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Sports in the Ancient Mediterranean
Sports and athleticism was a cornerstone of life in the ancient Mediterranean. Hunting, dancing, gymnastics, and charioteering were favorite sports of the elite in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The Greeks and Romans were especially...
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Hercules Wrestling Antaeus
A copper-alloy figurine group showing Hercules wrestling the Libyan giant Antaeus. From Alexandria. 2nd-1st century BCE. (National Archaeological Museum, Athens)
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Greek Wrestling
A detail of a wrestling scene, c. 510 BCE from the base of a funerary kouros. (National Archaeological Museum, Athens)
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Greek Wrestlers
A relief from a funerary kouros base depicting two Greek wrestlers, one of the sports at such events as the Olympic Games at Olympia. c. 510 BCE. (National Archaeological Museum, Athens)
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How an Amateur Built the World's Biggest Dome
In 1418, Filippo Brunelleschi was tasked with building the largest dome ever seen at the time. He had no formal architecture training. Yet experts still don't fully understand the brilliant methods he used in contructing the dome, which tops...
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Atalanta Wrestling Peleus
Atalanta wrestling Peleus. A detail from a c. 530 BCE black-figure Chalcidian hydria from Vulci. The two wrestlers have a boar skin in the background, undoubtedly the prize for the victor and a clear link between this event and the Calydonian...
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Gilgamesh Wrestling Two Bulls
This stone piece is carved with a scene depicting Gilgamesh wrestling two bulls. From the great temple at Tell Agrab, Diyala Valley, Iraq. Early Dynastic period, 2600-2370 BCE. On display at the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, Republic of Iraq.
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A Sumo Wrestling Bout
A sumo wrestling bout where many of the pre-contact rituals derive from Shinto practices.
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Bronze Plaque Showing Cupids Wrestling & Boxing
The background metal is bronze containing traces of a gold and silver, and its surface has been deliberately darkened, perhaps by organic acids. It may be an example of what Pliny calls "Corinthian bronze", which was said to contain gold...
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Atalanta
Atalanta is a figure from Greek mythology famed as a huntress, wrestler, and runner. The heroine was a key participant in the Calydonian boar hunt, striking the first wound in this fearsome beast with her bow. Long-determined to remain a...
