Palaestra

The word palaestra (plural palaestrae; Greek παλαίστρα Palaistra "Ring Place ", Latin palaestra ) is derived from the Greek Pale ( πάλη " wrestling " ) and originally referred to a covered sand area for the training of wrestling and for the respective competitions. Also the fist fight took place here. Together with the dromos was the palaestra, the Greek gymnasium.

In the 6th century BC, the palaestra was a sports training facility with the function to secure the military training, so with the attested in Athens and Sicyon palaestrae.

In the 5th century BC, the palaestra was the humanist educational institution, took place in both the physical and the spiritual education. The palaestra was transformed architecturally a sophisticated system: a large, surrounded by pillars court ( peristyle ) with adjacent residence and exercise rooms, of which Vitruvius mentions the following:

• Ephebeum Locker Room (originally the ephebes ), also: Apodyterion.
• Conisterium: Exercise room for Ringer, " dust place ", κόνις from Greek, " dust "
• Coryceum: Exercise room for pugilists, from the Greek corycus, filled with fig grains, flour and sand large leather bag, which also served as a power device
• Sphaeristerium: Exercise room for ball games, from Greek σφαῖρα sphaera " ball ", " plaything "
• Elaeothesium massage and Salbraum, also: ἀλειπτήριον aleiptérion of ἄλειμμα aleimma " ointment ".

Furthermore, there was already in the Greek palaestra different bathing rooms ( lutron ).

Palaestrae of this type are the Pompeion in Athens and the plants in Epidaurus, Olympia, Priene and Delos. Originally rather located at the periphery, the Palaestra moved closer to the center of the city ( as in Corinth, Pergamon and Miletus ) after it had become a public institution. Apodyterien and bathrooms were financed by the government, as a training center, the palaestra was indeed exclusively reserved for the upper class to the imperial period.

From the Romans the palaestra eventually became a part of the installation of larger thermal spa complexes. In Pompeii alone, there were several plants, such as the Large Palaestra or the palaestra in the Stabian spas.

The god of the palaestra was Hermes, who was there also venerated ( Hermaea ).