?The hairs stand up on the back of your neck when you realize that you have discovered something as astonishing as these boxing gloves??
In an ?astonishing? find last summer, archaeologists in Northern England unearthed two ancient leather boxing gloves, dating from AD120, at the pre-Hadrianic fourth-century Roman fort of Vindolanda, south of Hadrian?s Wall near Hexham, Northumberland.
Boxing dates back at least 3000 years and was held in high esteem. The Greek philosopher Plato wrote, circa 400 B.C., ?Surely, if we were boxers, we should have been learning to fight for many days before, and exercising ourselves in imitating all those blows and wards which we were intending to use in the hour of conflict; and in order that we might come as near to reality as possible, instead of cestuses (leather straps, often weighted with metal) we should put on boxing gloves.?
Boxing, then as now, relied on gloves to protect the fighters? hands.
According to The Vindolanda Trust, which oversaw the excavation, ?The larger of the two gloves is cut from a single piece of leather and was folded into a pouch configuration, the extending leather at each side were slotted into one another forming a complete oval shape creating an inner hole into which a hand could still easily be inserted. The glove was packed with natural material acting as a shock absorber.?
The smaller glove was ?in near perfect condition.? Similar in design, the only major difference between the two gloves is that the larger glove had a tight coil of hard twisted leather sewn on the inside.
Archaeologists involved in the dig believe the gloves were used by Roman legionaries for sparring. They resemble the caestu used by gladiators, but lacked the metal studs and protrusions that made them such effective weapons.
CEO and director of excavations of The Vindolanda Trust, Dr. Andrew Birley, put the discovery into perspective. ?I have seen representations of Roman boxing gloves depicted on bronze statues, paintings and sculptures, but to have the privilege of finding two real leather examples is exceptionally special.
?The hairs stand up on the back of your neck when you realize that you have discovered something as astonishing as these boxing gloves.?
The trust?s former director, Patricia Birley, said, ?To the best of our knowledge, no examples have ever been found in the Roman Empire.
?It?s always tremendously exciting when you find something that you know about through other sources?depictions on wall paintings, vases ? but to see the real thing is something quite unique. You learn so much more ? For example, the larger of the gloves has been repaired. The owner has really wanted to keep this thing going, so he?s done his utmost to repair it and patch it. It?s that human touch that you get through the real object.?
The boxing gloves are among a treasure-trove of artifacts that include two Roman swords, ?wafer thin Vindolanda Writing Tablets, many full of ancient cursive script? containing lists and personal messages, in addition to copper alloy horse gear, wooden toys, leather shoes and bath clogs, combs, dice, and the two distinctive pieces of leather described above.
