First introduced into the Olympic Games in 648 B.C. during the 33rd Olympiad, pankration was considered the ultimate combat sport of ancient Greece. Called by Philostratos the "Worthiest contest in the Olympiads and the most important preparation for warriors", pankration was the martial training of the Greek armies and was taken to India with the legions of Alexander the Great, where it became the accepted ancestor of the oriental martial arts.
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