Combat Sports in the Ancient World: Competition, Violence, and CultureA leading authority on classical games here provides a comprehensive study of the practice of combat sports in the ancient civilizations of Greece, Rome, and the Near East. Describing and analyzing the sports of boxing, wrestling, stick-fighting, and pankration, Michael B. Poliakoff discusses such topics as the function of competition and violent games in ancient society; on the social background of the participants, showing the broad spectrum of Greek athletic personnel; on the significance of the appearance of combat sport in myth and literature; and on the alleged cultic functions of the ancient combat sports. The book is copiously illustrated with photographs of numerous objects rarely or never before published. |
Contents
GENERAL ASPECTS OF THE ANCIENT | 7 |
WRESTLING | 23 |
PANKRATION | 54 |
STICK FIGHTING | 64 |
THE PARTICIPANTS IN GREEK | 117 |
METAPHOR MYTH AND REALITY | 134 |
Common terms and phrases
Achilleus agon ancient Antaios antiquity appears argues Arrichion Asclepiades Athens Aurelius Beni Hasan boxer boxer wearing boxing bronze caestus carving chap combat athletes combat sports competition contest crown death defeat Delphi discussion duel Ebert Egypt Egyptian Euthymos example festivals fourth century B.C.E. funeral games Galen Gilgamesh gloves Greece Greek athletic Greek sport Greek vase ground Gymn hand Hasan headlock Herakles hero hold Homer honor human sacrifice Iliad inscription IvOl Jüthner Kerkyon Kroton legend Louis Robert Melankomas Meuli military Milo Moretti IAG Museum photograph Nemea noted Nuba Olympia opponent opponent's palaestra Panathenaic amphora pankratiast pankration Paus Pausanias Philo Philostr Pindar Plato Pleket Plut Plutarch Poliakoff practice prize punches Roman Rome second century C.E. shoulder shows sixth century B.C.E. Spartan sphairai statue stick fighting tactics Theogenes Theseus thongs throw tomb trainer vase paintings victory waistlock Weiler wrestler wrestling