11-27-2007, 11:29 AM
I'm not honestly convinced that Roman aristocracy went around with their faces smashed in from boxing matches. I can see where you're coming from, but manly virtue you speak of was the province of the battlefield I think, and not the sporting arena. Or even the gladiatorial arena, where a Roman aristocrat would have disdain to appear in (well unless he was a loony emperor, of course!).
But the only source I have is the "Combat Sports in the Ancient World" and I don't have any comparrison works. So as I say above, this seems to make sense to me. It may not be the case, but I do think that virtus was more war than sports. But I could be wrong, of course - it might be both. I mean, in the modern era, many fella's practice boxing, but not everyone is walking around looking like Floyd Mayweather will be after his suicide attempt against Ricky Hatton!
Cheers
Russ
But the only source I have is the "Combat Sports in the Ancient World" and I don't have any comparrison works. So as I say above, this seems to make sense to me. It may not be the case, but I do think that virtus was more war than sports. But I could be wrong, of course - it might be both. I mean, in the modern era, many fella's practice boxing, but not everyone is walking around looking like Floyd Mayweather will be after his suicide attempt against Ricky Hatton!
Cheers
Russ
