ANCIENT GREEK

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 76, 11 January 1936, Page 8

ANCIENT GREEK

HOW HE VIEWED SPORT.

INSISTENCE UPON STYLE. How great were the ancient Greeks as athletes? Would they have compared with modern performers, or would they have finished well down the scale? Much has been written of their prowess, but one fears that their feats were the subject of great exaggeration. If it were possible to bridge the gap between ancient and modern times there would not be the slightest doubt that the Greek, of antiquity would appear as a very ordinary person indeed, athletically, in comparison with the great "figures of to-day. He would be simply outclassed.

No reliable records of Greek athletic performances have been preserved, but it is very evident that the stalwarts of old concentrated upon elegance of form, and that the merit of a feat as measured by time or distance was secondary. That the Greek of Homer's day was a magnificent physical specimen an examination of early engravings makes quite clear, and it is perhaps surprising, since virtually everyone engaged in some form of athletic exercise, that he left no enduring records. This circumstance is, however, probably accounted for by the fact that ho was expected to be proficient in nearly all branches of sport. Distinguishing Mark. The Greek athletic regime was divided into four sections—foot races, tho broad jump, the discus throw, and the javelin throw. The portraiture and statuary of the period amply reveal that a graceful posture was the distinguishing feature of the ancient athletic world. A Greek sprinter, for instance, is shown waiting for the starting signal with both feet pressed closely together. He indeed looks elegant, but his modern prototype would have made him appear in a very .poor light.

It was in the broad jump that the love of form was particularly exhibited. There were no personal idiosyncrasies. Every athlete had to conform with the peculiar style ordained. In liis "Greek Athletic Sports and Festivals," E. N. Gardiner has the following illuminating remarks: "No jump," he says, "was ever permitted to be measured unless the impress of the feet was regular, that is, if the jumper fell or stumbled, or landed with one foot in advance of the other, the jump was not counted. Another peculiarity of the Greek method of jumping was that it called for only a short, springy run of a few steps before the 'take-off board' was reached instead of tho long run. which the modern athlete uses. 'The Greek broad jumper took off in the same way as does the high jumper of to-day. We do not know for sure that this was another iron-bound rule of form, but it seems logical to believe that if the Greek had been striving after distance alone, without regard for the niceties of style, he would have discovered and adopted the modern method."

One aid which the modem broad jumper has discarded, but which found favour with the Greeks, is the use of jumping weights. These, which varied from two to six pounds, were carried one in each hand, and when swung in the correct manner were a decided advantage to the jumper. The Athenian method of casting the discus is illustrated by an engraving of the famous statue known as Myron's "Diskobolus." The athlete is revealed at the commencement of his throw, but in contrast with the present style of a complete swing in the circle before the implement is released, he was permitted to take but one or two steps forward before throwing the discus. Such a method could: not possibly have attained the prodigious distances of to-day. Leather Thong Used. A study of the pictures on vases of javelin throwers affords a further example of the differences between the Greek and the modern styles of hurling the weapon. The Athenian always used a leather thong, a foot or eighteen inches in length, which was fastened near the centre of the javelin. This thong, while probably a further style recprirement, was also undoubtedly an aid in achieving distance with tho throw. Present-day methods, of course, do not permit of any such auxiliary attachment. The only aid now allowed is the binding around the centre of the spear, which permits the hand to, grip it firmly. In addition to throwing'for distance, one of the favourite Grecian pastimes was hurling the javelin at a. target. There were many other interesting peculiarities of Greek athletic style, but none more remarkable than the drawings which depict an athlete performing to the music of a flute. Music was apparently more appropriate to the field events, since the majority of the pictures show discus throwers and broad jumpers gracefully posing, while nearby stands a musician clad in the long flowing robes common to the times.

Just what benefit was gained is unknown, but there seems every reason to think that the rhythmical cadence of the flute had. a material psychological effect upon the performing athlete. Music of some kind apparently accompanied most Grecian athletic feats. The sport which was most popular with the Hellenes was wrestling, and while pictorial records do not reveal the exact form of style used it has been gleaned from the writings of the time that the greatest importance was attached to grace and skill. One imagines that the follower of modern wrestling, educated to expect anything but parlour methods, would have been sorely tried by the ancient sport, but it is authoritatively stated that merely throwing one's opponent on the ground was sufficient to bring frenzied cheers from the spectators, provided, of

course, it was done in the prescribed manner.

Boxing, too, had its strict set of rules. It is curious that, like many fighters of to-day who fail to realise the value of body blows, the Greek concentrated upon the head. The pictures do not indicate any representation of a body punch. But the boxer of old was guided by form and not effectiveness. Apparently it was not considered graceful to strike an opponent anywhere beneath" the chin. Dr. Gardiner says that Philostratus, a close observer of the times, recorded that a prominent stomach was really an advantage to a boxer as it made it less easy for an opponent to reach, tho face. It is clear that all phases of Greek sport were too stereotyped ever to permit of performances comparable with those to which we are accustomed. Insistence on a style from which no deviation was allowed gave little scope for individual ability. But who would care to deny that the Grecian ideal of athletic culture was not of more lasting benefit than the modern demand for intensive competition?