Some form of the long jump was featured in the ancient Olympics after it was introduced in 708 BC as part of the pentathlon. But as vase paintings such as the one shown in the top photograph attest, there was an intriguing difference between the way ancient athletes performed their jumps and the way modern ones do: Ancient Olympians took off holding halteres, or jumping weights. The weights, made of stone or lead, improved the jumpers’ performance.