HISTORICAL PANKRATION PROJECT
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Historical Source Artifact Examination

Conical rhyton of steatite with relief scenes of games.
Aghia Triada (Holy Trinity) villa. 1550-1500 BC.

Herakleion, Archaelogical Museum. 23rd Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities.
Hellenic Ministry of Culture/Archaeological Receipts Fund. Spathari, E., To Olympiako pneuma, ADAM publications, Athens 1992, p. 17.
©Hellenic Ministry of Culture

This artifact is an early Minoan funerary vase depicting games, the vase is split into 4 circular display areas down the vase that go all the way around the vase. I got to handle a reproduction of the original vase and get close up pictures.
Above boxers wearing helmets and extended fist guards that go up the forearm, one fighter has knocked down another fighter.
The above left picture shows a spirited exchange of blows and the right side image above seems to show some sort of training.
A series of 3 figures seems to show a somewhat defensive body movement. perhaps a form of drilling like shadow boxing as described by Galen in his De Sanitate Tuenda
Knocked down boxer above left and on right the first of the bull jumping figures.
Above and below are the bulljumping images.
Above are the first 2 images in the lowest band of figures showing what appears to be downed fighters kicking up at the standing fighter in a Pankration bout. The fighters have no head protection or hand coverings. The downed fighter has raised his right arm to defend his head and is pushing with his left hand on the ground and kicking up with his leg. A kick seen in modern Brazilian Jiu-jitsu for Mixed Martial Arts fights (known as the up-kick).For a good example of this kick in action see the Renzo Gracie vs Oleg Taktarov fight from the UFC
Above show the next figure in the sequence kicking up with both feet at the standing opponent a common occurance in modern MMA/NHB fighting when one fighter is standing over a downed opponent and trying to hit him.


The last picture shows a Pankratiast drilling an overhand punch or hook.
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