Melankomas

Melankomas, or Melancomas (Greek: Μελανκόμας or Μελαγκόμας), meaning 'One with the Black Hair,' was an Ancient Greek boxer from Caria and victor in the 207th Olympiad (49 AD.).

Melankomas
Personal information
Native nameΜελανκόμας
NationalityAncient Greek
BornCaria
(modern-day Turkey)
Died~70 A.D.
Naples, Italy
Sport
SportAncient Greek Boxing
Medal record
Ancient Greek Olympics
Gold medal – first place 49 A.D. Olympia Boxing

Biography

Melankomas was born in Caria to an Ancient Greek boxing champion, of the same name, who lived during the first century C.E. He made a name for himself as an Ancient Greek boxer in the Olympiad, even winning in the 207th Olympiad in 49 A.D.[1][2][3]

Supposedly he had a unique boxing style, blocking and avoiding the punches of the other boxer without throwing any himself.[4][5] Once his opponents had run out of stamina they would forfeit, leaving Melankomas the victor.[6] It was related by Dio Chrysostom that he was able to fight like this by training significantly more than his contemporaries and having an unmatched endurance, being able to fight through a whole day or hold his arms up, in a static hold, continuously for two days.[3][7]

Melankomas died young, around the year 70 A.D. during the games in Naples.[2][3][8]

Legacy

Melankomas is known to us mainly from the 28th and 29th Discourses of Dio Chrysostom, in which that writer uses his life as a canvas for a discussion of the ideal athlete and the ideal man; Dio praises his athleticism, good looks, and brave heart. Dio says he never lost a match, hit an opponent, or was struck by an opponent.[7][8][9] Themistius reports that the emperor Titus was his lover (erastes).[10]

Some scholars believe Melankomas to have been a real person, while others believe that he or his record was an invention of Dio's; there is nothing allowing a firm conclusion either way.[2][5][8]

Melankomas was mentioned in a second-season episode of Sports Night as a contender for "Athlete of the Millennium."

References
  1. Dictionary Of History By Ramesh Chopra Page 192 ISBN 81-8205-223-8
  2. "Ancient Olympics: Melankomas". ancientolympics.arts.kuleuven.be. KU Leuven. 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  3. "Athletes' Stories: Melankomas of Caria". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Tufts University. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  4. "Ancient Olympic Athletes - Leonidas, Melankomas, Milon". International Olympic Committee. 2021-07-14. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  5. Delistraty, Cody (2020-08-20). "Lance Armstrong, Ryan Lochte and the Marketing of Controversy". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  6. Early, Gerald (2019-01-24). The Cambridge Companion to Boxing. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-65103-5.
  7. Poliakoff, Michael B. (1987). "Melankomas, ek klimakos, and Greek Boxing". The American Journal of Philology. 108 (3): 511–518. doi:10.2307/294676. ISSN 0002-9475. JSTOR 294676.
  8. König, Jason (2005-04-21). Athletics and Literature in the Roman Empire. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-83845-0.
  9. Melankomas is also mentioned in Themistius, Orationes 10 (=165 Dinsdorf) and alluded to by Eustathius. Michael B. Poliakoff, "Melankomas, ἐκ κλίμακο, and Greek Boxing", The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 108, No. 3 (Autumn, 1987), p. 511.
  10. Heather, Peter J.; Heather, Professor of Medieval History Peter; Sozomen; Matthews, John (1991). The Goths in the Fourth Century. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 978-0-85323-426-5.


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