According to "Iliad", Mycenaean warriors included boxing in their competitions. They did this to honor those who had died. It is possible that Homer told about what the Greeks did, at a later time. Boxing was one of the contests held in memory of Achilles' friend Patroclus, who was killed toward the end of the Trojan War. To commemorate Patroclus the Greeks later introduced boxing ("pygme / pygmachia") to the Olympic Games in 688 BC. People taking part trained on punching bags (called a "korykos"). Fighters wore leather straps (called "himantes") over their hands, wrists, and sometimes chest, to protect themselves from injury. The straps also left the fingers free. 