Greek wrestling
Also known asRoman wrestling
FocusWrestling
Country of originAncient Greece
Olympic sportYes (ancient Olympics only)

Greek wrestling (Greek: πάλη, translit. pálē), also known as Ancient Greek wrestling and Pále (πάλη), was the most popular organized sport in Ancient Greece. A point was scored when one player touched the ground with his back, hip or shoulder, or conceding defeat due to a submission-hold or was forced out of the wrestling-area. Three points had to be scored to win the match.

One particularly important position in this form of wrestling was one where one of the contestants was lying on his abdomen with the other on his back trying to strangle him (back mount). The athlete on the bottom would try to grasp an arm of the one on top and turn him over onto his back while the athlete on top would try to complete the choke without being rolled.[citation needed]

Wrestling was the first competition to be added to the Olympic Games that was not a footrace. It was added in 708 B.C. (Miller, 46). The competitions were held in elimination-tournament style until one wrestler was crowned the victor. The wrestling area was one square plethron or stremma. This event was also part of the pentathlon. Wrestling was regarded as the best expression of strength out of all of the competitions and was represented in Greek mythology by Heracles.[citation needed]

Famous wrestlers from antiquity

Milo of Croton was one of the most famous wrestlers from this ancient time period. At one set of games, no one challenged him, but as he walked to the skamma he slipped and fell and was harassed by the crowd as they claimed he shouldn't be crowned because he fell. He contested that he should be crowned because he had only fallen once, two short of the required at least three times (Martin, 50).

Leontiskos of Messene was also a noted champion. He was not known for his good wrestling skills, but for his superior finger bending skills. He was able to bend right up to the point of disqualification and won two championships with this technique (Martin, 50). According to Suda, he was called Akrokhersites (Ἀκροχερσίτης), because he used to break the fingers of his opponent.[1]

Suda writes about the wrestler Kleostratos (Ancient Greek: Κλεόστρατος) of Rhodes who won a victory in wrestling by throttling his opponent.[2] The wrestler Topsius (Ancient Greek: Τόψιος) was the brother of the philosopher, Dio of Alexandria.[3] Demosthenes mention the Euthynus (Εὔθυνος), and write that he was a famous wrestler.[4] Aelian mention the wrestler Democrates (Δημοκράτης).[5] Diogenes Laertius mention the wrestler Ariston (Ἀρίστων) from Argos.[6]

Pausanias mention many wrestlers and statues of them:

Rules

Funerary relief (510–500 BC) depicting wrestlers
Peleus and Atalanta wrestling (Painter of Munich name vase, Attic black-figure amphora, 500–490 BC)

These are the rules of the ancient sport Palé:[45]

See also

References

  1. ^ Suda, lambda, 258
  2. ^ Suda, §tau.921
  3. ^ Suda, § tau.850
  4. ^ Demosthenes, Against Midias, 71
  5. ^ Aelian, Varia Historia, 4.15
  6. ^ Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Philosophers, 3.4
  7. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 2.20.7
  8. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 3.11.6
  9. ^ a b Pausanias, Description of Greece, 3.13.9
  10. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 5.21.9
  11. ^ a b c d e f Pausanias, Description of Greece, 5.21.10
  12. ^ a b Pausanias, Description of Greece, 5.21.16
  13. ^ a b Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.1.3
  14. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.3.6
  15. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.3.11
  16. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.4.6
  17. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.4.3
  18. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.6.1
  19. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.6.2
  20. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.6.3
  21. ^ a b Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.8.1
  22. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.9.1
  23. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.9.2
  24. ^ a b Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.9.3
  25. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.9.4
  26. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.16.7
  27. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.8.4
  28. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.8.5
  29. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.10.4
  30. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.10.5
  31. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.10.6
  32. ^ a b Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.14.1
  33. ^ a b Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.14.2
  34. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.14.11
  35. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.14.13
  36. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.15.3
  37. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.15.8
  38. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.16.1
  39. ^ a b Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.16.6
  40. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.16.9
  41. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.17.1
  42. ^ a b Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.17.4
  43. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.17.7
  44. ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 7.27.7
  45. ^ Miller, Christopher (May 2004). "Submission Fighting and the Rules of Ancient Greek Wrestling" (PDF). Judo Information Site. p. 29. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
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