In such a way, amid the vast circling crowd of the Greeks, did he display his marvellous body, hurling the wheel-shaped discus, and raise a shout from the people as he flung the shaft of the dark-leaved elder-tree from his hand into the steep sky. Ode 9 is for a victory in the Nemean Games presumably the contests were similar, although Bacchylides mentions only three of the events: The definition in LSJ also lists these five events. The ancient Olympic pentathlon, according to Britannica, comprised a foot race, long jump, discus, javelin, and wrestling. Side A of Attic black-figure neck-amphora, 510–500 BCE Pentathlon Judging by this image of a boxing match-in which the prevailing competitor seems to be trying to gouge his opponent’s eye, despite the gesture of submission-the rules may have sometimes been flouted! Boxers with trainer and aulos player. In some cases, competitors died during matches.” A contest ended when one of the fighters acknowledged defeat or was rendered unconscious. The only recognized fouls were biting and gouging. Contests were savage, with hitting, kicking, twisting of limbs, strangling, and struggling on the ground allowed. īritannica says “It was particularly popular among Spartans. The pan-kration, literally ‘complete strength’, was according to Middle Liddell, “an exercise which combined both wrestling and boxing (πάλη and πυγμή)”. Boxers, side B from Attic black-figure amphora, c 520 BCE Pankration Bronze, 1st century BCE Antimenes Painter. Attic red-figure belly-amphora, c 500–490 BCE Pugilist, amphora, end of 5th century BCE Boxers. The terms pugilism and prizefighting in modern usage are practically synonymous with boxing, although the first term indicates the ancient origins of the sport in its derivation from the Latin pugil, “a boxer,” related to the Latin pugnus, “fist,” and derived in turn from the Greek pyx, “with clenched fist.” Fragment of Mycenaean Pictoral Style krater, boxers, 1300–1250 BCE Nikosthenes Painter: Boxers, one with a bloody nose, c 550–500 BCE Kleophrades Painter. Boxers bound their hands with thongs, which can be seen in the images. In Ode 2 Bacchylides describes the victory in the fight thrasu-kheir, ‘bold of hand’. Ephebes training in wrestling, 490–480 BCE Wrestlers. Amphora, c 530–525 BCE Workshop of Douris. The sun did not see him, on that particular day, falling to the ground.” Wrestlers. In Ode 11 Bacchylides celebrates Alexidamos and “his all-conquering powerful wrestling. 450–400 BCE WrestlingĪccording to Wikipedia the referee had the final say on who won, but contestants could score points by having their opponent touch the ground with their back, their opponent conceding, or forcing their opponent outside the wrestling-ground. Panathenaic Prize amphora 480–470 BCE Codros Painter. Black-figured Panathenaic amphora, c 500 BCE Runners. Sprinter on Fikellura style amphora, 6th century BCE Greek vase with runners at the Panathenaic Games, c 530 BCE Kleophrades Painter. In Ode 10, the victor reaches the finish-line, then “moistened the cloaks of the spectators with olive oil, rushing into the close-packed crowd when he rounded the fourth turn of the course” which sounds like a victory lap. In Ode 6, Lakhōn is described as podanemon ‘wind-footed’. Shoulder of an Attic black-figure hydria, c 510 BCE Panathenaic prize amphora of a chariot race, c 410–400 BCE Foot race Clay hydria, 7th century BCE Lid pyxis with depiction of chariot race, 700–675 BCE Attributed to Priam Painter. It is not clear whether the horse was being driven or ridden: kubernētēs is used to refer to a “steersman, pilot, helmsman guide, governor”. In force he is like Boreas obeying his rider, he speeds a new victory and new applause to hospitable Hieron. Laying my hand on the earth, I make this declaration: never in any contest has he been fouled by the dust of faster horses as he strained toward the finish-line. His name means “Victory-bearer”.īeside the wide-whirling Alpheus, golden-armed Dawn saw the victory of the chestnut horse Pherenicus, a runner swift as a wind-storm, and she saw him win in very holy Pytho. In Ode 5 of Bacchylides one horse is specifically mentioned by name, Pherenicus (Pherenikos). The racing chariots were light, fragile affairs, easily smashed in a collision, in which case the driver was often entangled in the long reins and dragged to death or seriously injured.” Chariot raceĪccording to Britannica “From four to six chariots competed in a single race, normally consisting of seven laps around the circus. These contests seem to have been a favorite subject in the visual as well as the verbal arts from the earliest periods. To tie in with this month’s Book Club readings which include the Epinician Odes of Bacchylides, this Gallery features some ancient Greek artworks featuring the kinds of athletic contests celebrated in the poems.
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