Olympics

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Olympics

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sat Nov 16, 2002 4:00 pm

Salvete
I have a question: what kind of sports were practiced in Hellas?
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Hellenic Sports

Postby Quintus Pomponius Atticus on Sat Nov 16, 2002 11:19 pm

Salve Sokare,

Below is a short list of sports the ancient Greeks practiced :

*Boxing
*Pankration
*Running
*Wrestling
*Equestrian events : chariot racing, riding
*Pentathlon, consisting of : discus, javelin, jump, running, wrestling[/list]

More information can be found on a page the renowned Perseus Project devoted to ancient sports : http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/sports.html

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Olympics

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sat Nov 16, 2002 11:27 pm

Salve Attice
Thanks for the reply but what is a pankration? It is possible i have heard of this or know this one but now my long term memory is appearently doing a good job at leaving me in the dark.
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Postby Marcus Pomponius Lupus on Sun Nov 17, 2002 12:55 am

Salve Sokare,

The Pankration was the most rude sport of the list Atticus has presented, it was a mix between wrestling and fist-fighting, sometimes resulting in the death of the loser. Here's what I found on a site with a little explanation on the history of the pankration:

The word Pankration is a Greek word which translated means "all powers" or "all powerful", both are acceptable translations by Greek scholars. Pankration was a sporting event in the ancient Greek Olympic games that was first introduced in the games of 648 BC. The rules of the sport were simple, no biting or eye gouging and victory was secured through knockout, submission or death. The historical records of the early pankration are shrouded and mixed with Greek mythology and it is not known whether these accounts of championship bouts and feats of strength of the champions were myth or actual accounts. What is known is that just like the boxers and wrestlers of the Olympic games the Pankration competitors refined their skills for many generations through hundreds of years and became extremely proficient at all elements of their sport including ground fighting and submission holds to standing fighting with all types of strikes. Many of the holds, throws and striking techniques can be seen on the pottery, statues and drawings of those times. The ancient Olympic games were intertwined with many ceremonies and connections to the worship of gods that were pagan to the rising christian population. Because of this association and the rise of christianity the games eventually came to a halt and along with it Pankration competition disappeared for many centuries.


I hope that helped, Vale bene
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Postby Marcus Pomponius Lupus on Fri Nov 22, 2002 11:28 pm

Salvete,

Let us not forget that the Panhellenic games (Olympian, Isthmian, Nemean and Pythian games) also involved musical competitions, as can be seen on Greek pottery from the 7th century BC.

It's rather logical really, considering the entire Greek mentality, that they not only reward athletic achievements, but artistic talents as well. In Olympia, however, these musical contests were kept at a strict minimum and athleticism ruled supreme there.

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Postby Gnaeus Dionysius Draco on Sat Nov 23, 2002 12:49 pm

Hey, perhaps someone could do an essay on the Olympics? That topic (among many others) has not been covered yet by the Collegium!

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