Ancient Olympic Games End

The Ancient Olympic pentathlon was an athletic contest at the Ancient Olympic Games, and other Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece.^¹ The name derives from Greek, combining the words pente (five) and athlon (competition).^¹ Five events were contested over one day, starting with the stadion, followed by the javelin throw, discus throw and long jump, and ending with wrestling.^¹ While pentathletes were considered to be inferior to the specialized athletes in a certain event, they were superior in overall development and were some of the most well balanced of all the athletes.^¹ Their training was often part of military service—each of the five events was thought to be useful in battle.^¹