A History Of Wrestling
Chapter Three: Arrival of the New Era - Romans Reign
#PWHS #Article #AHistoryOfWrestling #AHOW #ArrivalOfTheNewEra #RomansReign
"When none adventured in the Olympic sand
The might of boisterous Milo to withstand,
The unrivaled chief advanced to seize the crown,
But mid his triumph slipped unwary down.
The people shouted and forbade bestow
The wreath on him who fell without a foe.
But rising in the midst, he stood and cried,
'Do not three falls the victory decide?
Fortune, indeed, hath given me one, but who
Will untake to throw me th' other two?'
To the swift victor be no more assigned
The bleating offspring of the fleecy kind,
But from the olive with spontaneous grows
In Pisa's vule a verdant crown compose
That olive round, whose venerable head
Her subtle textures hath Arachne spread."
The new era started the way it ended with the Romans firmly in control of a large portion of the globe. So it should be no surprise the passage quoted above was originally written by Seneca the Younger, the famed Roman philosopher. The passage is from De Beneficiis which he completed in 62 C.E. In it he speaks of the wrestler Milo. Nearly a full 2,000 years later, Milo was also spoken of in Nat Fleischer's renown publication, From Milo to Londos. Seneca went on to explain a wrestler who lost three times could not receive the prize. The first mention of just a straight-up prize. The next important piece of written confirmation of wrestling was only translated in 2014. Literally the importance of the papyrus written on in 267 C.E. can not be overstated.
"When competing in the competition for the boy [Demetrius], to fall three times and yield." For doing so he was to be paid "three thousand eight hundred drachmas of silver." The contract, yes, it appears to be an actual contract. A contract that included if Demetrius should renege on the arrangements and thus breach the agreed upon terms he would had to pay a forfeit of "three talents of silver" to his opponent. Nicantinmous was to stand across the wrestling arena from Demetrius in the finals of a tournament for teenagers. Nicantinmous's father actually drew up the document which was signed by Demetrius's trainers.
It had been speculated on for a long time that there were fixed wrestling matches going back all the way to when there was something to place a bet on, or another way to gain from doing so. Especially during the Roman Empire's rule when prizes of value were regularly up for grabs in competitive games. There probably is no better time than now to point out prostitutes lined the streets during the Roman Empire. They were not hard to locate and by nowhere near as taboo as that method of earning a buck would be in other periods throughout history. Anyway, even to the sceptics it was not a major surprise when news of the papyrus broke-out across social media upon the document being successfully translated and posted. Something else quite interesting about the Demetrius-Nicantinmous affair is that the tournament was due to take place during a religious festival.
Emperor Hadrian founded the Antinoeia Festival in memory of the passing of his favorite companion, the young Greek, Antinous. The festival and all it's proceedings took place in the newly formed town of Antinopolis (notice a pattern here?). Part of the festival were the Great Antinoeia Games. Hadrian founded the new settlement just off of the River Nile in Egypt where Antinous drowned. By the time of Demetrius and Nicantinous the events were in their 138th year. Clearly this wasn't just a throwaway affair. Not only had it been founded as a very emotional tribute from Emperor to his deceased lover, a lover whom had all of the above in his name. On top of all that Hadrian also had Antinous deified! Really it shouldn't be a shock that it was still thriving when the contract was mad in 267 C.E. Unfortunately, we currently know not what happened in the bout.
The fact the above date is near enough slap-bang in the middle of the Roman Empire's timeline, it tells us two things:
Firstly, that one can all-but guarantee the continuance of crookedness within wrestling for the rest of the Empire's existence.
Secondly, the odds of the only known contract of this kind in the ancient world also being the very first instance of fixing are highly improbable. Add in an additional clause in the contract stated if the combatants should be found out as sham artists and the match consequently being discarded, Demetrius still had to be paid his. money. The reason being he would have been thrown as planned and it could not be proven otherwise.
It is very possible to continue down the road of reasoning as to why it's unlikely this was not the first instance of match fixing. So, here's one more, what is in my opinion, big reason for why. There's no need for a contract with details like the ones mentioned above, unless in the past something had gone awry. Maybe the money was not paid or was taken and the job not done. Ever wondered where the term "doing the job" first came from? Just food for thought. Of course the wronged party could not enter into official channels with a complaint. Another way of ensuring the contract(s) were enforced must have been in place though.
Those who were so confident the Roman Empire had been the key period to the beginnings of fixed wrestling matches certainly threw their arms up in jubilation. With around three hundred years of Roman dominance in the history books prior to the contact signing, it's possible that the practice had been going on for the entirety of the time. Who knows, maybe it even went on before the Romans. It seems to me both the Greeks and Egyptians were sophisticated enough and both had forms of currency. Bribery in ancient Greece is known of. There are texts which speak of "greedy athletes" and other comments alluding to the idea of crookedness within sport. Just nothing conclusive nor specifically pertaining to wrestling.
From around 300 C.E. and lasting for several centuries afterword the Roman Empire slowly crumbled across all of what is now Europe. If it was not already considered a sport from Italy to England and over the northern parts of Africa, it was by time the Romans Reign was over. A time of formation was upon the continent of Europe for pretty much the rest of the millennia. Travel, War, Retreat. Were three of the main activities for men during the period. How did they fit wrestling in? Or did they? I'm sure we'll find out in part four of this six part article. As sure as I am religion will play a part in one way or another, let's not forget the Romans were conquering in the name of Christianity.
The might of boisterous Milo to withstand,
The unrivaled chief advanced to seize the crown,
But mid his triumph slipped unwary down.
The people shouted and forbade bestow
The wreath on him who fell without a foe.
But rising in the midst, he stood and cried,
'Do not three falls the victory decide?
Fortune, indeed, hath given me one, but who
Will untake to throw me th' other two?'
To the swift victor be no more assigned
The bleating offspring of the fleecy kind,
But from the olive with spontaneous grows
In Pisa's vule a verdant crown compose
That olive round, whose venerable head
Her subtle textures hath Arachne spread."
The new era started the way it ended with the Romans firmly in control of a large portion of the globe. So it should be no surprise the passage quoted above was originally written by Seneca the Younger, the famed Roman philosopher. The passage is from De Beneficiis which he completed in 62 C.E. In it he speaks of the wrestler Milo. Nearly a full 2,000 years later, Milo was also spoken of in Nat Fleischer's renown publication, From Milo to Londos. Seneca went on to explain a wrestler who lost three times could not receive the prize. The first mention of just a straight-up prize. The next important piece of written confirmation of wrestling was only translated in 2014. Literally the importance of the papyrus written on in 267 C.E. can not be overstated.
"When competing in the competition for the boy [Demetrius], to fall three times and yield." For doing so he was to be paid "three thousand eight hundred drachmas of silver." The contract, yes, it appears to be an actual contract. A contract that included if Demetrius should renege on the arrangements and thus breach the agreed upon terms he would had to pay a forfeit of "three talents of silver" to his opponent. Nicantinmous was to stand across the wrestling arena from Demetrius in the finals of a tournament for teenagers. Nicantinmous's father actually drew up the document which was signed by Demetrius's trainers.
It had been speculated on for a long time that there were fixed wrestling matches going back all the way to when there was something to place a bet on, or another way to gain from doing so. Especially during the Roman Empire's rule when prizes of value were regularly up for grabs in competitive games. There probably is no better time than now to point out prostitutes lined the streets during the Roman Empire. They were not hard to locate and by nowhere near as taboo as that method of earning a buck would be in other periods throughout history. Anyway, even to the sceptics it was not a major surprise when news of the papyrus broke-out across social media upon the document being successfully translated and posted. Something else quite interesting about the Demetrius-Nicantinmous affair is that the tournament was due to take place during a religious festival.
Emperor Hadrian founded the Antinoeia Festival in memory of the passing of his favorite companion, the young Greek, Antinous. The festival and all it's proceedings took place in the newly formed town of Antinopolis (notice a pattern here?). Part of the festival were the Great Antinoeia Games. Hadrian founded the new settlement just off of the River Nile in Egypt where Antinous drowned. By the time of Demetrius and Nicantinous the events were in their 138th year. Clearly this wasn't just a throwaway affair. Not only had it been founded as a very emotional tribute from Emperor to his deceased lover, a lover whom had all of the above in his name. On top of all that Hadrian also had Antinous deified! Really it shouldn't be a shock that it was still thriving when the contract was mad in 267 C.E. Unfortunately, we currently know not what happened in the bout.
The fact the above date is near enough slap-bang in the middle of the Roman Empire's timeline, it tells us two things:
Firstly, that one can all-but guarantee the continuance of crookedness within wrestling for the rest of the Empire's existence.
Secondly, the odds of the only known contract of this kind in the ancient world also being the very first instance of fixing are highly improbable. Add in an additional clause in the contract stated if the combatants should be found out as sham artists and the match consequently being discarded, Demetrius still had to be paid his. money. The reason being he would have been thrown as planned and it could not be proven otherwise.
It is very possible to continue down the road of reasoning as to why it's unlikely this was not the first instance of match fixing. So, here's one more, what is in my opinion, big reason for why. There's no need for a contract with details like the ones mentioned above, unless in the past something had gone awry. Maybe the money was not paid or was taken and the job not done. Ever wondered where the term "doing the job" first came from? Just food for thought. Of course the wronged party could not enter into official channels with a complaint. Another way of ensuring the contract(s) were enforced must have been in place though.
Those who were so confident the Roman Empire had been the key period to the beginnings of fixed wrestling matches certainly threw their arms up in jubilation. With around three hundred years of Roman dominance in the history books prior to the contact signing, it's possible that the practice had been going on for the entirety of the time. Who knows, maybe it even went on before the Romans. It seems to me both the Greeks and Egyptians were sophisticated enough and both had forms of currency. Bribery in ancient Greece is known of. There are texts which speak of "greedy athletes" and other comments alluding to the idea of crookedness within sport. Just nothing conclusive nor specifically pertaining to wrestling.
From around 300 C.E. and lasting for several centuries afterword the Roman Empire slowly crumbled across all of what is now Europe. If it was not already considered a sport from Italy to England and over the northern parts of Africa, it was by time the Romans Reign was over. A time of formation was upon the continent of Europe for pretty much the rest of the millennia. Travel, War, Retreat. Were three of the main activities for men during the period. How did they fit wrestling in? Or did they? I'm sure we'll find out in part four of this six part article. As sure as I am religion will play a part in one way or another, let's not forget the Romans were conquering in the name of Christianity.
Unique content strictly for the Professional Wrestling Historical Society.
A History Of Wrestling: Chapter Three.
Author: Jimmy Wheeler.
Published: October 6, 2017.
Article: #176.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
A History Of Wrestling: Chapter Three.
Author: Jimmy Wheeler.
Published: October 6, 2017.
Article: #176.
Editor: Jimmy Wheeler.
A History Of Wrestling: Chapter Four - Read Here.
A History Of Wrestling: Chapter Two - Read Here.
Other articles by Jimmy can be Read Here.