Diaulos (sport)

Diaulos ( Greek Δίαυλος , German: "double whistle ") was a double stadium race (approx. 400 meters), which was introduced at the 14th ancient Olympic Games (724 BC).

The length of the distance varied depending on the length of the stadium. The length of the track was between 192.27 meters (in Olympia ) and 177.5 meters (in Delphi ). The runners ran to the end of the track, circled a post (καμπτήρ, dt. Kampter ) and ran back again; the distance run was therefore twice the length of the stadium. It is not entirely clear in science whether each runner had a single post to lap or whether they were all approaching a common tack. At Delphi, an inscription was found that names the term "turning post" in the plural, which suggests that each runner had his own turning post to prevent the athlete running outside from having to run three to four meters longer at this point. Archaeological finds near Nemea confirm this assumption.

literature

• E. Norman Gardiner: Athletics of the Ancient World. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1930.
• Mark Golden: Sport in the Ancient World from A to Z . Routledge, London / New York 2003, ISBN 0-415-24881-7 .
• Helmut Haag: The agon in the performing arts of classical Greece. Investigations into forms of movement in the Pentathlon. (Dissertation) Justus Liebig University Giessen, 2008
• Stephen G. Miller, Ben Schmidt: Ancient Greek Athletics: the events at Olympia, Delphi, Nemea, and Isthmia . Yale University Press, New Haven (Conn.) / London 2004, ISBN 0-300-11529-6 .
• Waldo E. Sweet: Sport and Recreation in Ancient Greece. A Sourcebook with Translations. Oxford University Press, New York 1987, ISBN 0-195-04126-7 .