Gymnasium (ancient Greece)

[4] The verb had this meaning because the athletes undressed in changing rooms called Apodyteriums and trained naked, rubbing their bodies with olive oil and then cleaning with the strigil.

The same purpose is frequently attributed to the tradition of oiling the body, a custom so costly that it required significant public and private subsidies (the practice was the largest expense in gymnasia).

Cleinias of Crete describes the origin of the tradition of Cretan gymnasia and common meals in Book I of Plato's Laws, and ascribes them to the mythological lawgiver Rhadamanthus.

[8] The athletic contests for which the gymnasium supplied the means of training and competition formed part of the social and spiritual life of the Greeks from very early on.

The contests took place in honour of heroes and gods, sometimes forming part of a periodic festival or the funeral rites of a deceased chief.

The victor in religious athletic contests, though he gained no material prize other than a wreath, was rewarded with the honour and respect of his fellow citizens.

Except for time devoted to letters and music, the education of young men was solely conducted in the gymnasium, where provisions were made not only for physical pedagogy but for instruction in morals and ethics.

[citation needed] As pupils grew older, informal conversation and other forms of social activity took the place of institutional, systematic discipline.

[10] Philosophers and sophists frequently assembled to hold talks and lectures in the gymnasia; thus the institution became a resort for those interested in less structured intellectual pursuits in addition to those using the place for training in physical exercises.

Having found gymnastic exercises beneficial to his own weak constitution, Prodicus formulated a method that became generally accepted and was subsequently improved by Hippocrates.

They were responsible for looking after and compensating persons training for public contests, conducting the games at the great Athenian festivals, exercising general supervision over competitor morale, and decorating and maintaining the gymnasium.

[9] Most Athenian gymnasia were located in suburban areas due to the large amount of level space required for construction.