The palaestra 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 can exist without a palaestra.

The Palaestra as an Athletic and an Educational Center

The palaestra was a prominent feature in Greek society, the significance of athletic competition translating into an importance of the building itself. The status of the specific event, wrestling, sponsored by the palaestra added to the importance of the building. Wrestling was one of the oldest and most widely distributed sports in the Greek world.

Over time, the palaestra's role as an educational space also increased. Although the palaestra continued to function as the wrestling school, lectures and intellectual conversation were hosted there as well, and this educational role gradually took over the function of the building.

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 B.C., 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. Spacious 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.

Related articles

• Palaestra at Olympia
• Palaestra at Delphi

Related links

Perseus Digital Library, Olympia

Perseus Digital Library, Delphi