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This, In Turn, Had A Major Impact Upon The Kind Of Hero Who Was To Emerge ...

This, in turn, had a major impact upon the kind of hero who was to emerge from the boxing arena or from the gladiatorial spectacles of Imperial Rome. To be a virtuous hero, one had to be from a cultured class. This necessarily impacted upon the writing of ancient Greek and Roman chroniclers who revelled in the brutality and barbarism of the fighting credentials of some of the lower classes. Thus, much of the literary description of boxing scenes in the ancient world is tinged with an inevitable hint of sycophantism and exaggeration of the true nature of the fighting taking place due to the inherent arrogance of the ruling classes, which was fuelled by their distaste and disgust of the lower classes. Consequently, and as ever with regards to ancient source material, caution must be the historian's constant companion when appraising scenes of competition and boxing in ancient Greek and Roman texts.
Boxing in the Ancient World
Before commencing detailed analysis of the portrayal of boxing in The Iliad, mention must be made of the difference between the ancient conception of boxing and the way that it is understood in the modern world. While both pursuits have been labelled as ‘sports', boxing in the ancient era was a much more vicious and, indeed, life threatening pastime. Boxers in the ancient world fought until one of the competitors was either knocked unconscious or was battered into such a state of submission as to be wholly unable to continue the fight at which point the contest would be brought to a close by a recognised adjudicator. Therefore, unlike in the modern day, there were no Queensbury rules to abide by, although both the ancient Greeks and the Romans preferred their boxing heroes to fight with their fists and to incorporate a great deal of aestheticism into their art. Thus, a boxer would not be considered to be heroic or iconic if he fought in what we would understand as a ‘dirty' way. Fairness was adjudged to be as worthy a personal attribute as valour. This basic moral premise was first established by Homer where the dirty fighters (usually the Trojans) are soon despatched by the remorseless and unforgiving gods. Likewise, a boxer could not be considered to be a hero if there was not the omnipresent threat of death and destruction to contend with. Only by battling against fierce odds and an even fiercer fate should he lose could the ancient boxer lay claim to the title of ‘hero'. As Pindar wrote, ‘prowess without hazard has no honour among men or among the hollow ships.' (Poliakoff, 1995:113)
In addition, it is also important to note that boxing in the ancient world was closely allied to warfare, which is not true of the pugilistic sport as it is conceived of in the modern day.


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