Gladius Hispaniensis Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 (edited) Ave The competitive sports of the ancient Romans and Hellenes have been made known to us through both historiography and the popular media, but what about individual strength and fitness? Did men in the Empire use contraptions such as dumbbells for strengthening the frame or did they rely more on calisthenics? We know that some men were fabulously strong, e.g., the auxiliary cavalryman in Titus' army that picked a Jewish rebel by the ankles with one hand and bodily carried him over to his admiring general. There was even a legionary of Egyptian descent known as Rufus that did the same thing with another Jewish rebel leader during the Judaic Wars. Another famous example is a brother of Alaric who was said to have broken horse-shoes with his bare hands. How did men get so strong back then? Can anyone post any links? Thanks in advance. Edited June 2, 2008 by Gladius Hispaniensis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost_Warrior Posted June 2, 2008 Report Share Posted June 2, 2008 Wrestling was popular, I believe. It was common practice to do some form of exercise after visiting the baths. IIRC, the Romans adopted a lot of the Greek sports. Wrestling, running, javelin and discus throwing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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