# Die the Ancient Greeks Really Do "Coed" Gym Class in the Nude?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/die-the-ancient-greeks-really-do-coed-gym-class-in-the-nude/554242>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 19, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/die-the-ancient-greeks-really-do-coed-gym-class-in-the-nude/554242 "2010-09-19T01:19:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![y58a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/2bfe46/32.png) [@y58a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/y58a)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/die-the-ancient-greeks-really-do-coed-gym-class-in-the-nude/554242/1 "2010-09-19T01:19:36Z")

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From museum urns it seems that professional Greek (male) wrestlers in ancient times did their public wrasslin’ matches without wearing any briefs. But I seem to recall reading that Greek school-age students of the age that we would now call middle school and high school age used to have daily “coed” gym class in the nude and play coed sports without any clothes. Is that really true?

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**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/die-the-ancient-greeks-really-do-coed-gym-class-in-the-nude/554242/2 "2010-09-19T01:38:57Z")

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Yes, the Ancient Greeks did practice athletics in the nude (one meaning of “gymnasium” is place of nakedness). The was a male-only event. Women weren’t even supposed to be present let alone actually participate. AFAIK Spartan women were the only ones who exercised naked in public. The Olympics were also conducted in the nude, only men competed (though women could enter racehorses they owned), and the only women allowed to attend where priestesses of Zeus and possibly single (ie not betrothed or married) were allowed to attend.

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**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/die-the-ancient-greeks-really-do-coed-gym-class-in-the-nude/554242/3 "2010-09-19T21:25:41Z")

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Although the Spartans also had the women doing sports - presumably because fit women had better chances with child birth - but I have never ever heard of doing this together with the men (that’s what you mean with co-ed, right?) The men went to the gymnasium first for training, and the women went … either elswhere (Lyzeum?) or at different times.

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**Author:** ![y58a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/2bfe46/32.png) [@y58a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/y58a)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/die-the-ancient-greeks-really-do-coed-gym-class-in-the-nude/554242/4 "2010-09-19T22:13:58Z")

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Thanks for answering this question!

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**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/die-the-ancient-greeks-really-do-coed-gym-class-in-the-nude/554242/5 "2010-09-20T13:58:27Z")

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Yes, all Ancient Greeks who took coed gym classes are now dead.