When going to a traditional Roman bath, the first space one would visit is the Palaestra. This space consisted of a few open courtyards in which patrons could do various forms of exercise. This exercise was not meant to be too strenous, just to work up a sweat. Typically, men did activities such as: running, wrestling, boxing, and fencing here. Women did a variety of different activities such as swimming and a Roman sport called trochus, a game involving a metal hoop and a hooked stick. Unlike the present day, it was not accepted in Ancient Roman society for women to do all the same sports as men.

The Palaestra was known as the place where patrons could work up a sweat before bathing. The inclusion of exercise in the bathing routine follows the idea of good health that Roman doctors implemented: a good diet, exercise, bathing, and massage.

Fig. 1 Palaestra at the Stabian Baths, Pompeii

Image courtesy of: http://www.utexas.edu/courses/romanciv/day19captions.htm

Today, the idea of the Palaestra has been the model for all different sorts of venues for athletic events. The most notable venue would be the arena, which existed not only in Ancient Rome but also in present day, like our local HP Pavilion in San Jose. An early and notable form of the arena in the United States is the one found on the University of Pennsylvania's Campus, next to Franklin Field, which is appropriately named the "Palestra".

Fig. 2 The Palestra at UPENN

Image courtesy of: http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~pennband/palestra.jpg

The Palaestra is also much like part of a modern gym or fitness club. In many of these clubs, such as the New York Sports Club or the New York Athletic Club, there are facilities to do sports like squash, swimming, and tennis as well as the usual exercise machines found at most gyms. There, men and women exercise side by side and build up a sweat after a long day's work. Nevertheless, even though exercise machines are shared by the sexes, it is still common to see separate men's and women's sports teams and fitness classes

Fig. 3 New York Athletic Club.

Image courtesy of: http://www.nypl.org/permissions/imagesref.cfm?id=213&catid=21

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