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THIRTEENTH CHAPTER.
The game with the discus or throwing disc. Why it is so named. Of very ancient origin. Description of the discus from Eustathius and Ammonius. Distinction between the discus and solos. Material and shape of the discus. Illustrations from Mercurialis. Discs were very heavy. Discus throwers were unclothed and anointed. Strength needed to propel the disc. Also ingenuity and skill to guide the throw straight. A rope around the hand or arm. Awkward discus throwing was laughed at. Prizes for the winners. Discus throwers, but of a lesser kind. Spear throwing related to discus throwing. Mercurialis's distinction between shooting arrows and throwing spears. In what the victory consisted. Much use of this game. Heroes in it. Throwing with the sling related to this. Why it was invented. What it was made of, and what was thrown with it. Balearic sling. Why those islanders so excelled in this. The throwing game with halteres. Illustration thereof from Mercurialis.
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§ I
What now follows is the THROWING DISC, and the game is also so named, but is also called DISCUS THROWING; the name of the players is DISCUS THROWERS. Linguists say it comes from 'werpen' (to throw). From this, 'dikos' should emerge, but by the insertion of the 's', it becomes 'diskos'. The word 'diskos' has 'solos' as its neighbor, but what the difference is will become clear below. The game with such a throwing device was also of very ancient origin; for it is said that Phoebus played this game and accidentally killed Hyacinthus. This is what Ovid alludes to (Ovid Metamorphoses book 10 verse 182 and onwards), and says, according to Vondel's translation:
The God Apollo, heated by playing with the disc,
Begins first of the two, and throws so fiercely and stiffly,
That it hangs for a long time in the air through the sky:
Finally it descends, and shows to those who long
How art and strength are paired. The wanton Hyacinth,
All too careless, that he may win the disc contest,
Shoots quickly and timidly to grab Phoebus's disc.
This bounces up from the earth (whose heart would not be pained by this?)
Into the cheerful face of this wondrously beautiful child,
Who immediately gives up his life. and so on.
But its antiquity also appears from Homer's stories in various places, some of which (Homer) will be directly useful in the sequel: in particular from the story he tells of Achilles'
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anger towards Agamemnon, which caused him to withdraw his Myrmidons from the battle, but whom he, so that they would not rust from idleness, kept busy on the bank with both discus and spear throwing.
§ II
Furthermore, the discus is described by Homer's scholiast Eustathius about these words of the great poet 'They were playing with the discs' as follows: (Homer Iliad book B and also Eustathius)
'The DISCUS is a heavy stone, which the players throw, for they call an iron (ball) a SOLOS.' More broadly: 'Disci are round stones, which the players, grasping with their hand, threw far away; but if it is made of iron, it is called a SOLOS.' And elsewhere this is the language of Eustathius: (Eustathius on Homer's Odyssey) 'The DISCUS is either of iron, as it is called SOLOS in the Iliad; or of wood, perhaps also of copper, and sometimes of stone. Therefore the DISCUS is a perforated stone, with a small rope in the middle, which the players threw from themselves in contest. Therefore the thing is also called a DISCUS (that is, a throw).' A similar description of the DISCUS and its sister SOLOS is also given by Ammonius, saying: (Ammonius in the book on Differences and Similarities of Words) and so on. 'That is: DISKOS and SOLOS differ.'
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'For the DISKOS is a perforated stone, as Tryphon says in the fifth book on Hellenism. But SOLOS is a copper thing, entirely hammered.' and so on. Although Eustathius also points out to us (Eustathius on the Iliad) another distinction between the DISKOS and SOLOS, saying: 'That is: the DISKOS is broad and hollow, but the SOLOS is rounder and ball-like.' However, the DISKOS and SOLOS are not always so strictly distinguished, but usually one and the other, and all that is of that kind, is understood under the single word DISKOS, since it can mean both, namely what is ball-like, and what is disc-like and round, because both can be thrown well, which satisfies the origin and meaning of the word.
§ III
In our opinion, the DISCUS in general, whether made of stone, wood, iron or copper, was, it is true, circular in its circumference, but otherwise usually of a two-fold shape, namely: either like a lentil, that is, a shape resembling a lentil, with a compact roundness, as Casaubonus notes, running out somewhat convexly to one side, but flat on the other side and curved inward with a kind of cleaved hollow, almost like the dry beans with which one plays, or, if you will, coffee beans, if they were round in circumference. The same shape is almost also found in a dish, which is indeed round-rimmed and flat on top, but runs out somewhat round underneath: hence the Latins also call a dish a discus. Just see Apuleius. In this shape, Solon observed it in Lucian, as having the shape of a small round shield, which runs out with a prominence to the outside, as we know. (Casaubonus on Athenaeus book 10 chapter 2; Apuleius Metamorphoses book 2; Lucian in Anacharsis)
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And such a shape perhaps also had the DISCUS of IPHITUS, on which the crowns of honor used to lie, and which served to announce the truce, as has been said in its place from Pausanias. The protruding roundness Mercurialis sets at three or four fingers, and he judges that this was useful to protect the falling throwing device from breaking. Or as a flat disc, indeed round in circumference, but flat on both sides: as it is evident that such a round and flat, or at least flat-looking disc, is indeed called a DISCUS. Hence the phrase 'sun disc', 'moon disc', and so on, just as the round table plates were called 'disci', which are flat, round discs, and those who carried them had the name 'plate bearers', or also 'dish bearers', for those meanings are used interchangeably. See here again what Mercurialis has noted. But that the word DISCOS certainly also meant 'round plate', 'flat disc', is even evident from the fact that the word has transferred to German to denote the plate of the table (which among the ancients also used to be round, or roundish) and furthermore the table itself, for it is called 'Tisch' by them, as if one said DISCUS.
§ IV
The shape now of the lentil-shaped or shield-shaped discs, as well as the flat ones, is shown to us again by the learned Mercurialis, taken both from the palace of the Grand Duke of Tuscany and from elsewhere, and worthy of being seen in his work. See p. 169, 170, and then 167.
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§ V
The first two figures, namely the man with the stump and arm, show us the lentil-shaped or shield-like discs, but the last (namely depicting several, namely four men, taken from the coins of Emperor Aurelius, struck in Apollonia in Illyria) the flat discs, where the latter flat discs are also visibly provided with pierced holes, through which the small rope was to be threaded, without a doubt, about which the scholiast of Homer informed us above. There are also targets, at which they had to aim. However, those men seem to us to be throwing the discs up and down for fun and as a pastime, or to exercise a little, for they are clothed, and the discs are without their ropes through the holes.
§ VI
The discs now, whether of stone, iron or copper, were very heavy: for this reason, such a one was usually called 'a heavy stone'. Indeed, Pindar (Pindar Isthmian Ode 1) is considered to have almost compared these to rocks, when he thus exclaims:
That is:
How with her hand
The throwers of the stiff
Spear, and of stone-rock-discs
Send forth over the land.
And sometimes their weight was increased beyond the usual: Homer testifies to this, when he speaks of someone who (Homer Odyssey) grabbed
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a larger and thicker disc. Indeed, to denote the weight, the Latin poets called the disc 'weight' and 'weights' (pondus and pondera). This can be seen in Martial, Propertius, Ovid: of which the first speaks thus: (Martial book 14, Epigram 162)
When the weights of the Spartan Discus fly, stay far away, boys: remember that it was once harmful.
That is:
When the weights of the Spartan Discus fly,
Stay far, boys: remember that it once came to deceive.
The other thus: (Propertius book 3, elegy 13)
Now she throws the weight of the disc around.
That is:
Now she throws the weight of the disc around.
The third this way: (Ovid Metamorphoses book 10, verses 178-181)
Which Phoebus first, weighed in the airy sky, sent away, and scattered the opposing clouds with his weight. After a long time the weight fell on the solid earth, and showed the art combined with forces.
How Vondel renders this has been seen above in § I: however, we will translate it again, to get closer to the word 'pondere' and 'pondus' (weight), which is what matters here. It then reads according to our poetic style thus:
Which Phoebus fiercely and stiffly drives upward,
And with its heavy weight cleaves the cloud-covered sky.
The weight plops quite far from there on solid ground,
And shows what strength can do, with knowledge combined.
§ VII
The discus throwers were also unclothed and anointed, and
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thus threw the discs away naked. This again depicts Ovid in the persons of PHOEBUS and HYACINTHUS, of which two, now ready to throw the disc against each other, he says: (Ovid at the cited place, verses 176, 177)
They strip their bodies of clothing, and glisten with the sap of the fat olive, and they cheerfully begin the contest with the discus.
Vondel:
These two go courageously
To one side in the field to undress themselves mother-naked,
And each anoint their body with olive oil,
To strengthen themselves, and not to yield in the throwing.
They had to have strength to propel such a weight, when they threw it away, which happened by first bringing the hand to the chest, and then stretching it outwards again, and swinging it around, so that after some swinging the disc whizzed through the air in that direction, according to the story of Mercurialis. (Mercurialis at the cited place) They also had to use ingenuity and skill, namely to guide the throw straight, and to make the disc fall down in the proper place, not too short, not too far, but within certain targets or lines, although otherwise also the one who could throw higher and farther, ran away with the victory: to which Horace alludes, saying: (Horace book 1, ode 8)
and often with the discus, often with the skillful spear, famous beyond the goal.
That is:
Who highly renowned,
By often throwing disc, often spear unafraid,
Even further than the goal.
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For the whole act of throwing, and in particular for the steering, the rope or line (which was mentioned above) also seems to have served, which was fastened around the hand or arm and was knotted with the other end in the disc, and thus helped to steer the swing and the flight. Now those who did not know how to combine art and science with their strengths were laughed at by the spectators for the awkward flight and fall of their disc, and also inadvertently caused some harm and death to one or another of them, as some think that PHOEBUS in that way caused the death of HYACINTHUS, although Ovid, as appeared above, gives another reason. And those who failed in this way had, besides the mockery, the loss and the missing of the prize as their reward.
§ VIII
The prizes, however, of the victorious discus throwers, as well as of the spear throwers and jumpers, and those who practiced such games, which are called the lighter ones, in contrast to the heavier ones, namely the fistfight, and so on, were usually lesser things, which were only expressed in general with these or similar names, 'gifts of victory, prizes', and so on. See Paschalius. (Paschalius on Crowns, book 6, chapter 24)
§ IX
Another branch of sport was related to the throwing of the disc, namely that with the spear: for we have noticed in the testimonies of the older poets, which have been brought forth, that when mentioning the disc they also usually mention the spear. Indeed, the 'spear throw' is also considered by Pindar as a fifth of the Olympic Games, as was said in the preceding chapter § 2. About this, Mercurialis writes in such a way that he splits it in two, namely into 'shooting arrows' and 'throwing spears'. (Mercurialis book 2, chapter 13)
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The first happened in three ways, namely: either with the help of a band, a line, which the Latins call a 'throwing band' (amentum), as also occurred with the disc: and to such a band Silius alludes: (Silius Italicus book 14)
the spear is helped by the throwing band.
The spear is guided by the band.
Or by means of a bow, or finally by a ballista, a shooting device that shot arrows. The fighters were called 'archers' or 'spear throwers': for an arrow was called 'bow' (toxon) and the poison 'arrow poison' (toxicon), because namely outside of the game, in hostile battle, the arrows were indeed smeared with poison, to always make a deadly wound. But the throwing of spears happened without those means, and consisted of throwing thicker throwing spears, rods, pieces, splinters, and so on. The victory was sometimes for the one who could throw closest to the target, or who could hit it, sometimes for the one who could throw over the target and the farthest: the latter again appears from the verse of Horace, just mentioned:
often with the discus, often with the skillful spear, famous beyond the goal.
That is:
who highly renowned,
By often throwing disc, often spear unafraid,
Even further than the goal.
With this game, it is also said that Achilles kept the Myrmidon soldiers busy, during the disagreement between him and Agamemnon, as well as with the disc throw: and no wonder, since that exercise was so serviceable for war, according to the circumstances of that time, when people shot with arrows and spears.
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Therefore Plato wanted men and women to be especially trained in this art. (Plato book 8 on the laws) Some of the ancient heroes were very famous in this art, according to the testimony of the poets: but especially HERCULES, who struck the horse-man NESSUS from a distance, shot through the flying stag and the horrible Harpies, as Seneca recounts. (Seneca in Hercules) But there have also been some among the later ones who knew how to hit well: among them DOMITIANUS stood out, who in his secluded life at Alba hit and killed a hundred wild beasts in that way. See Suetonius. (Suetonius in Domitianus chapter 19) And COMMODUS, of whom Herodian recounts that he had such a sure hand, that the spear or arrow hit wherever he aimed with his eye. (Herodian book 1 chapter 47) But see more extensively about this activity in Mercurialis at the mentioned place, and others.
§ X
But very close to the disc throw also came the throw with the sling, which the Phoenicians are said to have invented, according to Pliny. (Pliny Natural History book 7 chapter 56) They did this, Mercurialis thinks, for two reasons: namely, not to hurt their own hands with the hardness of the stones, and to throw much farther. (Mercurialis book 2 chapter 12) The sling was made of linen, or of animal hair (as most suitable for this) and with this the slinger, swinging his arm around his head, threw large stones, says Vegetius, and also 'acorns' (glandes), that is, pieces of lead, shaped in the form of acorns, as Nonius says. (Vegetius on the Art of War book 3 chapter 14; Nonius Marcellinus chapter 18) Those from the islands of Mallorca and Menorca in particular excelled very famously in the art of the sling, who were therefore also called Baleares, 'slinger throwers', from 'to throw' (ballein), or from 'Master in throwing' (Baal Jaro). And therefore so often the mention of the Balearic sling. Virgil: (Virgil Georgica book 1 verse 309)
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the Balearic slinger who twirls the hempen whips.
That is, according to Vondel:
Hits badgers with the stone and Spanish sling-throw.
And Ovid: (Ovid Metamorphoses book 2 verse 728)
He did not ignite otherwise, than when the Balearic sling throws a lead ball: it flies and becomes glowing from the movement.
Vondel has this:
--- burned for this morning light,
Like a glowing lead, driven from a sling
By a Balear, ignited while flying,
Previously cool and cold.
Other poets also allude to this, namely Statius, Silius, Lucan, and so on. (Statius Thebaid book 10 verse 852; Silius book 7 verse 297; Lucan Pharsalia book 1 verse 229) But that these islanders so excelled in the art of the sling came from causes that Florus, besides others, makes known to us with these words: (Florus book 3 chapter 8; Vegetius book 1 chapter 16) Everyone fights with three slings. Who would be surprised at the sure hits, when these are the only weapons of the people, and the only occupation from childhood? A boy receives no food from his mother, unless he has hit what she points out to him. That is: Everyone fights with three slings. Who is surprised that they hit surely, since these are the only weapons of the nation: that the only exercise from a young age? The boy gets no food from the mother, if he has hit that which she points out to him; namely, she laid the breakfast on a post or elevation, and so, if he wanted to eat, he had to sling it off, as Lycophron and Diodorus Siculus testify. (Lycophron; Diodorus Siculus book 6) But since the sling, and the slingers who are called 'slingers' (funditores), were from ancient times mostly seen in war, and rarely in the games, it will not be necessary to deal with this more extensively here. Whoever desires more, go to Jaconys Lydius, and Vegetius, whose learned interpreter Stewechius presents us with a lifelike Balearic slinger in book 1, chapter 16. (J. Lydius Syntagma Sacrum de re militari book 3 chapter 9)
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§ XI
Finally: with the throwing game with the disc, Mercurialis also adds a throwing game with 'halteres', with which they also jumped, as has been seen before. (Mercurialis book 2, chapter 12) So that the halteres had a double use, namely: either they were held in the hands as weights for jumping, or they were thrown out of the hands, by way of a throwing game. Oribasius has written a whole chapter 'on the halter throw', in which Antyllus explains this game as follows: and so on. (Oribasius) 'However, there is a difference among the halteres themselves, for either they are thrown with outstretched and bent-in hands, or they are held in the extension of the hands, which rest and are usually touched with a short movement. Now those who were practiced went no differently to work than fistfighters, and knocked them against each other; or those who practiced, bent towards each other after lifting the back.' Here Antyllus then points out to us a third use of the halteres: for where they were weights for jumping, and throwing tools that were thrown up and away, he also makes them hand tools for striking. Something has been said about the shape of the halteres before, but it will be necessary to do this in more detail at this place, and in particular with the story that Pausanias gives of it. (Pausanias book 5 towards the end) and so on. 'These halteres now have the shape of oblong rolls, but in the middle they do not come to an equal roundness. But their shape is such that the fingers of the hands are inserted into them as through the handle of a shield.' Meanwhile, the shape of the halteres and halterists (to speak with Mercurialis),
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that is, players with the halteres—in particular as they stand, not to jump but mostly to strike—can be deduced from the illustration of Pyrrhus Ligorius, to be found in Mercurialis on p. 173.