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part in musical, equestrian, gymnastic, or any other competitions, the name became restricted to the competitors in gymnastic contests, and, later, to the class of professional athletes. Whereas in earlier times competitors, who were often persons of See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good See also:

BIRTH (a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages from the root of the verb " to bear ")

birth and position, entered the lists for See also:

GLORY (through the O. Fr. glorie, modern gloire, from Lat. gloria, cognate with Gr. KXebs, abets)

glory, without any See also:

IDEA (Gr. Ibia, connected with i&eiv, to see; cf. Lat. species from specere, to look at)

idea of material gain, the professional class, which arose as See also:

early as the 5th See also:

CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century B.C., was chiefly recruited from the See also:

LOWER

lower orders, with whom the better classes were unwilling to See also:

ASSOCIATE (Lat. associates, from ad, to, and sociare to join)

associate, and took up athletics entirely as a means of livelihood. See also:

Ancient philosophers, moralists and physicians were almost unanimous in condemning the profession of athletics as injurious not only to the mind but also to the See also:

BODY

body. The attack made upon it by See also:

EURIPIDES (48o–4o6 B.C.)

Euripides in the fragmentof the See also:

AUTOLYCUS

Autolycus is well known. The training for the contests was very rigorous. The See also:

MATTER

matter of See also:

DIET

diet was of See also:

GREAT

great importance; this was prescribed by the aleiptes, whose See also:

DUTY (from " due," that which is owing, O. Fr. deu, dil, past participle of devoir; Lat. debere, debitum; cf. " debt ")

duty it also was to anoint the athlete's body. At one See also:

time the See also:

PRINCIPAL

principal See also:

food consisted of fresh See also:

CHEESE (Lat. caseus)

cheese, dried See also:

FIGS

figs and wheaten See also:

BREAD

bread. After-wards See also:

MEAT

meat was introduced, generally See also:

BEEF (through O. Fr. boef, mod. boeuf, from Lat. bos, bovis, ox, Gr. f3oiir, which show the ultimate connexion with the Sanskrit go, gaits, ox, and thus with " cow")

beef, or pork; but the bread and meat were taken separately, the former at breakfast, the latter at See also:

DINNER

dinner. Except in See also:

WINE (Lat. vinum, Gr. oivos)

wine, the quantity was unlimited, and the capacity of some of the heavy-weights must have been, if such stories as those about See also:

Milo are true, enormous. In addition to the See also:

ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary gymnastic exercises of the See also:

PALAESTRA (Gr. aaXaiarpa)

palaestra, the athletes were instructed in carrying heavy loads, lifting weights, bending See also:

IRON [symbol Fe, atomic weight 55.85 (0=16)]

iron rods, striking at a suspended See also:

leather See also:

SACK

sack filled with See also:

sand or See also:

FLOUR

flour, taming bulls, &c. Boxers had to practise delving the ground, to strengthen their upper limbs.

The competitions open to athletes were See also:

RUNNING

running, leaping, throwing the See also:

DISCUS (Gr. &oEor, disk)

discus, See also:

WRESTLING (O. Eng. wrcestlian)

wrestling, See also:

BOXING (M.E. box, a blow, probably from Dan. bask, a buffet)

boxing and the pancratium, or See also:

COMBINATION (Lat. combinare, to combine)

combination of boxing and wrestling. Victory in this last was the highest achievement of an athlete, and was reserved only for men of extraordinary strength. The competitors were naked, having their bodies salved with oil. Boxers wore the See also:

CAESTUS, or CESTUS (from Lat. caedo, strike)

caestus, a strap of leather See also:

ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round the wrists and forearms, with a piece of See also:

metal in the fist, which was sometimes employed with great barbarity. An athlete could begin his career as a boy in the contests set apart for boys. He could appear again as a youth against his equals, and though always unsuccessful, could go on competing till the See also:

AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

age of See also:

THIRTY

thirty-five, when he was debarred, it being assumed that after this See also:

period of See also:

LIFE

life he could not improve. The most celebrated of the Greek athletes whose names have been handed down are Milo of See also:

CROTONA, CROTO

Crotona, Hipposthenes, Polydamas, Promachus and See also:

GLAUCUS (" bright ")

Glaucus. See also:

CYRENE [mod. Ain Shahat-Grenna]

Cyrene, famous in the time of See also:

PINDAR (Gr. HivSapos, c. 522–443 B.c.)

Pindar for its athletes, appears to have still maintained its reputation to at least the time of See also:

Alexander the Great; for in the See also:

BRITISH

British Museum are to be seen six prize vases carried off from the games at See also:

Athens by natives of that See also:

DISTRICT

district. These vases, found in the tombs, probably, of the winners, are made of See also:

clay, and painted on one See also:

side with a See also:

REPRESENTATION

representation of the contest in which they were won, and on the other side with a figure of See also:

PALLAS, PETER SIMON (1741–1811)

Pallas See also:

ATHENA (the Attic form of the Homeric Athene, also called Athenaia, Pallas Athene, Pallas)

Athena, with an inscription telling where they were gained, and in some cases adding the name of the See also:

EPONYMOUS

eponymous See also:

MAGISTRATE (Lat. magistratus, from magister, master, properly a public office, hence the person holding such an office)

magistrate of Athens, from which the exact See also:

YEAR

year can be determined. Amongst the See also:

Romans athletic contests had no doubt taken See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place from the earliest times, but according to See also:

LIVY [Thus L1v1us] (59 B.C.—A.D: 17)

Livy (xxxix. 22) professional Greek athletes were first introduced at See also:

Rome by M. Fulvius See also:

NOBILIOR, MARCUS FULVIUS

Nobilior in 186 B.C.

After the institution of the Actian games by See also:

AUGUSTUS (a name 1 derived from Lat. augeo, increase, i.e. venerable, majestic, Gr. Ee0avr6s)

Augustus, their popularity increased, until they finally supplanted the See also:

GLADIATORS (from Lat. gladius, sword)

gladiators. In the time of the See also:

EMPIRE

empire, See also:

GILDS, or GUILDS

gilds or unions of athletes were formed, each with a See also:

temple, See also:

TREASURY

treasury and exercise-ground of its own. The profession, although it ranked above that of a gladiator or an actor, was looked upon as derogatory to the dignity of a Roman, and it is a rare thing to find a Roman name amongst the athletes on See also:

INSCRIPTIONS (from Lat. inscribere, to write upon)

inscriptions. The See also:

SYSTEM

system was entirely, and the athletes themselves nearly always, Greek. (See also GAMES, CLASSICAL.) See also:

KRAUSE, KARL CHRISTIAN FRIEDRICH (1781—1832)

Krause, Gymnastik and Agonistik der Hellenen (1841) ; Friedlander, Sittengeschichte Roms, ii.; Reisch, in Pauly-Wissowa, Realencyc.

End of Article: ATHLETE (Gr. aOX177'7r; Lat. athleta)

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