Ancient Greek Athletics - Hardcover

Miller, Stephen G

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300100833 ISBN 13: 9780300100839

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2004

Synopsis

The earliest Olympic games began more than twenty-five-hundred years ago. What were they like, how were they organised, who participated? Were ancient sports a means of preparing youth for warfare? In this lavishly illustrated book, a world expert on ancient Greek athletics provides the first comprehensive introduction to the subject, vividly describing ancient sporting events and games and exploring their impact on art, literature, and politics. Using a wide array of ancient sources, written and visual, and including recent archaeological discoveries, Stephen Miller reconstructs ancient Greek athletic festivals and the details of specific athletic events. He also explores broader themes, including the role of women in ancient athletics, the place of amateurism, and the relationship between athletic events and social and political life. Published in the year the modern Olympic Games return to Athens, this book will be a source of information and enjoyment for anyone interested in the history of athletics and the origins of the world's most famous sporting event.

About this title

Review:

"Everyone interested in sports will want to own this book, which is a lucid introduction to ancient athletics." -- Mary Lefkowitz, author of Greek Gods, Human Lives

'Concise yet comprehensive, and wonderfully illustrated...the crowning glory of a lifetime's work in the field' -- The Daily Telegraph

'Excellently documented and marvellously illustrated' -- Mary Beard, Times Literary Supplement, July 9 2004

'If there is one book among these new issues which might be described as essential reading, this is it.' -- The Journal of Classics Teaching, Autumn 2004

'Miller proves that a good scholar can write clearly and be engaging about specialised research without prostituting scholarship for entertainment' -- History Today

'[A] richly detailed study, beautifully illustrated' -- The Spectator

About the Author:

Stephen G. Miller, professor of classical archaeology at the University of California, Berkeley, directs the excavations at Nemea in Greece, one of the major sites of ancient games. He is the author of many books, including Arete: Greek Sports from Ancient Sources.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0300100833
• ISBN 13: 9780300100839
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288