Most CRAZY Things Ancient Greeks Did!

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July 18, 2017

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Check out the most crazy things ancient greeks
did! This top 10 list of crazy facts about ancient
greece and their culture is absolutely amazing!
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10. Milo of Croton
The Ancient Greeks invented progressive
strength training. Milo of Croton won six
Olympiads in the wrestling events. He also won
multiple times at the Pythian Games, Isthmian
Games, and Nemean Games. Milo loved to show
off his strength and dexterity. According to
sources, his favorite trick was to hold a
pomegranate and have people try to take it from
him. No one was strong enough to take the
pomegranate from him and he also managed to
not damage the fruit. How did he gain such
prodigious strength and skill?
According to popular legend, Milo noticed a
newborn calf near his home. He decided to lift
the animal and carry it on his shoulders. He
returned the next day and did it again. He did it
every day until the calf grew to a four-year-old
bull. Thus was progressive strength training born.
Here’s another wild athlete story. Theagenes of
Thasos was a formidable fighter who won over
1,300 bouts over his two decade career. He even
won a crown for long-distance running in the city
of Argos. As a boxer, he was never defeated.
According to legend, years after his, a vandal
tried to deface a statue honoring Theagenes. The
bronze statue broke in half and crushed the
would-be criminal.
9. Birth Control by Sneezing
The Ancient Greeks had various forms of birth
control. Some forms involved certain herbs and
plants, which worked very well. However, one
physician, Soranus, advised women to do
something a little odd. After intercourse, women
were told to squat and sneeze to avoid becoming
pregnant. He also suggested jumping up and
down to dislodge the sperm.
If that’s not crazy enough for you, the website
Snopes.com was still debunking the “jump up
and down” method of birth control as recently as
2007.
8. Brazen Bull
In the 6th century BC, a brass worker named
Perilaus of Athens created a large, hollow bull
made of brass and gave it to a ruler named
Phalaris. A door on the side of the bull allowed a
man to climb into the sculpture. Once the door
was closed, a fire could be lit from underneath
and slowly roast the person.
But it doesn’t end there. In the head of the bull
was a series of stops and pipes that transformed
the screams of the person into “the tenderest,
most pathetic, most melodious of bellowings”.
Phalaris was far from impressed. So disgusted
by the cruelty of the piece, he asked Perilaus to
climb into the bull and demonstrate the
capabilities of the pipes. Once inside, Phalaris
shut the door and ordered a fire lit beneath the
bull. He reportedly said, “Receive the due reward
of your wondrous art; let the music-maker be the
first to play.”
Before Perilaus, they removed him from the bull
and threw him off a cliff. Despite Phalaris’s
disgust, the brazen bull became the most
common form of in Ancient Greece.
Here’s an extra fact. Phalaris was a tyrant ruling
in Acragas in Sicily from 570 BC to 554. He’s
known for several building projects but he did
have a cruel streak that made him the proverbial
“evil tyrant”. According to legend, after he was
overthrown by a general, the new ruler ordered
Phalaris to roast inside the brazen bull.
7. Victorious Corpse
Did you know? Cheating was a huge problem in
Ancient Greek sport, just like today. Most of the
time, it was the usual bribery or foul moves
during games. Here is a picture of a scene on a
kylix depicting two pankratists fighting. One of
them is trying to gouge out the eye of his
opponent while simultaneously biting. The umpire
is preparing to strike the fighter for the foul.
Some fighters would find an easier way and try
to curse or hex their opponents using “curse
tablets” to make them lose.
An event held during the Olympic Games was the
pankration, which was a mixed martial arts style
that blended boxing and wrestling. Most famous
of the pankratists was Arrhachion. During the
54th Olympiad in 564 BC, Arrhachion entered the
pankration to defend his championship. However,
his opponent got the better of him and put
Arrachion into a chokehold. It is said
Arrhachion’s trainer shouted, “What a fine funeral
if you do not submit at Olympia”. Arrhachion
responded by twisting and kicking his opponent’s
foot and dislocating it. The pain forced his
opponent to surrender. Unfortunately, the move
broke Arrhachion’s neck. Despite that, the judges
named Arrhachion the victor. he successfully
defended his title.
His fame spread as people held him up as the
athletic ideal. Geographer Pausanias mentioned
a statue immortalizing Arrhachion during his
description of Phigalia