Greek athletic sports and festivals (1910) (14747289096)

Identifier: greekathleticspo00gard (find matches)
Title: Greek athletic sports and festivals
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Gardiner, E. Norman (Edward Norman), 1864-1930
Subjects: Athletics Sports Olympics Fasts and feasts
Publisher: London : Macmillan and Co.
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University



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ave seen that from an early date the javelin wasemployed by horsemen, both in war and in the chase. AtAthens, especially, horsemanship was the duty and also therecreation of the richer classes. Plato tells us that Themistocleshimself taught his son Cleophantus not only to ride but tothrow the javelin standing on horseback, and in the Laws herecommends javelin throwing on horseback as a useful accom-plishment.^ Xenophon,^ in his treatise on the duties of acavalry officer, urges the latter to encourage his men to practisethe javelin and to stir up emulation among them by offeringprizes. In his treatise on horsemanship he gives further instruc-tions. Velocity and distance are the most important pointsfor war. To secure these, he tells us, the thrower mustadvance the left side of the body and draw back the right,straightening himself from the thighs and holding the.javelin pointed slightly upwards. If, however, the object^ Meno 93 d ; Leg. 834 d. ^ Hipparch. i. 6 ; De re equest. viii. 10.
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CQ fo 357 358 GREEK ATHLETIC SPORTS AND FESTIVALS ch. xvi is accuracy, the javelin must point straight at the mark. AtAthens there were competitions in this sport as early as thefifth century. At the Panathenaea five amphorae of oil weregiven for the first prize, and one for the second. In thesecond century this competition is mentioned in inscriptionsrelating to the Thesea. The Larisa inscription already referredto makes it probable that it still existed in Thessaly in thetime of Hadrian. Fortunately we are able to supplement these scanty detailsfrom the vases. A fifth-century aryballos from Eretria, nowat Athens, a fourth-century krater in the Louvre,^ and a Pan-athenaic amphora in the British Museum (Fig. 106), give vividpictures of the competition. The target is a shield with a crownforming a sort of bulls-eye in the centre, raised on a post to alevel with the horses heads. The competitors gallop past thistarget, hurling their javelins at it as they pass. The javelinsare pointed,