cepted as an official sport. It quickly became one of the most popular
events, so much so that pankration was later added to the boys’ Olympic
Games. Practitioners of the art (pankrationists) received the highest honors
and accolades from adoring crowds. Winners of the pankration became in-
stant celebrities and were assured of income for the rest of their lives. Those
few who won repeatedly at the games achieved legendary fame in the
sports-obsessed Greek world and were sometimes even worshipped as
semidivine beings.
Pankration enjoyed continued popularity throughout the Greek city-
states. Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates all enjoyed the art. Plato, in fact, was
a practitioner, but warned that this style of fighting did not teach its prac-
titioners to “keep to their feet,” possibly a reference to the fact that most
pankration matches were decided by grappling on the ground. Alexander
the Great, a Hellenized Macedonian, was also a pankration expert.
Alexander took many pankrationists with him when he set out to conquer
the globe, including Dioxipus of Rhodes, one of the most formidable
pankrationists in history. In addition, many of his troops were trained in
the art. It has been argued that, during Alexander’s Indian campaign,
pankration techniques were disseminated to the population of southern
Asia. If this is the case, then these techniques might have influenced Asian
martial arts. This theory remains a source of debate among scholars of
fighting arts.
Pankration matches began with the two competitors stepping into the
arena or onto a platform. There were no rings or barriers. Falling off the
platform meant that the match would resume again; running away from
the combat area was a sign of cowardice, which resulted in a loss. A ref-
eree armed with a switch supervised the match. If he observed an illegal
maneuver, he employed the switch to break the competitors apart. In addi-
tion, it is speculated that the referee would employ the switch if the action
between competitors lagged.
There were no weight classes in the art; it is not surprising, therefore,
that pankration became the domain of heavyweight contenders who could
use their superior size to their advantage. Competitors fought naked with-
out any body or hand protection. Pankration matches had no time limit.
The only way to end a match was to signal surrender by raising a hand or
by being rendered unconscious through a choke hold or blow. The matches
sometimes ended in death. With joint locks also allowed in competition,
disfigurement and loss of limbs were also dangers.
Pankration had two basic forms: kato(literally, down) pankration
and ano(up) pankration. Ano pankration was a less severe form of the art,
in which the pankrationists had to remain standing. Ano pankration was
essentially a form of kickboxing, in which blows from both the hands and
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