Boxing has been a sport since ancient times. It can be found on a Minoan wall painting from Akrotiri, on the Aegean island of Thera from ca. 1550 BC, and it was mentioned by Homer in book 23 of the Illiad. Boxing became an Olympic event in 688 BC, but opponents were only allowed to punch (grappling, biting and gouging were prohibited). The ancient Greeks first made their boxing gloves with strips of raw hide tied under the palm. This gave padding to the palm of the hand, and protected the wrists and knuckles, but left the fingers bare. Around 400 BC, the exterior of the straps became more rigid, and the strips of hide were tied around the arm as high as the elbow. This supported a boxer’s arm when punching, while landing a more forceful blow on one’s opponent. I was attracted to both these coins since they depict boxing gloves on one side of the coin. One is an early 3rd century aes grave and the other is a Greek bronze minted 100 years later. And since a hand encased in a boxing glove fills the entire side of each coin, I wondering if this was also a metaphor for applause…to use the modern day idiom “give them a hand!” Umbria, Tuder 220-200 BC AE Triens 22.3gm - 28 mm Obv: Right hand bound with boxing glove, four pellets in field Rev: Umbrian legend Tutere between two clubs, upright; four pellets in field Ref: ICC 224, HN Italy 47, Campana 12, Syd 219/10, T&V 165, SG529 Ionia, Smyrna 2nd-1st century BC AE 12 - 1.9gm Obv: Laur. head of Apollo, r. Rev: Hand in boxing glove, ΙΜΥΡΝΑΙΩΝ and palm to r., ΜΗΤΡΟΔΩΡΟΣ to l. Ref: SG4567
In roman times, boxing was more of a gladiatorial show than an athletic sport, and they weighed their gloves with pieces of iron and placed metal spikes around the knuckles. These gloves were called caestus. Virgil, an ancient poet of the Augustan period, mentions boxing in book 5 of the Aeneid. Feel free to post anything that has to do with boxing…or coins with hands!
A hand aes grave is on my wish list. There are several types. Good story to go with yours! I had not noticed the boxing glove.
Aspendos, AR stater c.400 BC Wrestling is not boxing an these participants are clearly not wearing gloves but one is certainly punching the other in his stomach. All my other 'hand' coins are shaking hands and too friendly for this thread.
Awesome write-up @ancientcoinguru , and I really want that coin! We have been Wingmen (Wingwoman?) for each other's captures...I need to go get one! Hmmm. I don't have any boxing hands, but I DO have an Aes Grave (and another is en route to me) that have KNUCKLES on them! And, you can use the Knuckles for punching! Roman Republic 269-240 BCE Aes Grave Uncia astragalos (Knuckle-Bone) 22mm, 10.1g, Cast bronze Obv: astragalos (knuckle-bone) Rev: astragaols (knuckle-bone) Olive-brown patina (I feel it may be a later issue as it is "light" for a knuckle-bone) WOW, 2 knuckles (obv-rev), so I have 2/10's of a FIST!
Actually, this is the Minoan wall painting from Akrotiri, on the Aegean island of Thera from ca. 1550 BC. But I know the Egyptians boxed too! One ancient Egyptian boxer, Horus, was victorious at the Olympic games in Antioch in 364 AD.
ACG => wow, fantastic coins and awesome write-up (I love this thread!!) Ummm, the only boxing coin I have is this sweet AR RR showing that gambling was alive and well back in good ol' Roman days!! => here we see a classic betting-transaction where Snoop-Roman is taking cash from Greggor and giving it to P-Diggity-Nerva, where he drops it into the pot for "safe keeping" okay fine ... this is actually a scene associated with "voting" (still pretty cool, eh?)
A 'punning type' by L. Plaetorius L. f. Cestianus, showing a boxer running a victory lap, still wearing a cestus on his left hand.
