The most popular athletic contest in the classical world was wrestling. The literary and material culture is replete with evidence illustrating the prevalence of wrestling and the wrestling motif. This study will attempt to demonstrate that wrestling enjoyed a prominence in ancient Nubia, evidenced several centuries before Homer’s wrestling accounts. Ancient iconographic and literary evidence, combined with ethnographical studies, will be used to elucidate the popularity of wrestling among the Nubian people.

The first recorded Olympic wrestling match occurred in the Olympics in 708 BC. Wrestling was highly valued as a form of military exercise without weapons. There were two distinct versions of the game, differing according to the holds and the methods of deciding the victor.

Orthia pale (Upright and Proper Wrestling)

The object of this type of wrestling was simply to throw the opponent to the ground. Three falls constituted a loss for that opponent, and the winner was called the "triakter". The match continued without stops until one man emerged victorious.

Kato pale (Ground Wrestling)

Victory in this competition depended on one competitor acknowledging defeat. Defeat was indicated by raising one's right hand with the index finger pointed.

Rules of the Game:

Blows were not allowed.

Tripping was permitted.

No biting or gouging was allowed.

There was no weight distinction.

The wrestlers were anointed with olive oil then dusted with powder to make them easier to grasp. The competition took place in the "keroma", or beeswax, a muddy and sticky arena.