Harpaston
Harpaston ( Gr. Ἁρπαστόν, dt. " Rob ", "quickly take away") was a ball game of the Greek and Roman antiquity . It served to exercise. The Romans called the game harpastum ("The exercises with the little ball"). Up until the 5th century it was one of the most popular Roman ball sports.
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Not much is known about the exact rules. It is believed that Greeks and Romans played the game according to similar rules. From today's point of view, it was a mixture of rugby and handball . It was played with two teams on a rectangular playing field. At both ends of the pitch there was a goal line 75 paces away. The aim of the game was to get the ball behind the opposing team's goal line. Each team probably consisted of 5 to 12 players. The ball could be caught out of the air, hit or thrown by hand. Body-hugging duels were obviously an integral part of the game. The ball consisted of a pig's bladder.
Clement of Alexandria speaks of a ball game called Phaininda and says that "it is played with a small ball in the sun and is very suitable for men". According to Julius Pollux and Athenaios , it is the same game as Harpaston. It was played "on dusty ground".
The gladiator doctor Galenos emphasizes in his writings that the "game with the little ball" is very inexpensive and can thus also be played by the poorest. In addition, it is the most versatile of all physical exercises that has a positive effect on the whole body. The risk of injury is also significantly lower than in other sports (at that time).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c General Encyclopedia of Sciences and Arts in alphabetical order 1828, p. 240.
- ^ Clement of Alexandria Paidagogos 10.
- ↑ Athenaios 1: 14-15.
- ↑ Martial Epigrams 4, 19: Sive harpasta manu pulverulenta rapis , [1]
- ↑ Martial, Epigrams 7, 32: Non harpasta vagus pulverulenta rapis , [2]
- ↑ Kurt Schütze: Galen - The exercises with the little ball . Berlin 1934.