Balloon (game)

{{Short description|Ancient sport}} thumb|Ball game in progress '''Balloon''', '''baloun''', '''balloon-ball''' or '''wind-ball''' is a game similar to the modern game of volleyball, in which a leather ball is batted by the fist or forearm to prevent it from touching the ground. The game was played in ancient Rome where it was known as follis, the Latin word for a leather bag. Such a ball made of leather was quite heavy and so protection might be used such as a leather gauntlet or wooden bracer.{{r|TDF}} The Roman game was considered a sport for boys and old men, as Martial wrote:{{r|RMG}}

{{Verse translation |{{lang|la|Ite procul juvenes; mitis mihi convenit ætas Folle decet pueros ludere, folle senes.}} |Go away, young men. A gentle age suits me. The balloon is for boys to play with, likewise old men.}}

Once rubber became available, modern players in Great Britain played the game with lighter balls of inflated rubber, allowing younger children to join in.{{r|BHB}}

==See also== * Episkyros - ancient Greek ball game * Handball - team sport with two teams of seven players each * Harpastum - ball game played in the Roman Empire * Pallone - several traditional Italian ball games

==References== <references>

<ref name=BHB>{{citation |title=The Boy's Handy Book of Sports, Pastimes, Games and Amusements |pages=19–20 |year=1863}}</ref> <ref name=RMG>{{citation |author=Robert MacGregor |title=Balloon Ball |pages=193–198 |journal=Belgravia |volume=44 |year=1881 |publisher=Willmer & Rogers}}</ref> <ref name=TDF>{{citation |title=Encyclopædia of Antiquities |volume=2 |author=Thomas Dudley Fosbroke |chapter=Gymnastiks |year=1825 |page=606}}</ref>

</references>

Category:Ancient Roman sports Category:Ball games