Athletics and Games of the Ancient GreeksPlummer, Edward M. (Edward Marwick)
History
Athletics and Games of the Ancient Greeks
Plummer, Edward M. (Edward Marwick)
Athletics; Olympics
Plato protests against right-handedness (Laws, 8-794). He demands that
a trained wrestler, pankratiast and boxer should be able to use both
hands equally, so that if his opponent should succeed in turning him
around he could defend himself from the other side. The wrestler would
sometimes endeavor to place himself behind his adversary by a quick
movement, then wind his leg around his opponent’s body and throw him.
If successful in this attempt he would choke him.
Besides these tricks there were others with the fingers. For instance,
a wrestler would grasp his opponent’s finger-tips and disjoint or break
them, not letting go until the pain compelled his victim to declare
himself conquered. This finger contest sometimes preceded the actual
contest, and was oftentimes the only feature. Sostratos of Sikyon
was specially famed for this mode of contest; he was twelve times
victorious in the Nemean and Isthmian, twice in the Pythian and three
times in the Olympian games. Leontiskos of Messina, in Sicily, also
practiced wrestling in this manner and gained his victory by breaking
his opponent’s fingers.
In ground wrestling the athlete even attempted to break his opponent’s
toes. Another special scheme which belonged to the standing wrestling
was as follows: the contestant made a circle around himself and
challenged his opponent to force him from his position. If the latter
failed to do this, the victory belonged to the former. Especially
noted in this style of wrestling was Milo of Crotona, the most famous
wrestler of antiquity. When a mere boy he was victorious in the
Olympic and Pythian games. Six times his head was crowned with the
sacred olive of Olympia. Young men of the noblest families engaged in
these wrestling contests. Plato, when a youth, is said to have been
victorious in the Pythian and Isthmian games, probably in the wrestling
match.
IV. TOYS AND GAMES FOR CHILDREN AMONG THE ANCIENT HELLENES.
We have endeavored to describe at its height the system of professional
athletics in ancient Hellas. Such a system must necessarily have
influenced the more widespread practices whereby the young developed
their bodies, just as today the system of professional athletics is
a model for college training and exerts an influence upon the sports
of even young children. But professional athletics, even in ancient
Hellas, must be regarded as quite distinct from that important phase of
Hellenic education called γυμναστική.
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