. Greek athletic sports and festivals . edeither for this work or forthe use of the athletes.^The length of the xystos,180 metres, is approxi-mately that of the Delphicstadium, which was 177metres. The lower terrace con-tains an irregular enclosureforming the baths, and asmall palaestra 32 metressquare. The latter consistsof a small court nearly 14metres square, surroundedby a colonnade (Tre/oto-TvAo?)on to which several roomsopen on the north and westsides. The uses of theserooms cannot be inscription mentionsan apodyterion, a KovLfxa,and two a^aipio-Ti^pia. TheKovifxa is proba
. Greek athletic sports and festivals . edeither for this work or forthe use of the athletes.^The length of the xystos,180 metres, is approxi-mately that of the Delphicstadium, which was 177metres. The lower terrace con-tains an irregular enclosureforming the baths, and asmall palaestra 32 metressquare. The latter consistsof a small court nearly 14metres square, surroundedby a colonnade (Tre/oto-TvAo?)on to which several roomsopen on the north and westsides. The uses of theserooms cannot be inscription mentionsan apodyterion, a KovLfxa,and two a^aipio-Ti^pia. TheKovifxa is probably anothername for the skamma orwrestling ring which is alsocalled KovLo-rpa, and if somay be identified with thecentral court.^ The wrest- ^ The purchase of a pick (cr/ca-(fyelov) and rollers (rpoxtXetat) forthe palaestra is mentioned inthe Delian accoiints for 279 ,, 1890, p. 397, 11. 98, 99;cp. p. 488 note 2, for similar purchases in other years. ^ Similarly in Atlt. MUth. v. 232 to irvpiaTrjpiov /cai to Kopiafxa ; Lebas-. P-i XXII THE GYMNASIUM AT DELPHI 485 ling ring was covered with fine sand, and the contract appro-priately mentions the sifting of the earth in the konima(ras yas rav o-acrti) at a cost of ten drachmae. The sphair-isteria were rooms, or perhaps open courts, for ball one of them the ground was to be dug up and rolled,then carefully raked over and levelled, and finally coveredwith black earth. A wall, too, is mentioned in the sphairis-terion. Among the various games of ball practised by theGreeks we find mention of one which consisted in bouncingthe ball on the ground or against a wall, and striking it backwith the flat of the hand as it rebounded. The object was tokeep it up as many times as possible ; the first to miss wascalled the donkey, and had to submit to any penalty imposedby the winner or king, as he was called.^ The palaestra atDelphi was not spacious enough for games in which the ballswere thrown with any violence, but the care
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