Hysplex

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Hysplex

The hysplex ( Greek  ὕσπληγξ , originally "tensioned rope") was used in ancient Greece to ensure that all runners started simultaneously in running competitions . It can be seen as an antique variant of the start box similar to that used in horse racing.

The simple design of a Hysplex consisted of a vertical post or board and a rod or another board that were articulated together. The bar was held horizontally by a rope or rope attached to the short protrusion of the bar. If you loosened the rope, the crossbar rotated downwards under its own weight in the joint. The rope was led to a central point via deflections. Several hysplexes were arranged side by side and the ropes came together at a referee. Each participant in the race stood behind one of these devices. The referee released the ropes at the same time, allowing the start.

More elaborate hysplexes consisted of two piles, which were arranged laterally in front of the so-called balbis ( Greek  βαλβίς ), a beveled, grooved starting platform. In front of it, there were low wooden gates that were pushed forward onto the ground by the torsional force of two twisted ropes. The twisted ropes were held on the bars on the side with a rope and a ring and the goal was then placed vertically. If the ring was pulled away by a rope attached to it, the tension of the twisted ropes pressed the gate onto the ground and the start was free. The mechanism works similarly to some of the projectile guns . Due to the torsional force on the falling gates, the start release was accelerated compared to the hysplexes that opened under their own weight.

The Hysplex was introduced to guarantee a neutral starting point for the runners. Before it was introduced, the decision on an early start or a false start lay with the referee. Disadvantage due to an unclear start signal was also excluded.

Hysplex and Balbis were also used synonymously. Furthermore, Balbis also designates the discus and javelin throwing mark .

The pure start and end markings were called grams ( γραμμή "dash", "line").

literature

  • Panos Valavanis : Hysplex. The starting mechanism in ancient stadia. A contribution to ancient Greek technology. University of California Press, Berkeley 1999, ISBN 0-520-09829-3
  • Willy Zschietzschmann : Competition and practice sites in Greece. Part 1: the stadium. Contributions to teaching and research in physical education, Vol. 5. Hofmann, Schorndorf b. Stuttgart 1960, pp. 35-39.
  • Barbara Rieger: From the line (grammé) to the Hysplex: starting devices in the panhellenic stadiums of Greece . Weidmann, Hildesheim 2004, ISBN 978-3-615-00292-8
  • Stephan Lehmann : runners at the start. On the iconography of groups of athletes starting in ancient art , in: Corona laurea. Studii in onoarea Luciei Teposu, Bucharest 2005, pp. 269-276.

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