Ancient Greek Wrestling statue

Wrestling — pale, in Greek — was the most prestigious event at the ancient Olympic Games, said to have been invented by the hero Theseus. Greek wrestlers trained naked in the palaestra, oiled their bodies, and competed under strict rules that prized technique over force. The pose of two grappling figures became one of antiquity's favourite sculptural subjects, embodying the Greek ideal of arete — excellence as the union of strength, skill, and grace.