Ancient Greek Athletics

by Stephen G. Miller

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.

Genres: History, Greece, Classical Studies, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2004

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also read as part of CLAS 263 taught by Al Duncan. Really good supplement for the Arete text, which gives background knowledge about Greek athletics that made the first hand sources much easier to digest. A much easier read and fairly entertaining.

[Franz Ruedele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable if the subject interests you at all. I especially enjoyed the anecdotes about pankratists, and the duel between the Macedonian soldier and the Athenian athlete.

[Norma O'Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic resource. Thorough and informative. I particularly appreciated the chapter reconstructing a festival as a whole, on top of information simply about the athletic events.

[Joshua Mifsud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just want to note that I would prefer in future editions if Miller included footnotes in the back instead of just a bibliography.

[Aleksandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is not the first book on Greek sport that I've read, but this one was definitely the most interesting and most enjoyable. It is both informative and not overloaded with material, logically organized and easy to follow. The author discusses first the theoretical concepts and ideas common for the entire history of Greek sport and games; this is followed by the description and analysis of main sportive events in ancient Greece and their locations.
A recommended read for anyone interested in the history of sport and the development of Greek civic ideas.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Athletics is definitely not my forte. It's not even my pianissimo. I'd originally picked this up as a supplemental text to my reading of Pindar's odes and I am not disappointed. I wish I'd read this prior to my trip to Greece several years ago.

This would be a great undergrad text to any course on the history of athletics or Greece in general. Very readable, with many interesting and relatable points.

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The information was new to me, which was great... but I kept falling asleep whenever I read it.