''Stadion'' or ''stade'' ( grc, στάδιον) was an ancient running event, part of the

Ancient Olympic Games The ancient Olympic Games (Ὀλυμπιακοὶ ἀγῶνες; la, Olympia, neuter plural: "the Olympics") were a series of athletic competitions among representatives of city-states and were one of the Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece ...

and the other

Panhellenic Games Panhellenic Games is the collective term for four separate sports festivals held in ancient Greece. The four Games were: Description The Olympiad was one of the ways the Greeks measured time. The Olympic Games were used as a starting point, yea ...

. It was one of the five major

Pentathlon A pentathlon is a contest featuring five events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words ''pente'' (five) and -''athlon'' (competition) ( gr, πένταθλον). The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of ...

events. It was the premier event of the ''gymnikos agon'' (γυμνικὸς ἀγών "nude competition").

History

From the years 776 to 724 BC, the ''stadion'' was the only event that took place at the Olympic Games. The victor gave his name to the entire four-year Olympiad, which has allowed scholars to know the names of nearly every ancient Olympic stadion winner. The ''stadion'' was named after the building in which it took place, also called the ''stadion''. This word became ''stadium'' in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

, which became the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

word

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

. The race also gave its name to the unit of length, the stadion. There were other types of running events, but the ''stadion'' was the most prestigious; the winner was often considered to be the winner of an entire Games. Though a separate event, the ''stadion'' was also part of the ancient

. At the Olympic Games, the ''stadion'' (building) was big enough for 20 competitors, and the race was a sprint, but the original stadion track in Olympia measures approximately . The race began with a trumpet blow, with officials (the ἀγωνοθέται ''agonothetai'') at the start to make sure there were no false starts. There were also officials at the end to decide on a winner and to make sure no one had cheated. If the officials decided there was a tie, the race would be re-run. Runners started the race from a standing position, probably with their arms stretched out in front of them, instead of starting in a crouch like modern runners. They ran naked on a packed earth track. By the fifth century, the track was marked by a stone-starting line, the ''balbis''. Advancements in this stone starting block led to it having a set of double grooves ( apart) in which the runner placed his toes. The design of these grooves were intended to give the runner leverage for his start.Miller, p. 35 The winner of the ''stadion'' in the first Olympic Games was Coroebus of Elis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stadion (Running Race) Ancient Olympic sports Events in track and field Sprint (running) Extinct sports

History

See also

References