When was stage combat first used?

Stage combat has roots that trace back to ancient times, with evidence of its use in Greek theater around the 5th century BCE, where dramatists incorporated violence into their plays. The practice evolved through Roman theater and the medieval period, gaining more formalized techniques during the Renaissance. By the 16th and 17th centuries, stage combat became more structured, particularly in the works of playwrights like Shakespeare, who often included staged fights in his plays.