Abstract

The author describes how, in 1917 an ancient Roman Basilica was discovered in Rome which dates back to the middle of the first century A.D. Various stuccoes have been found which contain valuable information about physical exercise in ancient times. She gives a brief outline of the Basilica and the describes the stuccoes in some detail. She examines the possibility that the Basilica was connected to the Pythagorean rite, by examining the stuccoes with regard to the idea of physical education in the Pythagorean school. She describes the gymnasium scenes of the stuccoes which probably depict the apprenticeship and military training of a Roman citizen, and analyses the section which shows two boy's games. She concludes that the stuccoes could be interpreted as the visual expression of the Pythagorean doctrine of the fulfillment of the individual through the care and exercise of the physical body. Eaton