Little Gaius is growing up so fast! He's celebrating his 10th birthday today, so he went to the baths with a few friends to play trigon, his new favorite game. I accompanied the boys as scorekeeper.
I'm surprised at how good an athlete he is becoming. Trigon really shows off his abilities. For those of you who have never played, trigon is basically a scored game of catch. The boys stand in a triangle (thus the name of the game) and toss a small ball, about the size of an egg, from boy to boy. If a boy drops a catchable ball, he earns one point. The goal is to earn as few points as possible, and to do it all with good "style." Little Gaius often catches and throws left-handed, just to show off!
I get the unenviable, and difficult, job of keeping score; occasionally a couple friends and I get a few spare moments to ourselves and so that we can play a quick game. I even have my own ball, which I keep hidden away in the slave's quarters upstairs. And sometimes little Gaius and I will play catch, just to keep his skills sharp. I think I love trigon as much as he does!
Activity:
1. Share the following passage from Martial, which mentions some of the games that Julius Caesar will enjoy over the next few weeks: trigon, follis, and harpastum.
MARTIAL 4.19 - LATIN Hanc tibi Sequanicae pinguem textricis alumnam, Quae Lacedaemonium barbara nomen habet, Sordida, sed gelido non aspernanda Decembri Dona, peregrinam mittimus endromida:— Seu lentum ceroma teris tepidumve trigona, Sive harpasta manu pulverulenta rapis, Plumea seu laxi partiris pondera follis, Sive levem cursu vincere quaeris Athan— Ne madidos intret penetrabile frigus in artus, Neve gravis subita te premat Iris aqua. Ridebis ventos hoc munere tectus et imbris: Nec sic in Tyria sindone tutus eris. MARTIAL 4.19 - ENGLISH I send you an imported cloak, the stout workmanship of a Gallic weaver, a foreign thing which has a Lacedaemonian name: endromis; a cheap gift, but not to be despised in cold December. Whether you are rubbing on the clammy or warm wrestler’s oil; whether you are snatching up trigons or dusty footballs with your hand, or sharing with your competitors the featherlike weight of the inflated volleyball, or seeking to surpass the light Athas in the race, this will be a defense to you, that the penetrating cold may not get to your wet limbs and so that heavy Iris will not press down on you with sudden rain. Clad in this gift; you will laugh at winds and showers; nor will you be equally safe in Tyrian silk.
2. Find a ball around the size of a golf ball (but much softer.) That was the size of an ancient Roman trigon (the ball, like the game, was called trigon). The Roman trigon was rather hard, sometimes even made of glass, but you should use a ball that won't hurt. I found soft, rubber balls of the right size at the dollar store in packs of three.
3. Arrange three students in a triangle, starting about one pace apart.
4. Players toss the ball back and forth, in any direction, trying not to drop the ball. They should find a distance which challenges them.
5. When a player drops a catchable ball, he earns a point. Points are bad! Players want a low score, as in golf.
6. Play for a set amount of time, like 10 minutes. The winner is the player with the lowest score.
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