The ancient Olympics were rather different from the modern Games. There were fewer events, and only free men who spoke¹ Greek could compete, instead of athletes from any country. Also, the games were always held at Olympia instead of moving around to different sites every time.

　　古代奥运会与现代奥运大不相同。项目少，非希腊运动员不得参加，只有说希腊语的自由人方可参加。而且运动会总是在奥林匹亚市举行，而不是每次都换不同地方。

　　Like our Olympics, though, winning athletes were heroes who put their home towns on the map. One young Athenian nobleman defended his political reputation by mentioning how he entered seven chariots in the Olympic chariot-race. This high number of entries made both the aristocrat² and Athens look very wealthy and powerful.

　　像我们现代奥运一样，获胜运动员是使自己家乡扬名四海的英雄。一个年轻的雅典政治家通过告诉人们他如何七次在马车赛中获胜而保住了自己的政治名声，参加人数之多显示出希腊贵族和雅典人的财富与强大。

Boxing

　　Ancient boxing had fewer rules than the modern sport. Boxers³ fought without rounds until one man was knocked out, or admitted he had been beaten. Unlike the modern sport, there was no rule against hitting an opponent when he was down.

　　There were no weight classes within the mens' and boys' divisions; opponents for a match were chosen randomly⁴.

　　Instead of gloves, ancient boxers wrapped leather thongs⁵ (himantes) around their hands and wrists which left their fingers free.

　　Plato makes fun of boxers' faces, calling them the "folk with the battered⁷ ears."

拳击

　　古代拳击赛的规则比现代要少。拳击运动员不分轮次地进行打斗，直到一方主动认输或被击倒为止。不像现代拳击运动一样，古代运动员可以在对手倒下后继续发起攻击。

　　在成年男子组和少年组当中不分什么重量级轻量级，比赛的参加人随便选出。
古代运动员不戴拳击套，而用软牛皮裹住手和手腕，露出手指。

　　柏拉图取笑拳击者的脸部，称之"残耳的居民".

Chariot racing⁸

马车赛

　　有双马马车和四马马车，由小马拉着参加不同的比赛。另外一个比赛是由一队骡子拉着的四轮车赛，总长度相当于围着体育馆跑12圈（九英里）。

Riding

　　The course was 6 laps around the track (4.5 miles), and there were separate races for full-grown horses and foals. Jockeys rode without stirrups.

　　Only wealthy people could afford to pay for the training, equipment, and feed of both the driver (or jockey) and the horses. As a result, the owner received the olive wreath of victory instead of the driver or jockey.

 

骑马
　　这个项目的长度是绕跑道6圈（4.5英里），成年马与驹马参加不同的比赛。职业骑师不需要马镫。
　　只有富人才能供得起训练、设备和马与骑师的费用。因此，只是主人才获得获胜的橄榄花环，而骑师得不到。

　　喜剧作家Aristophanes描写了对马有高品位的儿子的父亲的苦恼："债主们要把我活吞下去了……都是因为马惹的祸。（Aristophanes,《云彩》，1.240ff）

Pankration

　　Rules outlawed⁹ only biting and gouging¹⁰ an opponent's eyes, nose, or mouth with fingernails. Attacks such as kicking an opponent in the belly¹¹, which are against the rules in modern sports, were perfectly¹² legal.

　　Like boxing and wrestling, among others, this event had separate divisions for both men and boys.

　　The poet Xenophanes describes the pankration as "that new and terrible contest...of all holds" (Xenophanes 2)

混斗

　　是一个合并拳击与摔跤的严厉项目。允许重击，尽管打斗者不用拳击比赛时所用的软牛皮条包住手。

　　用指甲抓对手的眼睛、鼻子、嘴或者是咬人属于犯规。

　　类似于用脚踢对手的腹部的攻击，尽管在现代体育运动中是犯规的，但在过去则完全合乎法律。

　　像拳击、摔跤及其它比赛一样，这个项目分为成年男子组及少年男子组。诗人Xenophanes把混斗描写成"各种比赛中新而残酷的决斗"。

Pentathlon

　　This was a 5-event combination of discus, javelin¹³, jumping, running and wrestling.

　　Aristotle describes a young man's ultimate physical beauty: "a body capable of enduring all efforts, either of the racecourse or of bodily strength...This is why the athletes in the pentathlon are most beautiful." (Aristotle, Rhetoric¹⁴ 1361b)

五项竞技

　　这曾是一个集铁饼、标枪、跳、跑和摔跤五项运动为一体的项目。

　　亚里士多德把经过比赛后的男子体态的优美描写成："一个能忍受各种考验的身躯，无论是比距离的比赛还是比体力的比赛……这就是为什么会加五项竞技的运动员是最优秀的原?（亚里士多德，Rhetoric 1361b）

Discus

　　The ancient Greeks considered the rhythm and precision of an athlete throwing the discus as important as his strength.

The discus was made of stone, iron, bronze, or lead, and was shaped like a flying saucer. Sizes varied¹⁵, since the boys' division was not expected to throw the same weight as the mens'.

掷铁饼

　　古希腊人把运动员投掷铁饼的节奏和准确度和他的力量视为同等重要。

　　 铁饼通常由石头、铁、青铜或铅制成，形状如同一个飞起来的碟子。大小不一样，因为少年组的运动员不可能投与成年男子组一样重的铁饼。

Javelin

　　The javelin was a man-high length of wood, with either a sharpened end or an attached metal point. It had a thong⁶ for a hurler's fingers attached to its center of gravity, which increased the precision and distance of a javelin's flight.

标枪

　　标枪是一个长度和人的高度相当的木棍，其顶端要么是尖的，要么是包着一个金属片。它缠有一个皮条以便于投掷者能把握住标枪的重心，这样可以提高投掷的准确度和距离。

Jump

　　Athletes used lead or stone jump weights (halteres) shaped like telephone receivers to increase the length of their jump. The halteres were held in front of the athlete during his ascent¹⁶, and forcibly thrust behind his back and dropped during his descent to help propel his body further.Jump weights also doubled as weight lifting equipment during training.

跳

　　运动员用铅或石制的形状像电话听筒一样的跳运绳来增加其远度。在运动员起跳时摆在他的前面，然后在落地时用力推向其背后，这样能把他的身体向前推进一步。在训练中跳远负重也像举重一样增加。

Running

　　There were 4 types of races at Olympia. The stadion was the oldest event of the Games. Runners sprinted¹⁷ for 1 stade (192 m.), or the length of the stadium. The other races were a 2-stade race (384 m.), and a long-distance run which ranged from 7 to 24 stades (1,344 m. to 4,608 m.).

　　And if these races weren't enough, the Greeks had one particularly grueling event which we lack. There was also a 2 to 4-stade (384 m. to 768 m.) race by athletes in armor. This race was especially useful in building the speed and stamina¹⁸ that Greek men needed during their military service. If we remember that the standard hoplite armor (helmet, shield, and greaves)weighed about 50-60 lbs, it is easy to imagine what such an event must have been like.

　　The Phaiacian nobles entertain the hero Odysseus by competing in athletic¹⁹ games: "A course was marked out for them from the turning point, and they all sped swiftly, raising the dust of the plain, but among them noble Clytoneus was far the best at running...he shot to the front and the others were left behind." (Homer, Odyssey²⁰ 8.121ff.)

跑

　　在古代奥林匹亚市有四种跑。192米跑是最老式的一个项目。运动员以全速跑完192米或一个体育馆的长度。其它的项目有384米跑和距离为1344米至4608米的长跑。如果说这些赛跑算不了什么的话，古希腊人有我们所不具备的严格项目。有一种比赛要求运动员身穿铠甲跑384米到768米。在炼就古希腊男人在军旅生涯中的速度和耐力方面，这种比赛显得特别有用。如果我们能想到重达50至60lbs的全副铠甲（头盔、护胫、盾牌），那么我们就很容易想像出这种比赛像什么样子。

　　[菲尼基贵族为取悦英雄奥德修而进行了一场运动会："从出发点为他们标出了跑步路线，他们飞快地冲出去，激起平原上的滚滚灰尘，在他们中克莱特尼斯（Clytoneus）比其他所有人都快得多……他一直冲向终点而把其他人远远地抛到了后面"]（《荷马史诗》，《奥德修记》，8.121ff）

Wrestling

　　Like the modern sport, an athlete needed to throw his opponent on the ground, landing on a hip²¹, shoulder, or back for a fair fall. 3 throws were necessary to win a match. Biting was not allowed, and genital holds were also illegal. Attacks such as breaking your opponent's fingers were permitted.

　　In one of Aristophanes's comedies, one character recommends that another rub his neck with lard in preparation for a heated argument with an adversary²². The debater replies, "Spoken like a finished wrestling coach." (Aristophanes, Knights²³ l.490ff.)

摔跤

　　像现代运动一样，一个运动员必须把对手摔倒在地，竞技者只要肩、背或臀触及地面即为摔倒。一场比赛分三轮进行。不允许咬人，也不许抓对方的生殖器部位。而打断对方手指或类似的进攻则是允许的。

　　在Aristophanes的一部喜剧中，一个角色提醒另一个用猪油搽他的脖子来准备与反方进行一场激烈的辩论。而辩手回应道："说的像一个完美的摔跤教练一样"（Aristophanes，《骑士》，1.490ff）。

 

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