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ἀναιρησόμενος γυμνικοὺς ἀγῶνας: cf. v. 102. 3.

ἀσκέων δὲ πεντάεθλον: cf. vi. 92. 2 n.

The order of events in the Pentathlum seems to be best given by Eustathius on Il. xxiii. 621ἅλμα ποδῶν δίσκου τε βολὴ καὶ ἄκοντος ἐρωὴ καὶ δρόμος ἤδε πάλη” (cf. Soph. Elec. 691; schol. ad Pind. Isth. i. 35), Simonides (153) ἅλμα ποδωκείην δίσκον ἄκοντα πάλην displacing the running metri gratia. Certainly the wrestling came after all the other contests; cf. Xen. Hell. vii. 4. 29; Bacchyl. ix. 30 f., especially τελευταίας ἀμάρυγμα πάλας. Pausanias (iii. 11. 6) says that Tisamenus beat his opponent Hieronymus in running and jumping, but he was no doubt beaten by him in throwing the spear and the discus; hence the wrestling, the last event, was decisive. The wrestling then, as now, was decided by the best of three falls (Aesch. Eumen. 589 f.; Eur. Or. 434; Plato, Phaedr. 256 B, Euthyd. 277 D; Anthol. Pal. xi. 316). Each had won a fall in this, so all depended on ‘a single fall’ (ἓν πάλαισμα), the last; this is better than to take ἓν πάλαισμα in a more general sense of ‘the odd event’. For a full discussion cf. E. N. Gardiner, J. H. S. xxiii. 54 f. He shows that any competitor, e. g. Aristomedes of Phlius (Bacchyl. l. c.), who won three events, must have won outright (cf. schol. ad Aristid. Panath. ἀρκεῖ (τοῖς πεντάθλοις) τρία τῶν πέντε πρὸς νίκην), and suggests that, if at the end, two or more competitors had scored an equal number of wins, account was taken of second and third places as apparently in the mythical pentathlum of Peleus (Philost. Gymn. 3). (See note, p. 417.)

ἔδραμε (cf. vii. 57. 1 n.): more emphatic than the common παρὰ μικρὸν ἦλθε, parum afuit quin.

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