Pagration (Pan+Kratos)

Description

The ancient Hellenic martial art of Pankration has described in this unique research of Gregory Zorzos from the ancient times until today. It is known in many names today such as: Pangkration, Pancraio, Paradosimos, Pankration, Pancratium, Pangratius, Pankration, Pancrace, Pankratos, Pancrazio, Pagration, Pangration, Sanda etc Research includes many ancient scripts from ancient texts from many countries and many archeological items from many places. The analysis proved that all modern martial arts of the world have their roots from the ancient Hellas. Some parts of Pankration consists today's martial arts such as Grabble Submission, tug-of-war, sumo, kickboxing etc. and the author has wrote some specific books on this parts of Pankration. Mr. Zorzos was founder of the Pangration Federation and also the President of the Historic Committee. This work has been approved from the Ministry of Culture and the Hellenic Army. This research has get award: WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD, Mr. Gregory Zorzos, Historian Author of The Hellenic Martial Arts, Pammachon and Pankration. Also from SAE: I am pleased to continue to offer the support of «World Council of Hellenes Abroad» (SAE) since your efforts [about Pammachon and Pankration] help to increase appreciation for the Hellenic roots of the martial arts. Andrew Athens, President SAE. A summary of this book is used as a FM (Fight Manual) for the Army and Police forces. PANCRATIUM is composed of pan and kratos, and accordingly signifies an athletic game, in which all the powers of the fighter were called into action. The Pancratium was one of the games or gymnastic contests which were exhibited at all the great festivals of Greece; it consisted of boxing and wrestling (pigmi and pali), and was reckoned to be one of the heavy or hard exercises (varea or varitera), on account of the violent exertions it required, and for this reason it was not much practised in the gymnasia; and where it was practised, it was probably not without modifications to render it easier for the boys. According to the ancient physicians it had very rarely a beneficial influence upon health. At Sparta the regular Pancratium was forbidden, but the name was there applied to a fierce and irregular fight not controlled by any rules, in which even biting and scratching were not uncommon, and in which, in short, everything was allowed by which one of the parties might hope to overcome the other. It is scarcely possible to speak of an inventor of the Pancratium, as it must have gradually arisen out of a rude mode of fighting, which is customary among all uncivilized nations, and which was kept up at Sparta in its original state. After the Pancratium was once introduced at Olympia, it soon found its way also into the other great games of Greece, and in the times of the Roman emperors we also find it practised in Italy. At the Isthmian games the Pancratium for boys is not mentioned till the reign of Domitian, but this may be merely accidental, and the game may have been practised long before that time. Philostratus says that the Pancratium of men was the most beautiful of all athletic contests; and the combatants must certainly have shown to the spectators a variety of beautiful and exciting spectacles, as all the arts of boxing and wrestling appeared here united. The combatants in the Pancratium did not use the cestus, or if they did, it was the [cestus], so that the hands remained free, and wounds were not easily inflicted. The name of these combatants was Pancratiastae. They fought naked, and had their bodies anointed and covered with sand, by which they were en-abled to take hold of one another. In cases where the contests of the Pancratiastae were not regulated by strict rules, it might, as at Sparta, sometimes happen, that the fighters made use of their teeth and nails; but such irregularities probably did not occur at any of the great public games.