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ancient Greek athletics. Among the objects in this category are the
haltères, or jumping weights, used by athletes in the broad jump. Illustrations
on ancient vases show how the athletes swung them backward
and forward to increase the distance that they could jump. We have
found one jumping weight of lead and two complete ones and many
fragments of stone. The latter are carefully cut to fit the hand. These
haltères show that there was no standard weight. One of the stone weights,
to be dated at the beginning of the fifth century or earlier, weighs 1.540
kilos. The lead weight of about the same date but smaller in size and of
different shape, weighs 1.350 kilos. Another stone weight, found in late
Hellenistic context, weighs 1.840 kilos. Both types, lead and stone,
appear on vase paintings and seem to have been used concurrently.
Most interesting for our purposes is a fragmentary stone weight from
the first half of the sixth century B.C. It preserves part of an archaic
inscription in the Corinthian alphabet, containing the word ΠΕΝ-
ΤΑΓΕΘΛΟΝ, which would be an early Corinthian form of pentathlon.
It offers formal proof for the fact that the pentathlon was already one
of the events in the organized athletic program of the early sixth century
B.C.
Most common among the athletes' gear from Isthmia are spearpoints
and strigils. Some spearpoints came from the debris of the archaic
temple, but these are so disfigured by rust that their shape can
hardly be made out. They seem rather too heavy for athletes' javelins.
Like the shields and helmets from the same fill, they are probably implements
of war, dedicated by Corinthian soldiers after a successful
campaign.
One of the monuments at Isthmia, located some two kilometers
toward the west of the sanctuary, contained considerable numbers
of spearpoints of iron as well as spearbutts. In some instances the iron
seems to have been surfaced with silver, and the spearpoints so treated
are remarkably well preserved. They are longer and lighter than spearpoints
used by the army, and, in all probability, they were placed there
by athletes at the Isthmian Games. Together with these spearpoints
were many strigils, likewise of iron, but most of these are poorly preserved.
From the pottery found in the same context we can date these
athletic implements to the fourth century B.C. Although the monument
in which they were found is far removed from the main sanctuary, there
can be little doubt that it was directly connected with the Isthmian
Games. The hippodrome, which has not yet been located, was probably
not far away. Perhaps the spearthrowing took place there rather than
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