The Greeks were nothing if they weren't ready to be entertained. If the many athletic competition they engaged in, the pankration was by far the the most exciting(or brutal- depending on your perspective). In this competition, the participant would do anything (except eye gauging and biting) to defeat their opponent.
The cup on the left is trophy to the winner of the pankration event.
In our day, the most analogous sport would be Mixed Martial Arts. Much to the dismay of my concerned mother I started to fight MMA about 1.5 years ago. Its a great work out, awesome life skill, and significantly less dangerous then the practically anything-goes pankration. MMA has substantially more rules to prevent severe, permanent damage. The picture to the right is of me (left) competing in a Muay Thai fight. Muay Thai is the stand up fighting style used in MMA.
Wow! This was incredibly intriguing and I find it awesome that you are able to compete at such an intense sport. I had never heard of "pankration" before this either. It's so true when you say that the greeks loved to be entertained and I loved the way you are able to connect through your MMA skills.
ReplyDeleteI hear stories of pankration and gladiators and I have historically felt that that brutality has come and gone. It surprised me to read the connection that you made- a milder version still exists! And society is still using it for entertainment and sport. Intriguing concept!
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