Torch: U.S. LXXI Winter 2021 | Page 23

ANCIENT GAMES & EXERCISES: EPISKYROS · Winter 2021· Torch: U.S.

Base of a grave marker showing young men playing a ball game c. 500 BC. Currently displayed in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece.

Lekythos c. 300 BC with image of Eros, or Cupid in Roman mythology, playing a ball game.

Read More

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "ball". Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Jan. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/sports/ball-sports. Accessed 26 November 2021.

Craig, Steve. Sports and Games of the Ancients: Sports and Games Through History. Illustrated, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002.

once again, its exclusion from the famed Olympic Games did not diminish its impact.

Modern-day football, or soccer, finds its roots in episkyros. Episkyros may not have had its Olympic debut back then, but its athletic prowess is worldwide today. Thus, if you enjoy playing or watching soccer, you might enjoy a try at episkyros! If you would like to try this game at home, you can use chalk instead of skyros, a light, inflatable ball, and an opponent. This is a great way to practice for the return of Ludi Soccer next summer at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

https://greekcitytimes.com/2021/11/13/football-invented-in-ancient-greece-called-episkyros/

https://healthahoy.com/ancient-sports/greek-episkyros-ball-game/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episkyros

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