Fists of Glory

Abstract

A total history of ancient Greek boxing, the book covers more than a thousand years of history and draws on all available documentation: not only texts referring to ancient boxers (historical, poetic, philosophical, medical) but also inscriptions in honor of athletes, archeological documents—such as the only two ancient gloves preserved, found at Vindolanda, and the skeleton of an ancient boxer from Herculaneum—and all artifacts depicting boxers—statues, statuettes, reliefs, mosaics, cameos, as well as several hundred scenes on vases depicting boxers in action. Ancient and modern boxing are compared throughout, allowing a fresh look at practices that are familiar to us and a better understanding of the unique features of ancient practices. All aspects of boxing are covered: not only the technical repertoire, rules, and prohibitions but alsothe daily lives of boxers, including training methods; diet; equipment; careers; corruption; the dangers of a boxer’s life, whether in terms of injuries or the risk of dying in the stadium; the role of fear and strategy; and the social profile of boxers. The book includes the sensory dimension of the discipline, the place of blood, sweat, and leather in pugilistic ancient culture, and recovers the meaning of boxing in the ancient world, where it was thought of first and foremost as an avatar of war, and as a way of perpetuating values associated with masculine identity.