If we wish to get some medicine we go to the proper place, the drug store; if we wish to acquire culture and education, we go to school; and, of course, if wish to possess historical information we turn our endeavors towards ancient Greece.

Pugilism is an ancient game. But it is not as ancient as are Running and Wrestling. The game of Boxing first began at the 23rd Olympiad, that is, the year 688 B.C. when Onomastos was the victor.

In honor of Patroclos, after his burial Achilles ordered boxing games to be held. Epeios was the victor. Plato, in his writings proclaimed Epeios as the originator of the game. At the island of Corfu (Phaeacon) King Alkinos, in honor of Odysseus, participated in a boxing game.

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In this contest, the son of the King was the victor. Mythology tells us that Apollon was the patron god of Boxing. Other sources tell us that Polydeukes was its originator, still others claim that the Lacedemons were the first to introduce Boxing in athletics.

The boxers of ancient Greece used to cover their hands with leather straps, and on certain occasions a metallic sheet of lead was inserted, for a knockout, I presume.

Later on, they discarded those leather-straps that bandaged the hands and leather gloves were used instead. These prepared boxing gloves were made to cover the wrist, the thumb, and lower half of the fingers.

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Before the game took place the gloves were examined by umpires to see that they were simple and of the same quality. Hogs hide and solid substances were prohibited in the construction of the gloves. Clinching was not permitted. The heads of the fighters, writers tell us, at the end of the game were unrecognizable from the blows they inflicted on each other. The defeated one would depart from the stadium in a miserable physical condition, scarcely moving his feet, spitting blood, and his head inclined. Head masks, or protectors, were used in training exercises, but they were taken off at the match. Those masks at the beginning were made of leather, but later on were made out of copper.

The skill and dexterity of the fighters became so developed that some of the contestants were proclaimed victorious by their adversaries, who could not inflict any wounds upon the victor. It is said that Ippomahos at the Olympics, won three victories without receiving a single blow.

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His dexterity prevented his being hit. Kleoxenos from Alexandria won victories in the four Pan-hellenic games without a single wound. The victors possessed not only physical and mental vigor but, also, perseverance, patience and endurance. Many deaths took place at the boxing games, due to the persistance of those who would not acknowledge defeat before the final death blow was delivered.

Noted pugilism in ancient Greece were many but time and space compel us to mention only a few.

Glaucon from Karystos, with his father, was plowing the field one day when the plowshare fell out of place. Instead of using a sledge hammer to replace it, the youngster used his fist. The father of the youth, on witnessing the incident, took him to Olympia and enrolled him in the boxing games. During the combat the untrained youth was severely beaten by his skillful adversary. The father, who was watching the fight, said to him, "O son, the plowshare blow."

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Glaucon, comprehending his father's request brought down a terrific right that sent his skillful adversary rolling to the gates of Cerberus.

Another boxer of note was Diagoras of Rhodos. He was victor in all the boxing combats, and Pindaros says that this giant was over 10 1/2 feet tall.

N. Alexopoulos,

School Principal