Origin of "throw in the towel"

[BSR]

History buffs, is this true?  Or did some guy on the Internet just make it up?  It sounds made-up, but ya never know ...

"Throwing in the towel" does not owe its origin to boxing...

Today the belief predominates that the origin of the expression "throw in the towel" lies in the world of boxing.  It is true that it is used in this sport to point to the gesture in which one of the trainers forces his fighter to quit.  Everyone knows that the phrase means to give up a purpose or fight.  But where can we find its origin?

The truth is that the gesture that gave rise to this locution is much older than most imagine.  It is said that the famous Roman baths of the former empire were not a place exclusively for bathing, as we have seen in different films it was a place to meet, and ideal for political conspiracies of those that abounded in ancient Rome.  But they were also the ideal place to meet the most attractive young men in the city who, seeking fame, riches, and sometimes power, yielded to the wishes of older men who sought their company.  All this gave rise to a ritual that can be traced back to the first century AD.

When one of these adolescents received a proposal either through third parties or directly from one of the older men, he stood in front of his applicant and either tied a second knot in the towel that wrapped him, making it clear that he was rejecting the proposal, or threw in the towel, to which those present applauded and celebrated the beginning of a relationship.
In present-day Turkey some hot springs are preserved in which a plaque was discovered that reads: "Hic Antinous Hadriano linteum suum iactavit", that is, "This was where Antinous threw his towel at Hadrian," thus alluding to the relationship between the emperor Hadrian and the young musical artist Antinous.  Perhaps that was the moment in which the meaning of the phrase began to vary, finally being seen as a gesture of submission to the conqueror, which led the boxing world to adopt it to refer to surrender, which has led to gradually losing track of the true origin of the term.

Edited April 18, 2023 by BSR
Typo

[+ José Soplanucas]

1 hour ago, BSR said:

History bluffs, is this true? 

Vera possum dicere. ibi fui.

[Lookin]

What towel?

[Luv2play]

Here is an image of Antinous from my art collection. It's an ancient lithograph. You can see his incredible beauty and why he caught the Emperor's eye. That might be the towel on his shoulder that he threw in. 😉

Edited April 17, 2023 by Luv2play

[Guest]

Aritz Grau Sueira ( Valencia , December 8 , 1991 ), known as Aritz Arén or Aritz , is a Spanish dancer , choreographer and singer . He is known for his participation in Fama, let's dance! 2019 and at Benidorm Fest 2023. At the end of 2022, the participants of the Benidorm Fest 2023 were announced and among them was Aritz Grau with the song "Flamenco" to represent Spain in Eurovision 2023. He lives in Madrid . He had a relationship with the influencer Álvaro López-Sainz. I, for one, am ready to throw in that towel.... 🥰

Edited April 18, 2023 by Unicorn