The pankration (το παγκρατιον) was quite possibly the most dangerous and physically demanding of all ancient Olympic events. It was a no holds barred martial art, save for two rules: no biting and no eye-gouging. The Spartans, we are told, permitted even biting and gouging as they saw the sport as training for live combat.

The name pankration itself means “all powers”, but the sport was also known by its older name, pammachion (παμμαχιον): “total combat”.

The Origins of Pankration

Even the ancient Greeks were none too sure where this sport came from. Some said it was invented by the semi-divine hero Heracles in order to slay the Nemean lion who could not be harmed by biting or eye-gouging. Others said it was the legendary founder-king of Athens, Theseus, who first used pankration techniques in order to slay the Minotaur. For our purposes, it was probably invented some time at the beginning of the 7th century BCE and it became an official Olympic event in the Olympic Games of 648 BCE.

Ancient Martial Arts Training and Preparation

Like other Greek athletes, the pankratiast started his physical education as a young boy attending the gymnasium and the more specific palaestra with other boys his age group.

If he showed particular promise for the pankration, he might pursue something of an athletic career and hire a pankration trainer (or his father might) to help him develop his own particular style of fighting. With trainers, or on his own, he would develop a rigorous and varied training programme to gain speed, endurance and strength. He would have regulated his sleep and his exercise and followed a strict diet, perhaps influenced by the athletic hero of his time as was the case for many of the runners in the 5th century BCE who changed their diet of high-dairy to one of high-meat to model the great long-distance runner Dromeus of Stymphalos.

Much like the modern kickboxer, the pankratiast would have practised sparring using cushioned boxing gloves, and when a sparring partner was not available he would have used a punching bag and a variety of striking dummies.

The Competition

Just like in Greek boxing and wrestling, there were no weight divisions in the pankration. Who fought whom was decided by the drawing of lots and the loser of each fight was eliminated from the next round of drawings until a single victor was left. As such, there was an element of luck involved. If a fighter met with relatively easy opponents in the beginning, or perhaps ended up without an opponent for a round or two on account of uneven numbers of fighters, he was naturally more rested for the finals than a fighter who met only with tough opponents and did not sit out any rounds.

The fight ended when a fighter gave up, usually by raising a hand or an index finger, or when the judges either decided that one fighter had enough or declared a tie.

The Dead Victor

Arrhachion’s opponent, having already a grip around his waist, thought to kill him and put an arm around his neck and choked off his breath. At the same time he slipped his legs through Arrhachion’s groin and wound his feet inside Arrhachion’s knees and pulled back until the sleep of death began to creep over Arrhachion’s senses. But Arrhachion was not done yet, for as his opponent began to relax the pressure of his legs, Arrhachion kicked away his own right foot and fell heavily to the left holding his opponent at the groin with his left knee still holding his opponent’s foot firmly. So violent was the fall that the opponent’s left ankle was wretched from its socket. For Arrhachion’s soul, though it leaves his body feeble, still gives him strength for his purpose. The one who is strangling Arrhachion is painted to look like a corpse as he signals with his hand that he is giving up. But Arrhachion is painted as are all victors. His blood is in full flower and sweat still glistens and he smiles like a living man who sees his victory.
Philostratos, Pictures in a Gallery 2.6

The pankration was not the only ancient Olympic event in which a dead man was reputedly crowned as victor, but it is one in which the story sounds plausible. The dead victor of Greek boxing supposedly had his intestines torn out and won simply because of a technical error on his opponent’s part.

About the author: E P Wohlfart is a twenty-something freelance writer with a Classical Archaeology degree, a laptop and a maxed-out library card. Aside from administrating PastPresenters.com, which she started in 2008, she works with several historical publications and is a regular contributor at Suite101.