:
For the sports arena in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), see Palestra. For the blister beetle genus, see Palaestra (beetle).
The
palaestra (
παλαίστρα) was the
ancient Greek wrestling school. The events that did not require a lot of space, such as
boxing and
wrestling, were practiced there. The palaestra functioned both independently and as a part of public
gymnasia; a palaestra could exist without a gymnasium, but no gymnasium could exist without a palaestra.
Architecture of the palaestra
The
architecture of the palaestra, although allowing for some variation, followed a distinct, standard plan. The palaestra essentially consisted of a rectangular court surrounded by colonnades with adjoining rooms. These rooms might house a variety of functions: bathing, ball playing, undressing and storage of clothes, seating for socializing, observation, or instruction, and storage of oil, dust or athletic equipment.
Vitruvius, through his text
On Architecture, is an important ancient source about this building type and provides many details about what he calls “palaistra, Greek-style”. Although the specifics of his descriptions do not always correspond to the architectural evidence, probably because he was writing around
27 BC, his account provides insight into the general design and uses of this type of space. As Vitruvius describes, the palaestra was square or rectangular in shape with colonnades along all four sides creating
porticoes. The portico on the northern side of the palaestra was of double depth to protect against the weather. Big halls (
exedrae) were built along the single depth sides of the palaestra with seats for those enjoying intellectual pursuits, and the double depth side was divided into an area for youth activities (
ephebeum), a
punching bag area (
coryceum), a room for applying powders (
conisterium), a room for cold bathing, and an oil storeroom (
elaeothesium).
Good examples of this building type come from two major Greek sites: Olympia and Delphi.
See also
Palaestra at Olympia
Palaestra at Delphi
External links
Perseus Digital Library, Olympia
Perseus Digital Library, Delphi
Category:Greek architecture
Category:Sports venues
Category:Athletics in ancient Greece
