Oxyrhynchus Papyrus (MS P.Oxy.III.466)

Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 466
MS P.Oxy.III.466, Columbia University Library New York City, New York
Hagedorn Leng —
Wierschin Hils —
Type	Wrestling manual
Date	2nd Century
Place of origin	Greece
Language(s)	Ancient Greek
Author(s)	Unknown
Material	Papyrus roll
Size	1 sheet
Format	One side, three columns of text
Script	Ionic
Identified	Bernard P. Grenfell and Arthur S. Hunt
External data	Library catalog entry
Treatise scans	Digital scans (2500x1700)

The Oxyrhynchus Papyrus n.466 (MS P.Oxy.III.466) is a fragmentary 2nd century Greek wrestling manual and the oldest extant Western martial arts treatise. The original currently rests in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library of Columbia University in New York City, NY (USA). It is part of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri series, a group of manuscripts discovered by archaeologists including Bernard P. Grenfell and Arthur S. Hunt at an ancient rubbish dump near Oxyrhynchus in Egypt. The text is in three columns with 13, 15, and 10 lines (from left to right). Each technique is concluded with the instruction πλέξον ("tangle"), translated as "fight it out" or "mix it up".

Provenance

The known provenance of the Oxyrhynchus Papyrus n.466 is:

• Created in the 2nd century.
• Discovered by Bernard P. Grenfell and Arthur S. Hunt near Oxyrhynchus, Egypt and published in 1903.
• Until 1907 - Owned by the Egypt Exploration Society.
• 1907-present - Held by Columbia University.

Contents

Folio

Section

1rv

Anonymous grappling text  English Translation by Michael B. Poliakoff Transcription by Bernard P. Grenfell and Arthur S. Hunt You stand up to his side, attack with your foot and fight it out. [1] ασας· σὺ παραναπρόβαλε καὶ πλέξον You throw him. You stand up and turn around. You fight it out. [2] τὴν δεξιὰν σὺ κα σὺ ῤεῑψον· σὺ ἀνειμεταβαλοῡ· σύ πλΙξον You throw him. You sweep and knock his foot out. Stand to the side of your Opponent and with your right arm take a headlock and fight it out. [3] ῤεῑψον· σὺ ἐκσν . σον τὸν πόδα τὴν χεῑρα· σὺ σὺ μεταδιεράσας πλέξον . αι ᾰρα9 μετάθες τὸν εὐώνυμον ἐκ γενείου ἐμτα τοῡ ἐτέρου παράθες τὸ μέσον καὶ εκ κεφαλής τή δεξιᾱ πλέξον You take a hold around him. You get under his hold. You step through and fight it out. [4] σὺ περίθες· σὺ ὑπ' αὐτὴν ὑπόλαβε· σὺ διαβὰς πλέξον You underhook with your right arm. You wrap your arm around his, where he has taken the underhook, and attack the side with your left foot. You push away with your left hand. You force the hold and fight it out. [5] σὺ ὑπόβαλε τὴν δεξιάν[· σ]ύ εἰς δ ὑποβάλλει περι[θεὶ]ς κατὰ πλενροῡ τὸν εὐ[ώ]νυμον βάλε· σὺ ἀπόβαλε τή εὐωνύμψ· σὺ αὐτὸν μεταβὰς πλέξον· You turn around. You fight it out with a grip on both sides. [6] σὺ μεταβάλοῡ· σὺ κατὰ τϖν δύο πλέξον You throw your foot forward. You take a hold around his body. You step forward and force his head back. You face him and bend back and throw yourself into him, bracing your foot... [7] σὺ βάλε πόδα· σὺ διάλαβε· σύ ἐ πιβὰς ἀνάκλα· σὺ προστὰς ἀνάνευε καὶ εἰς αύτὸν... λον καὶ αὐτὸν ἀντιβλ...

Gallery

Images hosted by Columbia University.

Front

Back

Additional Resources

• Grenfell, Bernard P. and Hunt, Arthur S. The Oxyrhynchus Papyri Part III. London: Egypt Exploration Fund, 1903.
• Miller, Stephen G. Arete: Greek Sports from Ancient Sources. University of California Press, 2004. ISBN 0520241541
• Poliakoff, Michael B. Combat Sports in the Ancient World: Competition, Violence, and Culture. Yale University Press, 1987. ISBN 0-300-03768-6