Throughout time and among different civilizations, battles and wars have been fought. Some skirmishes go unrecorded while others are permanently inked and handed down through the generations as the subject of study and immortalized in films.

Most were fought on the battlefields between the armies of kingdoms but there were those fought on a celestial level between gods. One such famous battle forever etched in the annals of mythology was that of Zeus and the Titan Cronus. Not only was this battle between gods, nor was it only a dispute between a son and his father, but it was also about the fighting art form that was applied - Wrestling.

The ancient Greeks held Wrestling in high regard, to them it was more than just a sport. It was a science and to a large extent even considered a divine art. During Roman times its practitioners ranged from young aristocrats to soldiers and shepherds. Such was the stature and popularity of the sport that in 1512 - 2 years after the first book was printed - a German artist Albrecht Dürer, came out with the first wrestling manual in color.

Wrestling took on a new appearance in 1848. A French showman by the name of Jean Exbroyat, upon creating the first modern wrestling circus troupe, established a new style of wrestling known as 'Flat Hand Wrestling' or 'French Wrestling'. Exbroyat established a new rule where holds beneath the waist were forbidden. Only the upper body and the use of hands as attacking tools were allowed, maneuvers that lead to painful torsions were forbidden. Thus a new style sprung from the form of Freestyle Wrestling that had been in wide practice prior.

As French influence spread throughout Europe in the 1800’s, so did this new style of wrestling. Professional matches were held all over Europe from the Austrian Hungarian Empire to Italy and even to Russia; the Czar of Russia was known to have awarded 5,000 Francs as a prize for the winner of tournaments he organized.

Such was the popularity of the sport that by the end of the 19th century - even though most English speaking countries on the European continent were not receptive to this new style- it was still arguably the most popular sport. It was an Italian wrestler by the name of Basilio Bartoli, wanting to underline its ancient roots, who coined the term for this style. A name which still stands, Greco Roman Wrestling.

Today, this form/style, Greco Roman Wrestling can be found from the Collegiate level all the way up to the world stage, The Olympics. Greco Roman Wrestling has been a part of the Modern Olympics since it was registered in the 1896 Athens Games. It was only absent during the Paris Games in the year 1900.

Greco Roman Wrestling has come a long way since its conception as part of a circus program. In these modern times, the victor of a worldwide competition is celebrated as a hero in his homeland.

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