herodotus, after 0 minutes, 15 seconds. G. Littlewood, 3 leaving Sparta. The information is vague of Sheffield, covered 623 /4 miles in 141 Boxer—Canova, Vatican, Rome. Discobolus—Vatican, Rome. Photo by Pictorial News Co.

Ralph Rose, Michigan University, who made the World’s1 Amateur Sixteen-pound Shot-putting Record of 48 ft. 7 /4 in at Philadelphia, April 23, 1904. 718 The Greek Olympic Games hours, 27 minutes 30 seconds in New ern times. The French, though their York, December 1, 1888. contribution to athletic records, as we These modern feats were all performed generally understand the term, is not very on prepared tracks by men specially brilliant, probably carry off the palm, as trained for the events, and supplied with far as the continent of Europe at least is every possible convenience. Apart from concerned, in the domain of military feats. the enormous muscular exertion de- Marmont, one of Napoleon’s most capable manded, the conditions were entirely marshals, is said to have marched a large favorable to the athletes. Pheidippides, body of men across Europe to rejoin on the other hand, had no especial training Napoleon in Austria, at an average rate of for his feat, and he had to make his jour- 40 miles a day for a fortnight, and to have ney over a severe stretch of country, de- had very few stragglers. MacDonald’s pending a good deal on hazard, no doubt, crossing of the Splügen was a feat to com- for food and repose. Nevertheless it must pare not unfavorably with Hannibal’s. be again borne in mind that it is the While on the side of the Emperor’s ad- muscular exertion which is the predomi- versaries, a most brilliant marching feat nant condition in the records cited; and is that of Crauford, who brought his Irish after a careful estimation of all the circum- soldiers sixty miles to participate in the stances, I am inclined to believe that there battle of Talavera, and turned them into have existed men in our time, and that the fight in time to save Wellington from there exist men to-day, who could equal a tight corner. if not surpass the great performance of The Olympic short distance races were the Greek over the same country and run under conditions that seem to preclude under similar conditions. brilliant performance. The men were E. P. Weston, the celebrated American held at the start with long supple leathern pedestrian, covered 1,000 miles in 400 con- thongs—literally like greyhounds in the secutive hours at Northumberland Cricket leash; and on many vases may be seen the Ground, Newcastle, England, starting at designs representing the very act of slip- 7 a.m., Wednesday, December 26, 1877, ping the runners. Then there are frequent and finishing at 10 hours 41 minutes p.m., descriptions in the pasts, referring to the Friday, January 11, 1878. Weston did “dusty” course, the dust sometimes en- not walk on the two Sundays intervening. veloping the runners from the view. The He rested altogether 150 hours 38½ min- short distance pedestrians used to swing utes. Accordingly, his average rate of their arms as they ran, and, according to progression, while actually walking, was Dion Chrysostomos, encouraged them- 4 miles 18 yards an hour. If we consider selves by loud shouts. They ran quite the two Sundays as dies non, and make no naked, their limbs rubbed with oil, and, other allowance for stoppages, we find that at every movement of the perfect muscle, Weston averaged 68 miles, 320 yards a glistening in brilliance. day, or 136 miles, 640 yards for every two The short distance races were two in days. This is already in excess of the number—one, the length of the stadium distance covered in the same time by (about 180 yards); the other, the dialos, Pheidippides. As a set-off against the double that distance, losing simply the hard conditions under which the Greek length of the stadium and back. The long performed his feat, we have the considera- distance race, the dolichos, was 24 times tion that Weston walked, and that he kept the length of the stadium, and therefore 2 1 up the average for 16 /3 days, or in other about 80 yards short of 2 /2 miles. It is to words, repeated the performance eight be specially noted that the courses of the times consecutively. Much more re- dialos and of the dolichos were not in the cently, William Buckler of Newport, in nature of laps, but simply forwards and the Black Bull Field, Hunslct, England, backwards along the same track. Now walked 4,000 quarter miles in 4,000 con- when we try and realize all these condi- secutive periods of 91/4 minutes, May 12 tions, we do not find the atmosphere of to June 6, 1898. really first-class athletic performances; The march of the Spartan forces from and I have grave doubt that Ladas, or their country into Attica, magnificent as it Dandes the Argive, or Antipatros of was, has probably been equaled in mod- Epeiros, were ever able to crack evens. The Wrestlers—Uffizi, Florence. 720 The Greek Olympic Games

Of other records of speed and distance, nowhere—contrary to what has been at the only one which I can discover does times advanced as an explanation—any not 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 represent days when they flourished. Tiberius, the Halma in progress, and it has all the afterwards Roman Emperor, in the appearance of being a simple leap of such course 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 leap 189 miles in twenty-four hours, with three of modern times, without weights, is that relays of horses. This feat has often been of Peter O’Connor, who holds the world’s 3 excelled in modern times as far as actual record of 24 feet 11 /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 modern journey could not have been prearranged, times, however, was probably Howard and, 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 the yet capable of doing splendid work in the take-off, and 2 feet in length, and using saddle, and one of his feats places him in dumb-bells of five pounds each, which he a 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 was Valladolid to Burgos— thirty-five Span- that of springing over an English billiard ish leagues—in five hours and a half. table lengthwise. The Emperor had left Valladolid with a The record running hop-step-and-jump numerous 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—49 1 was found to have dropped behind, and feet 2 /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 47 1 leagues are equivalent to 145 English feet 9 /2 inches. miles, these figures are absurd, but that The disc-throwing of the Greeks was the ride was an extraordinary one is at- their only representative of all the finely tested by many independent accounts. developed series of our own similar sports The Greeks had no high jump, so that —weight-throwing, shot-putting, throwing one possible chance of comparison, in the various hammers, quoits, skittles, default of time-records, is thus removed et cetera. Now, according to the principle from us; and unfortunately the records of evolution, we find that increasing higher in the long jump are only such as to development is always accompanied by darken counsel. Phayllos of Kroton, increasing heterogeneity, complexity, and we are told in many inscriptions on the precision; and in every branch of athletics pedestals 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, as noted, was a little longer than our own. well as the most ancient and the most Jaeger, a learned German authority, it is assiduously practised of all sports, has only true, makes the distance to have been since its renaissance in England some 13.75 meters, which is 45 feet 1 inch; but sixty years ago been brought to a high any one having any practical acquaintance state of perfection. At that time, the with this branch of athletics will find no great runners were all professionals, the explanation of the mystery in this reduc- most noted being the celebrated American, tion. The Greeks used halteres—weights George Seward, who beat all his English shaped like dumb-bells—in their hands, rivals in a series of memorable contests. probably throwing them behind them He was credited with having run 100 1 at the moment of taking the leap. The yards in 9 /4 seconds at Hammersmith, Halma, or leap, as far as we are informed, London, September 30, 1844, but the consisted 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-vaulted Twelve32 Feet in Exhibition. The World’s Record is 12 ft. 1 /100 in., made by Norman Dole of Leland Stamford University, April 23, 1904. 722 The Greek Olympic Games days. Since Seward’s day, running, as and them smiting him with such force in well as all athletic sports, has been more the short ribs with outstretched fingers, and more practised by amateurs; and their that he killed him. The Greeks, who prowess has gradually increased, until now were severe in the ordinances of the their records are the leading ones, in the Games, crowned Kreugas, though dead, majority of events. as the victor. After a careful study of the Olympic As a set-off to this brutality, it should be cestus methods, and our own displays, I mentioned that the Greeks cultivated am convinced that every point is in favor highly the art of blocking, side stepping, of the moderns. The cestus was a terrible ducking, and dodging, in the boxing con- thing. It was a gauntlet or glove—the tests. The celebrated Melancomas is form varied, and in speaking of Greek worthy to be placed beside Bendigo and games, we must remember that a period Corbett, for he frequently beat his op- of a thousand years is covered by our ponents—sometimes, indeed, it is said, references—composed of raw-hide thongs, without striking a blow—by wearing them sometimes studded with lead. A cestus out by his skilful avoidance of their found in Herculaneum was formed of attacks. The contest between Kreugas layers of thick hide, bound together and and Damoxenos, which lasted till sunset, rounded off, through which the fingers must also have been distinguished by great passed, the thumb being on the outside. skill. On some of the vases the boxers That was a nice “mitten,” but it was one are represented as adopting a quite mod- with which it would have been dangerous ern orthodox guard—left foot forward, to strike a straight blow. The Greeks left arm advanced, though not too far, and seem to have used round blows, and right arm guarding the solar plexus sledge-hammer blows, and “choppers,” region. Most of the pictures, however, and considering that the weight of their suggest the early days of the English ring fists would diminish speed, the picture we and the style of Mendoza. begin to form already is not that of a highly A comparison of the Greek wrestling scientific performance. The poets, par- with modern wrestling is difficult. The ticularly Lucilius and Lucan, contain Greeks anointed their nude bodies with many references to the brutality of the oil, but the opponents made free use of cestus, “that brave Olympian used once the dust of the arena to counteract the to have a chin, eyebrows, ears, and eye- slipperiness of the holds. But the sport lids,” etc. was hardly so developed as with ourselves. The fight between Pollux and Amycus, The French school of wrestling alone has the king of the Bebryces, which formed thirty-eight arm holds, and a vast number one of the most exciting episodes in the of positions, and yet it excludes many of the voyage of the Argonaut, is celebrated both favorite “chips” of the Cumberland style. by Theocritus and Appolonius. The With great freedom therefore in the regu- antagonists wore the cestus in the form lations, such as obtained in the pancreas, of a gauntlet of thongs wound together. there was scope for an endless diversity of Amycus was a tricky and rather unfair play and for a very elaborate training. boxer, but Pollux was cool and wary. He But the descriptions that have come down countered on the impetuous attack of to us reveal no great complexity or ap- Amycus, broke his jaw, then with another preciation of varied “points.” stroke landed on his forehead and left it Certainly some of the old wrestlers, such bare to the bone, and finally killed him as Milo, have extraordinary feats of with a smashing blow on the temple. strength accredited to them. Milo, for Then there is the story of the encounter example, carried an ox on his shoulders; between Damoxenes and Kreugas. They and he is said to have met his death as an were fighting until darkness began to set indirect consequence of his prowess, for, in, and it was agreed to decide the contest having rent the boughs of a tree asunder, by allowing each man to deliver a blow in he was caught by the rebound and de- turn. Kreugas struck the first blow on voured by wolves. the head of Damoxenos, who, when his We find nothing in the ancient records turn arrived, took an unfair advantage of corresponding to the great feats of strength his man by telling him to hold up his arm, of Louis Cyr, Sandow, Sampson, or even The Discus Thrower—Bronze from Herculaneum, 1754. National Museum, Naples. 724 The Greek Olympic Games

the less famous Jefferson, who, with hands paring for the contests had to enter 1 only, lifted 1,571 /4 pounds, solid iron, at gymnasiums and go through a specified Boston, December 11, 1890; or Schmidt- course, being debarred meanwhile from Mitchell, who, at the Athletic Institute, all other pursuits. Golden crowns were Wilton Place, London, S. W., December frequently given at Olympia, and money 12, 1891, lifted, with one finger, a weight prizes were distributed to the successful of 560 pounds attached to an iron rig. athlete, not only a the games, but also by We have a few other sources of com- their native towns on their return. The parison left. For instance, the Greeks athletic champions were also given free had little to compare with our highly places at the Prytaneum; and, indeed, to developed and varied series of ball games: all intents and purposes they became cricket, baseball, handball, tennis, lawn pensioners of state. It is true that men of tennis, hurling, lacrosse, football, etc. high birth often competed, even the sons Their principal open-air game was not of kings; but it is also true that Corebes unlike the French jeu de paume; and their was a cook, Egon a shepherd, Argeus a games of the Spheristeria resembled our peasant, and that no question was ever handball and rackets, though that, of raised as to the rank of life of an athlete’s course, may place them very high in the father. On the other hand, pure Greek category of sports. birth was insisted on. Alexander, son of Swimming was one of the most uni- Amyntas, king of Macedon, was refused versally practised of all exercises, and the admittance to the Games until he was legendary feat of Leander seems to have able to prove that he was an Argive by been the literal high-water mark of the blood. Greeks. But in the whole course of an- With regard tot he physique of the cient history there is nothing comparable Greeks, we must not place too much to the feat of Captain Matthew Webb, reliance on their sculpture, for the statues who swam from Dover to Calais, 21 hours were often formed by taking the best 45 minutes, August 24 and 25, 1875. points from a number of different models. As to food and training, one is forced Xenophon, referring to the athletes whom to believe that the Greek system was a bad he knew, complains of the tendency one. The tendency was to produce men towards specialization which left them of bulky muscles, but sapped of energy and somewhat unevenly developed. He speaks elasticity. The food was too simple in of the long-distance runner with his good quality, and too much restricted to the legs and bad shoulders, and of the wrestler vegetarian régime. Plato, who was him- with his fine torso, but comparatively self trained as an athlete, speaks of their slighter muscles of the thigh and calf. sleepiness and luck of intelligence. Eu- Amongst our own athletes it is rare to ripides, Plutarch and Galen are inclined find a man whose form shows the same to believe that the whole system of ath- sense of beauty, symmetry, strength, and letics was of more detriment than advan- grace as may be observed in the best tage. The athletes did not long remain— Greek models. That divergence from five years on the average—in the full the standard is a necessary result of vigor of their powers, and that in spite of specialization. But on the whole, when their quite remarkable temperance and one considers in turn the immense diver- chastity. In our day some of the most sity of the fields of physical accomplish- remarkable feats, not only of strength, but ment which are cultivated in these times, even of skill, speed, and agility, have been and the excellence, the very witchery of performed by men well up to forty. Did accomplishment of some of our best our athletes practise the temperance of the athletes of to-day, I believe we shall be Greeks, they might keep up their form for content to conclude that in the terms of a period of twenty years. evolution, which measures all our deeds, As to the crown of laurel and the crown we have reached a higher stage of de- of gold, it should be remembered that the velopment than has hitherto been known Greek athletes were in a technical sense in the history of the world, and we are all professionals. Those who were pre- still progressing in the upward path. Photo by James Burton

A. C. Kraenzlein—Pennsylvania—who1 holds the 4 World’s Record of 15 /5 seconds for 120-yard hurdles, and 24 /5 sec- onds for 220-yard hurdles. He also has 24 ft. 6 in. to his credit for the running1 broad jump, the American Record of which, 24 ft. 2 /4 in., was made by Prinstein, Syracuse, April 28, 1900.