Abstract:

In spite of its popularity in ancient Greek agonistic festivals, the practice of pankration failed to survive beyond Roman times. This could explain the misidentification of representations of pankratiasts on surviving examples of ancient Greek art. This article presents arguments that the symbol of a male figure on Alexander III gold and silver coins represents the guard stance of pankration; and by extension, constitutes the guard stance of pankration on other examples of extant Greek visual art.

Keywords: pankration; ancient Greek art; Alexander the Great; combat sport; agonistic festivals

Document Type: Research article