The experimental "archeo-machiology"
by Fabio Tumazzo (consultant to Ars Diminicandi) |
A research on the subject for the University of Milan, together with Società di Cultura Metodologico-Operativa.(www.methodologia.it)
(translated into English by Andrea Bottazzi)
The "machiologia" is the martial arts comparative study , from the Greek word "machia" which means fight. The experimental "archeo-machiologia" is an archeology finalized to the reconstruction of ancient athletics activities. In particular Ars Diminicandi researchers are trying to revive old Greek & Roman martial arts : classic Olympics boxing, wrestling and pankration. What makes possible a scientific reconstruction is the fact that "Homo Sapiens" is mentally and bio-mechanically the same it was from his appearance on the earth up to today's' date. Who wants to win a fight has to develop as much as possible movements efficiency. We can assume that present athletes "behavior" engaged in the same past ritual martial art, under the same rules ,cloths etc.. technically evolves during time adapting to the competitive environment up to reach a stable point that can be considered equal as the same simulated. This is the thesis of this type of research being the necessary condition in order to prove that old athletics can be repeated and consequently scientifically re-constructed (only the one practiced for a long time by many people).
The scientific problem dealt by the experimental "archeo-machiologia", that is the repetible function, is the sport fighting activity. One asks what are the operations that have as result this fighting activity. To win a competition one need "to will to do", "being allowed to do", "to know what and when to do". There is no awareness on the movements performed, on their mutual dependence that can teach us to fight efficiency but to "make you know" one has to have clear and ordered concepts. One need to have the knowledge "declarative" or "know about", "conditional" or "know why" and above all "knowledge related to the procedures" or "know how". So a martial art can be described specifying the actions characteristics that form it. The action various aspects are identified by answering the following questions: why do you insert it ? who does it ? what has been done ? (what substance ? what accident ?) how has it been done ? (how? By what mean ?) in which contest ? ( where? when? With what purpose? With what attitude ?) what are the chances to perform it ? how does it connect itself with the other actions ? There no right answers but only the one that works in their relevant context. Science follows a constructivistic approach " every theory if valid can be replaced by others with more economic assumptions that generate more convincing descriptions"(Giuseppe Vaccarino).
One builds a copy of the body language based on the archeological facts. The iconographic evidences (paintings, sculptures, mosaics..) writings (literature) and ethnographic (popular traditions handed down up to today's days) that testify the athletics activity described and form the body on which base hypothesis and experimentations. In summary we will have an "informal " part which reflect the context of the proposed construction, and "investigational" part which set out the hypothesis for a new construction and an "experimental" part which analyze the hypothesis and propose a solution and a "probation" part that check the validity of the solution proposed. One has to add that who study the experimental "archeo-machiologia" must never forget to have a role as tester and no experimentation has a reason out the theoretic context which has produced it When one performs an experimentation is paramount the awareness of one's actions. The same awareness will get us to consider the experimental construction completed if not as exact copy of the original al least as evolution (explaining the difference deterministically) or how a legitimate heir (explaining the difference with an aim).
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