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CHAPTER ELEVEN.
What the pancratium or pammachium was. It was composed of a boxing match and a wrestling match. When it came into use. Whether the volutatorium is distinct from it. Various matters pertaining to this. Antaeus, very skilled in intertwining and disentangling himself from his opponent. This game was very famous and was even practiced by nobles. Also by the most well-born daughters of Sparta. But it was despised and forbidden by some. Wrestling on the floor.
§ I.
Now follows the competitive game that the Greeks call pancratium (Suidas in voce). The word is composed of 'pan', which means 'all', and 'kratos', which means 'strength': and thus signifies a combat with all strength. It was also called pammachium, again from 'pan', 'all', and 'machè', 'battle': and thus means something like 'all-out battle'. Its practitioners were called pancratiasts or pammachians, that is, 'fighters with all strength' or 'all-out-battle fighters'. Scaliger gives this description of it (Scaliger in the cited passage): "It was similar to boxing: for the pancratiast tried with fists and all limbs; one also misused heels, knees, and even teeth. Hence the name, etc.", namely, the name 'battle with all power' and 'all-out battle', that is, with the whole body or with all its parts.
§ II.
This game was composed of a boxing match and a wrestling match. This is clear enough from the statement of Aristotle (Aristotle, Rhetoric, book 1, chapter 5): "The athletic proficiency of the body is composed of size, strength, and speed; for whoever is fast is also strong. He who can thrust out his legs well and move them quickly and far is a runner. He who can press and hold is a wrestler. But he who can drive a blow is a boxer. He who masters both (namely, wrestling and boxing) is a pancratiast, a fighter with all strength. But he who is good at everything is a pentathlete." This is also crystal clear from Plutarch, when he indicates that the pancratium is a mixed form of boxing and wrestling (Plutarch, Symposion, book 2, chapter 4).
This game, which arose from the mixture of two that existed previously, came into use later. The exact time around which it was introduced into the Olympic stadium is also indicated to us by Pausanias, when he says that it was established in the eighth Olympiad after the horse race with adult horses was established (Pausanias, book 5; Struchius, paragraph 17). Since that was introduced in the 25th, this must have been introduced around the 32nd Olympiad.
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§ III.
Mercurialis, however, distinguished it and made two types of it (Mercurialis, On the art of gymnastics, book 2, chapter 8), namely one that was composed of wrestling and boxing, and another, which he calls 'volutatorium', which means 'the rolling'. Salmasius, however, thinks that he was misled by the words of Plutarch, which are found just before the just-cited ones; where he says etc. "But the wrestling match and the pancratium were mainly concerned with wrestling holds and grappling"; that he, by adding the other statement to this, namely that the pancratium consisted of wrestling and boxing, took the opportunity to make two out of one thing. Salmasius therefore concludes that there was only one pancratium, namely that which consisted of boxing and wrestling, and that this was the same as the volutatorium. The same opinion is also held by the aforementioned Faber, who says (Faber, book 1, chapter 10, in the margin): "where he (namely Mercurialis) posits two types of pancratium, namely one that is a fusion of wrestling and boxing, and another, the rolling one. But I believe this to be one and the same."
§ IV.
We believe then, that this game, when it proceeded entirely according to the rules, went as follows. 1. First, these fighters stood opposite each other, adopted a stance and positioned all their limbs in such a way that they were as secure as possible to evade attacks, and at the same time were ready to strike blows, as Gellius says (Aulus Gellius, Noctes Atticae). 2. After that, they hit each other with their fists, like boxers, but with their fingers not fully, but only half-clenched, and without those murder weapons, which are described elsewhere under the name 'caestus'. 3. After some time, they tried to grab each other, turn and
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swing each other, to throw each other to the ground. And then 4. they threw themselves on the ground and intertwined their limbs as much as possible, rolled through each other in various ways, and disengaged themselves again, as the situation required. This was done so artfully that it was beyond all amazement. These actions were called 'grappling', 'rolling matches', 'ground tumbling', and so on. See Salmasius. And finally 5. they hit and struck each other with fists (Salmasius in the cited passage), knees and feet, bit each other, and so on.
§ V.
In the art of artfully intertwining with one's opponent and disengaging oneself at the right moment, Antaeus, with whom Hercules had to deal, was very experienced of old, and thereby very famous. Therefore Solinus says about him (Solinus, chapter 24): "he (Antaeus), knowing best how to intertwine and disentangle himself on the earth, as if he was born from his mother the earth, was conquered on that same earth by Hercules." Hercules, however, conquered and killed him. But how was that possible, one might ask, while he knew best how to hold and disengage, and the poets tell (which Solinus also does not forget to mention here) that he, born from the earth, gained new strength from the touch of his mother? The answer is: by holding him up, preventing the assistance of his mother, and then strangling him to death. See about this the allusions of Statius (Statius, Thebaïd, book 6, verse 882 and following), Lucanus (Lucanus, book 4, verse 636), Juvenalis (Juvenalis, Satire 3, verses 88-89), Seneca (Seneca in Hercules Oetaeus, act 1, verse 24) and others. Because he is the shortest, Juvenalis may be allowed to speak here alone: (Juvenalis, Satire 3, verses 88-89)
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"he equals Hercules in the posture (Juvenalis, Satire 3, verses 88-89) in which he stood and held Antaeus from the earth." (Seneca in Hercules Oetaeus, act 1, verse 24)
He was, however, also a great giant, as Mela himself proves based on his shield, which used to be preserved in Tingis (Pomponius Mela, book 1, chapter 5), and also so cruel that he killed all foreigners, from whose skulls he was said to have built a temple for Neptune.
§ VI.
This game became as famous as any other. It undoubtedly gained extra luster because Hercules had practiced it. Therefore, nobles and great men also devoted themselves to it, as is evident from the Athenian prince Phrynon, who passed for a very famous pancratiast (Mercurialis, book 2, chapter 11). Pittacus of Mytilene, who had however hidden a rope under his shield, entangled him so that he conquered him. Autolycus also had such a great name in this art that a magnificent statue was erected for him in the Prytaneum in Athens in his honor. Hence, also the most well-born daughters in Sparta practiced this game, as we have shown earlier with this verse of Propertius (Propertius, book 3, elegy 13):
“Pulverulentaque ad extremas stat foemina metas,
Et patitur duro vulnera Pancratio.”
That is:
A woman covered in dust stands at the finish line,
And endures the wounds of the hard pancratium.
Standing at the finish line refers to the running race, but
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the second verse refers to the game we are dealing with in this chapter, as the name pancratium itself indicates. However, this game was at the same time despised by some, namely by those who also rejected the cruel boxing match. This was generally done by the Greek sages, Alexander the Great, and indeed, Lycurgus had forbidden its public practice, among other things again because the vanquished, if he could no longer resist, had to give a sign and confess his defeat. Teaching this to the people would unlearn them the magnanimous bravery that is so necessary in war. And such a confession was necessary here, because a person's loss was not apparent from a fall or being underneath, since he, while being underneath, could perfectly well wear out his opponent, injure him in many ways, conquer him, and force the confession.
§ VII.
The illustration of the wrestling and falling pancratiasts is provided by Hieronymus Mercurialis and can be found on p. 147, with the caption PANCRATIUM VOLUTATORIUM.
§ VIII.
Undoubtedly, this was the same as the 'wrestling on the floor', which Antyllus also speaks of in Oribasius (Oribasius, 6th Collection, chapter 27). It did, however, differ from that which is called 'alindesis' by Hippocrates (Hippocrates, On diet), in which one (Caelius Aurelianus, book 2, On diet), or two, or more, without a struggle or grappling, simply rolled over the bare floor. By Galenus, this was counted among the quick movements (Galenus, book 2, On the preservation of health).