Ancient Greek Boxing

Infobox martial art
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imagecaption = Boxer of Quirinal resting after contest (Bronze sculpture, 300-200 BC)
image size = 150
name = Ancient Greek Boxing
aka = Ancient Olympic Boxing
focus = striking
hardness = Full Contact
country =Greece
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descendant arts = Boxing
olympic = Ancient
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Ancient Greek boxing dates back to at least the eighth century BC (Homer's Iliad), and was practiced in a variety of social contexts in different Greek city-states. Most extant sources about ancient Greek boxing are fragmentary or legendary, making it difficult to reconstruct the rules, customs and history surrounding this activity in great detail. Still, it is clear that gloved boxing bouts were a significant part of ancient Greek athletic culture throughout the early classical period.

Origins

There is archeological and artistic evidence of ancient Greek boxing (pyx or pygme in ancient Greek) as early as the Minoan and Mycenaean periods. There are numerous legends about the origins of boxing in Greece. One legend holds that the heroic ruler Theseus, invented a form of boxing in which two men sat face to face and beat each other with their fists until one of them was killed. In time, the boxers began to fight while standing and wearing gloves (with spikes) and wrappings on their arms below the elbows, although otherwise they competed naked.

According to the "Iliad", Mycenaean warriors included boxing among their competitions honoring the fallen, though it is possible that the Homeric epics reflect later Greek culture. Boxing was among the contests held in memorial of Achilles' slain friend Patroclus, toward the end of the Trojan war. It was in commemoration of Patroclus that the Greeks later introduced boxing ("pygme / pygmachia") to the Olympic Games in 688 BC. Participants trained on punching bags (called a korykos). Fighters wore leather straps (called himantes) over their hands (leaving the fingers free), wrists, and sometimes breast, to protect themselves from injury.

The scholar and historian Philostratus maintained that boxing was originally developed in Sparta, in order to harden warriors’ faces for battle. The early Spartans believed helmets were unnecessary and boxing prepared them for the inevitable blows to the head they would receive in battle. [Swaddling, Judith. The Ancient Olympic Games. 2nd ed. Austin: University of TexasPress, 1999.] However, Spartans never participated in the competitive aspect of boxing, believing the means of defeat to be dishonorable. [Craig, Steve. Sports and Games of the Ancients. Sports and Games Through HistorySeries. Series Advisor Andrew Leibs. Westport, Connecticut and London: Greenwood Press, 2002]

Equipment

Until around 500 BC himantes were used as protection for the knuckles and hand. They were thongs of ox hide approximately 3 to 3.7 meters long that were wrapped around the hands and knuckles numerous times.

In around 400 BC sphairai were introduced. The sphairai were very similar to himantes. The only notable difference was that they contained a padded interior when wrapped around the hands and the exterior of the thong was notably more rigid and hard. [Swaddling, "op. cit."]

Soon after the implementation of the sphairai, the oxys were introduced to boxing. They consisted of several thick leather bands encircling the hand, wrist, and forearm. A band of fleece was placed on the forearm to wipe away sweat. Leather braces extended up the forearm to give greater support when punching and the knuckles were reinforced with leather as well. [Miller, Stephen G. Ancient Greek Athletics. New Haven and London: Yale UniversityPress, 2004.]

Korykos were the equivalent to modern punching bags. They were used for practice in the Palaestra and were filled with sand, flour, or millet.

Rules

The currently accepted rules of ancient Greek boxing are based on historical references and images. Because of the few intact sources and references to the sport, the rules can only be inferred. [Craig, Swaddling, Miller, "op. cit."]
*No holds or wrestling
*Any type of blow with the hand was allowed but no gouging with the fingers
*No ring was used
*There were no rounds or time limits
*Victory was decided when one fighter gave up or was incapacitated
*No weight-classes, opponents were selected by chance
*Judges enforced the rules by beating offenders with a switch
*Fighters could opt to exchange blows undefended if the fight lasted too long

References

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