Palaestra

Vitruvius, through his text De architectura, is an important ancient source about this building type and provides a description of the Palaestra, "as constructed by the Greeks" in Book 5, chapter 11.

Rounded halls with seats (exedrae, ἐξέδραι) were built along the single depth sides of the palaestra for the use of philosophers, orators, and other scholars.

In the centre was a larger exedra (ephebeum) for use by the ephebes (young adult men undergoing state-run education/military training).

On the right there was an oil storeroom (elaeothesium, ἐλαιοθέσιον), a cold pool (frigidarium), a furnace (propnigeum, προπνίγειον), a vaulted sauna (sudatio), a dry sweating-room (laconicum), and a hot bath.

One of these porticoes was double-width and contained a covered wrestling arena (ξυστός, Romanised as "xystus") for use during inclement weather.

The palaestra at Olympia, Greece
Plan of the palaestra at Olympia (left) and reconstruction of Vitruvius' description of the palaestra (right), from a 1914 translation of Vitruvius. The plan on the left incorporates guesswork, as the west side has been eroded by a river (the oblique angle is forced by the wider layout of the sanctuary). The xysta are also guesswork. On the right, the letters indicate: Exedrae (A), ephebeum (B), punching-bag room (C), conisterium (D), cold washing room (E), oil storeroom (F), cold bath room (G), furnace room (H), sauna (I), Laconicum (K), hot bath (L).