Harpastum

Harpastum, also known as harpustum, was a form of ball game played in the Roman Empire. The Romans also referred to it as the small ball game. The ball used was small (not as large as a follis, paganica, or football-sized ball) and hard, probably about the size and solidity of a softball and was stuffed with feathers. The word harpastum is the latinisation of the Greek ἁρπαστόν (harpaston),^[1] the neuter of ἁρπαστός (harpastos), "carried away",^[2] from the verb ἁρπάζω (harpazo), "to seize, to snatch".^[3]

This game was apparently a Romanized version of a Greek game called phaininda (Greek: φαινίνδα^[4]), or of another Greek game called episkyros (Greek: ἐπίσκυρος).^{[5][6][7][8][9][10]} It involved considerable speed, agility and physical exertion. The two teams needed to keep the ball on their side of the field as long as they could.^[11]

Little is known about the exact rules of the game, but sources indicate the game was a violent one with players often ending up on the ground. In Greece, a spectator (of the Greek form of the game) once had his leg broken when he got caught in the middle of play.^{[citation needed]}

In the Middle Ages, the game is thought to have inspired an Italian revival played in Florence known as calcio storico fiorentino, which is played to this day.^[12]