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FOURTEENTH CHAPTER.
The Pentathlon, or Five-game. Why it was so called. Consisted of the five above-mentioned types of games. Someone called a Quinquertio by analogy, who is skilled and competent in all things. Paschalius' very neat description of the Five-game. The first was the single and long run. The second was wrestling and counter-wrestling. The third was striking with fists. The fourth was the jump. The fifth was the discus throw. Called a Five-game player, who won in all of these. Also by transference, one who excelled others in something.
§. 1.
It now remains for us to discuss the game, which the Greeks call pentathlon, the Latins QUINQUERTIUM, and we call the Five-game. The players of this were called by the Greeks pentathloi, by the Latins QUINQUERTIONES, and by us Five-game players: for the Greek words come from pente, five, just as the Latin words come from QUINQUE, which also means five. We conclude this book all the more gladly with this subject, because in doing so, at its conclusion, in a custom used by the best writers, we can gather into one bundle all that is special about the five Olympic games—that is, what has been said about each of them—and present it succinctly as a brief overview to the favorable reader.
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§. II.
To do that, we will not bother with those who, from some words of Aristotle (Aristotle, Rhetoric, book 1, chapter 5, near the end), which we have already used elsewhere, want to prove that the already mentioned Five-game consisted of a combination of fisticuffs, wrestling, and running: in that it differed from the pankration, which consisted of the confluence of the first two, while this consisted of the same two with the addition of a third, namely the footrace. But then why is it called the Five-game, and why not rather the Three-game? If one says: because its players belonged to the fifth category of combatants, and that they were masters in at least three games, just as the pancratiasts were in two, as Philippus Phieffer relates it (Phil. Pheifferus, Greek Antiquities, book 2, chapter 72): then that reason is too weak, and rather confirms by its weakness what we have stated, namely that the Five-game bore that name because it consisted of five different games. And here the words of Aristotle, if well understood, also do not argue against this: for although he says in that mentioned place that one who can do the work of a fisticuffer and a wrestler is a pancratiast, and that one who can also perform the footrace, or, to stay closer to him, who is powerful in all of these, is a Five-game combatant: he does not, however, mean that the Five-game, against the meaning of its name, was situated in the Three-game, that is, in the three types of games he enumerated: but either he means to imply that one who could perform the three mentioned harder ones could also perform the two lighter ones, the jump and discus throw, and thus could easily become a Five-game combatant: or he relates the words "in all of these," not to the three types of games he enumerated, but to all those that were in use on the Olympic field, and calls them ‘these’ as well-known.
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§. III.
It thus remains that the Five-game consisted of five types of games. These five were the often-mentioned footrace, fisticuffs, wrestling, jump, and discus throw. Although Simonides (Simonides, book 1), apparently alluding to the Five-game, swaps the fisticuffs for the javelin throw, saying of DIOPHON:
halma podōkeiēn diskon akonta palēn
That is:
Diophon, Philo's son, has won Greek games,
By jump, by foot, with discus, with spear; also wrestling he knew.
However, that this game consisted of five is also evident from the statement of Pollux (J. Pollux, Onomasticon, book 3, chapter 30), PENTATHLUS de estin ho ta pente athla agōnizomenos, that is: a PENTATHLUS, five-game combatant, is someone who competes in five (that is, five kinds of) games. Festus also understands it so in the place that will be cited below, and others. Whoever could win in all five games was considered able to do everything, and therefore the name of such a person was also used by transference as a likeness for someone who could do everything, knew everything, or at least knew much, so that he seemed to know everything. Of this, Suidas (Suidas in the word PENTATHLON), looking not at the exercise of the body but of the soul, gives a fitting example in his explanation of the word pentathlon, in the person of Democritus of Abdera:
Dēmokritos Abdēritēs ēskēto de ta physika kai ta ēthika kai ta mathēmatika kai tous egkuklious logous kai pasan eiche technōn empeirian.
That is: Democritus of Abdera was practiced in physics, ethics, mathematics, and the compass of the sciences, and he had all experience of the arts. Thus, says Strauchius (AEgid. Strauchius § 14), the Latins also honor with the name of QUIN-
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QUERTIO anyone who is skilled and competent in all things. Now since the athletes often had such thoughts of themselves, and by their bravery inspired them in others, that they could indeed perform all five games, it is from this that they are all also honored with the name of QUINQUERTIONES, five-game combatants. Pompeius Festus says this was done by Livy (P. Festus in Quinquertio).
§. IV.
Furthermore, Paschalius (Paschalius, cited place) has described the Five-game, while discussing all games, very neatly, whom we, to fulfill our intention (which was to summarize the most essential matters of the Olympic games at the conclusion of this book and present them briefly and understandably), will follow by translating.
§. V.
So he speaks: Porro Quinquertionis etc. That is: Furthermore, the work of a five-game combatant was dromos or podōkeiē, that is, as Aristotle says, tachos kai ischuos, and as Plutarch says: to run the single and long run, to throw the legs out somewhat, and to move quickly and far, to be prepared to flee and to pursue. And these things were said to be ta podōn en tō pentathlō, those belonging to the run in the Five-game. One who could do this was called podōkēs (Xenophon, Greek History, book 7), or dromeus, and as I said above stadiodromos and dolichodromos (Pollux, book 3, chapter 30), that is: runner, runner of the short, runner of the long run, and so on. But here one should not pass over the old and common saying about these runners: No one strives to get ahead of the last of them, nor those who are completely failing, but the one (Aristides)
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whom he sees nearest to victory. That is: it is no honor to outrun a slow runner: but that is finally the true praise and irreproachable victory, which snatches the victory from the hand of the one who has almost grasped it. Therefore, the one who is agathos en agathois (Maximus Tyrius) is declared the winner, the best among the good, not a brave one among the timid, nor a strong one among the weak. Also, as I have said above from the same Aristides, the token of victory is not given to one who has progressed somewhat in the course, but to one who has outrun his opponent. And this was then the first victory of the Five-game.
§. VI.
In the second place was palē, antipalē, wrestling, counter-wrestling, that is, not to be thrown to the ground, but to throw the wrestling opponent to the ground. Certainly, you may, according to Plato (Plato in the Sophist), rather call wrestling technēn ambluōpias kai bias, an art of struggle and violence, than of counter-resistance, where namely the bodies are mingled: and for this reason it was called the struggle of a strong man. For of this and of other arts there were formerly the writings of Protagoras (Philoftratus in his Heroic Poetry). The wrestling takes place in the mud and dust, because there is a symplokē and periplokē, an entanglement and embrace, namely with the opponent. For I do not speak here (Philoftratus, Hector) of that old wrestling of the heroes, which they undertook to engage with wild beasts; where they engaged against the wildest roaring bulls, and put their daring hands to the points of their horns, where they tamed them, or even beheaded them,
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not giving way, even though wounded: so pleasant was it for them to be practiced with such things that surpass the deeds of war. I also make no mention here of the wrestling of the CUPIDINES (Philoftratus on the Cupids), lusts, where in play one throws the other down, and strikes him with gentle little hands, as if he wanted to throttle him, if he would not yield during this activity: the other, however, however soft, does not refuse the fight, but stands on his feet, and opens the other's hand, by which his throat was almost squeezed; by which finger-pain he tries to bite his opponent's ear: which the other watching Cupids, seeing, take the game ill, and stone the one who had violated the laws of the game with an unlawful ear-bite with apples and similar fruits. Away with these and such like. We are dealing here with manly wrestling, which was namely an imitation of the PANKRATION, in which, as will be said below, strangulation was praised: that is, the hand was placed on the throat or neck of the one who was thrown down, to the extent that he seemed to suffocate. Certainly, the singular gestures and attempts of this wrestling were to push both hands forcefully and strongly to the head and face of the opponent, and as if with iron to pierce and twist these and other parts. Solon also describes the usefulness of this struggle with these words in Lucian (Lucian on Gymnastics): as many as wrestle, struck to the ground with their face, learn by the same act to fall safely and to get up quickly, also that they can hold fast, and move from their place, and strangle, and lift up the opponent. Anyone who
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successfully performed everything, and tō symplekesthai, when he was entangled with the opponent, was called palaistēs, athlētēs, Wrestler. Furthermore, PALAESTRA, the daughter of Mercury, is said to have invented this game (Philoftratus in the Images), which from her bears the name palē, wrestling.
§. VII.
Thirdly, the Five-game combatant had to pukteuein, strike with fists, elaunein and plēgē (Plutarch in Cato), that is, striking to drive, pataxei, and push, and look from across: of which Demosthenes very neatly reproaching the Athenians (Demosthenes, Philippic 1), that they were imitators of foreign wrestling, says: as the foreign fisticuffers are accustomed to fight, so you wage war with Philippus; for with them, he who is struck always remains focused on the blow: and if you strike him somewhere, his hands are there: yet he neither knows nor wants to avoid the blow. An example of fisticuffs is in Quintus Calaber in book 4 (Q. Calaber, book 4). The work of a fisticuffer, then, is to deliver and evade the blow: gymnē tē kephalē, to fight with a ready, that is, lightly armed, or even naked head. Then he is called puktēs (Philoftratus); that is, fisticuffer.
§. VIII.
Fourthly, the Five-game combatant had to hallesthai, jump (Philo), and then he is a proalomenos, who leaps forward, or exalomenos, leaping escapes, or hyperallesthai, leaps the farthest, and then he was called haltēr, kouphos, jumper, agile.
§. IX.
Fifth and last, the Five-game combatants had to (Plutarch) diskon hienai or diskobolein, throw the discus, cast,
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throw, to be raised practiced with the discus. Of which exercise an example is in Quintus Calaber (Q. Calab. book 4): where the discus, which had belonged to ANTAEUS, then to HERCULES, then to TELAMON, finally at the funeral procession of ACHILLES becomes the prize of AJAX. This contest seems to be presented by Philo (Philo) with words that mean this: this befalls a combatant who fights in fisticuffs, or with the entire body: for he wards off the delivered blows with one hand, and turning his neck he prevents himself from being hit. And he also often raises himself on his toes, and arranges and draws himself back together so that the opponent's blows are in vain, and forces him to be like those who fight against shadows. With this contest seems to have been linked akontismos, the throw with the spear. Certainly, Horace (Horace, Odes, book 1, ode 8) speaks of these so simultaneously, that he makes of the discus and spear not two contests, but only one:
saepe Disco,
Saepe trans finem jaculo nobilis expedito.
Already translated by us above.
§. X.
He who returned as a victor from all these contests, this one, I say, they called a Five-game player, or Victor. It should be noted here, that although the Five-game was of a very great celebrity, each of its victories, if they were estimated at their closest, by no means equaled those which were proper to each of the other players. For every single player and victor obtained the highest praise, as one
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who was akros, that is, in the highest degree, and perfectly knowledgeable of all things that belonged to his contest, whether it was wrestling, fisticuffs, or something else. The Five-game winner was indeed a winner of everything, but seemed to have worked less (peponēkenai) to understand all kinds of games neatly, than to merely touch on all of them moderately. This should also be noted, that the opponent of a Five-game player did not have another single player as an adversary, but also a Five-game player. And this is the sense of the words of Plato (Plato), in which one who is truly a philosopher is compared to one who handles this or that art.
Manthanō gar hoion legeis philosophon. eoikas gar legein tois en tois agōsi pentathlois pros tous dromeas ē tous palaistas. kai gar houtoi ekeinōn men en tois ekeinōn agōsin hēttōntai, tōn de allōn athlētōn prōteuousi kai nikōsin autous.
I understand namely, what kind of philosopher you mean: for you seem to mean such as in the contest are the Five-game players in comparison with the runners and wrestlers. For these yield to those in their contests. But with respect to the other players, they are the first, and surpass them. As if he said, that these receive the first prizes in each game, but those receive the second prizes in each game. Furthermore, those who excelled others in something were by transference called Pentathloi, Five-game winners. Of this sort was DEMOCRITUS OF ABDERA, who according to Suidas (Suidas) was honored with this name, because he was practiced in all kinds of arts and learning, and so on.
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§. XI.
Let this now be enough of the Five-game; if we only add that it was introduced or renewed in the Olympic stadium at the same time as wrestling was renewed. That happened on the eighteenth Olympiad: as was said before. And with this, this second Book is at an
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