. Greek athletic sports and festivals . ys hadsome form of covering, and no clinching or wrestling wasallowed. Moreover, Mr. Frosts theory does not seem to meto explain the facts. If both feet were approximately level weshould expect to find that in a fair proportion of cases theright foot was advanced, especially as symmetry, which exerciseda strong influence over the Greek painter, would naturallyprompt him to represent one boxer with the right foot, theother with the left foot in advance, an arrangement by nomeans uncommon in wrestling groups. In boxing, however,such symmetrical groups are
. Greek athletic sports and festivals . ys hadsome form of covering, and no clinching or wrestling wasallowed. Moreover, Mr. Frosts theory does not seem to meto explain the facts. If both feet were approximately level weshould expect to find that in a fair proportion of cases theright foot was advanced, especially as symmetry, which exerciseda strong influence over the Greek painter, would naturallyprompt him to represent one boxer with the right foot, theother with the left foot in advance, an arrangement by nomeans uncommon in wrestling groups. In boxing, however,such symmetrical groups are extremely rare, and the left footis nearly alwaj^s advanced, and in several cases is shown in the 420 GREEK ATHLETIC SPORTS AND FESTIVALS CHAP. very act of lunging. Indeed, so far from holding the bodysquare, it would appear from the vases that the Greeksexaggerated the sideways position. For frequently the leftfoot and left arm of one boxer are represented as outside orto the right of the left foot and arm of his opponent (Fig. 143).^. FiQ, 143.— amphora, iu BritLsh Museum, B. 295. This sideways position with the left arm extended was aneffective guard for the head and kept an opponent at a distance,but it left the body quite unprotected, a mistake which wouldbe fatal in the confined space of the modern ring with a strong 1 Cp. Figs. 142, 145. XIX POSITION OF THE GREEK BOXER 421 and active opponent. This exposure of the body is, as has pointed out, characteristic of all Greek boxing asdepicted on the vases, and this peculiarity is connected with afact which, as far as I know, has not been observed before, thatthe Greek boxer confined his attention almost exclusively to hisopponents head. Whether it was that he did not realise theuse of body blows, or that he considered them bad form, orthat they were prohibited, it is certain that he made little orno use of them. There is not, as far as I know, a singlerepresentation of a body blow; the injuries inflicted are a
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