Wrestling and Boxing
Legend says that wrestling began because of the great wrestling match
between Zeus and his father Kronos. They were wrestling for possession
of the earth. Zeus won and took over the peaks of the earth. In the valley,
where the games and ceremonies were held, it was known as a commemoration
of the victory of Zeus over his father.
Wrestling was classified by age rather than weight. Only really big
men won this event. The Greeks called this a "heavy" event. Lots
of wrestlers went to the palaestra or wrestling school. Wrestlers oiled
themselves and then were sprinkled with dust by their opponent. The wrestling
events were judged by 3 falls. A fall was determined by the shoulders hitting
the ground. After 3, the winner was pronounced.
Boxing was classified the same way as wrestling. There are no rounds,
so the boxers had to keep fighting until someone held up their hand to
symbolize their defeat. Boxers used soft leather thongs (strips of leather
that covered the hand)on their hands. They also took every precaution against
cutting or breaking the skin.
In the later games, an event called the pankration was included. The
pankration was a combination of wrestling and boxing that also included
combat devices. The competitors wore no thongs on their hands. There was no gouging
of eyes or biting. "The aim of the pankratist was to put his opponent
in such a position that he was compelled to admit defeat or else suffer
strangulations or a broken limb." (Harris, 1972, pg 26) If the one
who was being defeated didn't surrender, there were times when this event
was fatal.