Jump

Horizontal jump for distance resembling the long jump. The event was held in the context of the pentathlon and was not separately conducted. From a movement exercise for leaping over obstacles or ditches, it turned into a sport. The necessary instruments for the jump were the halteres, namely weights made of lead or stone, which the athlete held swinging back and forth during the leap in order to reach maximum jumping distance. Their length, weight and shape varied.

The jump was held in the stadium’s skamma, a landing pit 50 Greek feet (podes) long (16m). The jumper took off holding the halteres and, when he reached the bater, the edge of the landing pit, jumped swinging his arms. As the jumper was about to land, he propelled himself forward by swinging the halteres in his hands backwards. Right before he touched the ground, he dropped the halteres. The jumper took care to leave clear footprints on the pit’s earth. His footprints were marked with a hoe and then their distance from the bater was measured. It is not certain whether the event involved a single or triple jump; however, based on the documented lengths of victors’ jumps, it must have been triple.

Red-figure kylix depicting an athlete with jumping weights

On the inside of the cup, a young athlete is depicted bending and opening his stride to the left, holding jump weights in his outstretched hands, in preparation for a jump.

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Red-figure kylix depicting an athlete with jumping weights

Red-figure alabastron with a discobolus and a jumper

Provenance: Excavation of an ancient cemetery, 3rd Amerikis Street, Athens On the one side of the vase, a naked discobolus is depicted standing with his right leg bent forward.

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Attic black-figure skyphos depicting a long-jumper

Both sides of the skyphos depict a long-jumper. He is naked, well-built, and leans slightly forward with bent arms as he prepares for the jump, holding long halteres (jumping-weights).

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Attic black-figure skyphos depicting a long-jumper

Attic red-figure miniature bell-krater with depiction of an athlete

The main side of the vase depicts a sports scene. A young athlete, naked, prepares to make a long jump, holding in his outstretched hands a pair of swinging weights (special weights used by ancient athletes to help them jump successfully).

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Attic red-figure oinochoe depicting a scene of athletic training in the palaestra

In the center, a youthful paidotribes leans on his long forked stick. He is watching the young athlete on the left, who holds out a pair of halteres (jumping-weights) as he prepares to jump.

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Attic red-figure oinochoe depicting a scene of athletic training in the palaestra

Stone jumping weight (halter)

This is one of a pair of stone jumping weight (halteres) used by athletes in the long jump to give more impetus to their body. Halteres were held in both hands to allow an athlete to jump a greater distance.

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Inscribed jumping-weight (halter)

Jumping-weight (halter) in the shape of an almost double axe, which provided a firm handhold. On one side it bears a three-line inscription in verse, carved boustrophedon, a style of writing in which alternate lines of writing are reversed, with letters also written in reverse, mirror-style.

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Pair of jumping-weights (halteres)

Pair of identical cast jumping-weights. On the outside is depicted in relief a crouching boar ready to attack. A bronze tusk is preserved on the muzzle, a vertical strip along the head indicates the mane, while the ears and the tail are rendered in low relief.

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