The Ancient Olympics: A History

by Nigel Spivey

The word "athletics" is derived from the Greek verb "to struggle or to suffer for a prize." As Nigel Spivey reveals in this engaging account of the Olympics in ancient Greece, "suffer" is putting it mildly. Indeed, the Olympics were not so much a graceful display of Greek beauty as a war
fought by other means.
Nigel Spivey paints a portrait of the Greek Olympics as they really were--fierce contests between bitter rivals, in which victors won kudos and rewards, and losers faced scorn and even assault. Victory was almost worth dying for, the author notes, and a number of athletes did just that. Many
more resorted to cheating and bribery. Contested always bitterly and often bloodily, the ancient Olympics were not an idealistic celebration of unity, but a clash of military powers in an arena not far removed from the battlefield. The author explores what the events were, the rules for competitors,
training and diet, the pervasiveness of cheating and bribery, the prizes on offer, the exclusion of "barbarians," and protocols on pederasty. He also peels back the mythology surrounding the games today and investigates where our current conception of the Olympics has come from and how the Greek
notions of beauty and competitiveness have influenced our modern culture.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Sports, Greece

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Ben Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not an exhilarating work of history, but a workmanlike introduction to the classical world through the lens of sport. The book felt at times like it was tossed off in a couple of months to be available for a surge in undergraduate classics courses after the 2004 games in Athens. Strongest in its discussion of the significance of sport in the classical world, plodding in its attempts to parse the earliest years of the classical Olympiad, and anemic in its relation of the classical experience to the present.

[B.P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fascinating! Full of Ancient Greek social tidbits. The author didn't just write about sport, but the relationship between sport and geopolitics/power of the time.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid and interesting look at the ancient Olympics. Well-researched with attention to primary sources. I learned a lot but think the organization and structure could have been better, or clearer. It wasn't obvious to me why this or that chapter or section was where it was and how it fit into a whole. It could be a good supplement for a course on the Olympics--though I am not sure it would be a could primary text. (It's not long or dense but took me a while to get through for reasons unrelated to the book itself)

[Lydia Guerrero · Rating 3 out of 5]

lovely bit of history in preparation for the upcoming Paris Games. i learned a lot and had fun connecting what i already knew from homer and other bits of myths and fables. 3 stars bc it starts strong but gets a bit dull in the second half but that’s more of ny personal tastes and interests than the authors fault. def read this if u interested in ancient greek history/mythology, sports and athleticism, and the olympic games in general

[Carole · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a scholarly book. He uses words I have no idea what they mean. His pictures are in black and white making it impossible to make out any details. He plods along giving many wordy details. I couldn’t wait for this book to be finished.

[Sam! · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up from my local library because I wanted to learn more about the Olympics given they’re happening in Paris this year. All in all it was a very interesting book that was full of information, but I felt like it dipped at some points and I lost interest often.

[Archodoula Vlg · Rating 4 out of 5]

i had an essay about the ancient Olympic Games and this book was very helpful. It was an easy read but all the useful information was included.

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating study of the original Olympics.

[Ella Brannaman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good info, but I the writing style and the order the info was presented was a little off.

[John Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nowadays, most of us have only a vague imagining of what the ancient Olympic games were like, based on the guess that they must've resembled the modern games. This book is an excellent corrective to that view. Essentially the Greek games, like ancient Greece itself, were a different world, despite some clear similarities.

A blog post I wrote based on this book will give you some idea of its contents.

[John Morn · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in the Olympics and where they came from this book really examine the topic thoroughly. A couple of interesting things I found out. Gymnos means nude. And more than any other culture, Classical Greece emphasized working out and being fit. And our culture (Western) is the first since then to have similar notions. Fascinating stuff!

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating account of Olympia and the Olympic institution represented in Classical Antiquity.

[Anthony Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent text. Not only highly informative, but very entertaining. Apparently well referenced, and an enjoyable and quite easy read.

[Gregg · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little too nerdy for me.