The
Ancient Olympic pentathlon was an athletic contest at the
Ancient Olympic Games, and other
Panhellenic Games of
Ancient Greece. The name derives from
Greek, combining the words
pente (five) and
athlon (competition). Five events were contested over one day, starting with the
stadion (a short foot race) followed by the
Javelin throw,
Discus throw,
Long jump (the order of these three events is still unclear), and ending with
wrestling. 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. Their training was often part of
military service—each of the five events was thought to be useful in battle.