The act of physical engagement between two unarmed persons was practiced around the world by such figures as Gilgamesh, Egyptian pharoahs, Jacob of the Old Testament, Zeus and Muhammad. These ancient battles were marked by submission and forced respect, and occasionally death. As time marched on, folks discovered that friends could wrestle, too. As a sport, wrestling provided a match of wits as well as strength.

In the East, sumo sprung up in around the 3rd Century BC. Greeks and Romans had their own rules, combined and refined by the French in the 1860's. Greco-Roman rules forbid holds below the waist or use of the legs against an opponent. Freestyle, or "catch-as-catch-can," made its Olympic debut at St. Louis 1904, offered looser rules, a style that later branched off into something called sports entertainment complete with artificial storylines, oiled chests and "action."

The very real Olympic version that was held at the inaugural 1896 Games was an open weight class of the Greco variety. German Carl Schumann was its first champion, grappling with a Greek for just under an hour before winning with a mighty throw. The match was interrupted by nightfall and took place over two days, a strong hint that a timer and a scoring system might be necessary later.

If you've been reading along for the past few weeks, you're well aware of the problems that various sporting federations have had shoehorning their games into usable scoring systems. Despite its fundamental purity, wrestling is no different, and requires a 60-page rulebook (PDF). For many years, a "bad mark" system deducted points for penalties, but since 1984 points are cumulative. Holds and throws are rated from one to five points.

Both types of wrestling take place in the octagon. No, not that one... the eight-sided mat used in Olympic competition contains a red circle which acts as a "passivity area." Repeated retreat to the red circle can result in disqualification.

In 2008, yet another new system is being introduced. Rounds will be two minutes each, and each will produce a winner (ties will go to a 30-second overtime, followed by judge's decision if the deadlock is not broken). The first wrestler to win two rounds is the match winner. Entrants will battle, tournament-style, in single elimination format. Following the examples of judo and taekwondo, the wrestlers who lose to the to finalists will take part in a repechage mini-tourney, and the final two will both receive bronze medals.

Wrestling Fun Facts:

• Wrestlers wear either a blue or a red singlet (a one-piece sleeveless garment) with his or her country's emblem on the chest, and the three-letter IOC abbreviation on the back. Underneath, each must carry a handkerchief to wipe up any blood or sweat that gets on the mat. Knee pads are permissible, as long as there are no non-cloth elements.

  Shoes are laced to the shin and cannot contain buckles. Laces must be taped down, the result of a rule change that came about after the 1997 World Championships, when Iranian Abbas Haj Kenari began tying and untying his shoelaces to break his opponent's momentum.

  Unlike other Olympic fight sports, beards are permissible in wrestling -- as long as they are the products of several months' growth. Stubble is a weapon.

• Here are three moves: five, three and two points, respectively. Quick: can you tell which are Greco-Roman and which are freestyle?
  

• Perhaps the most famous Olympic wrestling story concerns Alexander Karelin, who won gold in 1988, 1992 and 1996 and did not lose a match for 13 years. His streak was broken by then-unknown U.S. wrestler Rulon Gardner in the 2000 super heavyweight final. Karelin took a penalty in the second period when Gardner broke his hands during a lock, awarding a point to the American. That 1-0 score proved to be the final margin.

  Gardner, who nearly died last year in a plane crash, is now blogging for the New York Times.

In 2008:

Olympic wrestling will take place at the China Agricultural University Gymnasium, from August 9 (Day 1) to August 19 (Day 11). A total of 18 gold medals will be awarded. The seven men's weight classes for Greco-Roman and freestyle are as follows: bantamweight, 55kg (121 lbs.); featherweight, 60kg (132 lbs.); lightweight, 66kg (145 lbs.); welterweight, 74kg (163 lbs.); middleweight, 84kg (185 lbs.); heavyweight, 96kg (211 lbs.) and super heavyweight, 120kg (264 lbs.). Unlike in weightlifting and the other fight sports, super heavyweight is not an unlimited weight class.

Women's wrestling will take place for the second time, having debuted at Athens 2004. Four freestyle classes will be contested: flyweight, 48kg (106 lbs.); lightweight, 55kg (121 lbs.); middleweight, 63kg (139 lbs.) and heavyweight, 72kg (159 lbs.).

In total, 344 wrestlers will compete in Beiing. Each country can enter once per weight class, and each athlete must have qualified at the 2007 FILA World Championships, one of the five continental championships, or at either of the qualification tournaments held this spring.

All-Time Medal Standings:

Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Soviet Union	61	31	23	114
United States	49	43	30	122
Sweden	28	27	27	82
Turkey	27	16	12	55
Finland	26	28	29	83
Japan	22	15	13	50
Hungary	19	14	17	50
Bulgaria	16	30	17	63
Russia	15	8	6	29
South Korea	10	11	12	33
Romania	7	8	17	32
Unified Team	6	5	5	16
Italy	6	4	9	19
Germany	5	16	11	32
Iran	5	11	15	31
Poland	5	9	9	23
Cuba	5	5	6	16
Estonia	5	1	4	10
Yugoslavia	4	6	6	18
Switzerland	4	4	6	14
Great Britain	3	4	9	16
France	3	4	7	14
North Korea	3	2	4	9
Ukraine	3	2	3	8
East Germany	2	2	2	6
Norway	2	2	1	5
Uzbekistan	2	2	0	4
Egypt	2	1	2	5
Azerbaijan	2	1	0	3
Czechoslovakia	1	7	5	13
Canada	1	6	5	12
West Germany	1	4	4	9
Greece	1	3	7	11
Kazakhstan	1	3	2	6
Armenia	1	1	0	2
China	1	0	3	4
Belarus	0	3	3	6
Belgium	0	3	0	3
Denmark	0	2	6	8
Mongolia	0	2	3	5
Georgia	0	1	4	5
Australia	0	1	2	3
Lebanon	0	1	2	3
Lithuania	0	1	0	1
Mexico	0	1	0	1
Syria	0	1	0	1
Austria	0	0	2	2
India	0	0	1	1
Macedonia	0	0	1	1
Moldova	0	0	1	1
Pakistan	0	0	1	1

(Photo via 1980 Official Report)