Ancient Sport
Opening ceremonies at the 2000 Sydney Olympics
In my project I will be investigating the role of sport in society, including the relationships between sports, festivals, religion, and possibly even art. As of now, the bulk of my investigation will center around the Olympic Games, due to the large role they played in Greek society and the large, yet very different role they play in our society today.
a Panathenaic amphora, a large vase filled with olive oil awarded to victors at the Panathenaic Games in Athens
My research questions have led me to focus on the following avenues.
Events
A history of the events will provide a framework for the reader and will provide the means with which I can segway into the greater role of the Games. An example would be the Armored Stade running event. In this race, an athlete would run 2-4 stades (384-768m) wearing full armor which weighed 50 - 60 pounds. Events such as these remind us of the relationships between war and sport.
Athletes
Who were these athletes? What was their station in society? How were they trained? How were they looked upon by everyday citizens? Athletics were part of basic education in Greece. It was believed, and stated by Plato, that athletics improved military skills. As military strength was a power source, this placed obvious importance on athletics in general.
The Role of Sport
I want to draw greater connections. It's easy to do a surface investigation of sport and the Olympics, but I want to use sport to create a realistic picture of life in that place and time. I want to use the Olympics as a launching pad for the study of festivals, leadership, and art. Someone had to build the stadiums which housed these events. There had to be important political ties. Why was sport such an integral part of the culture that people felt that it should be depicted in art?
Progress and questions: Olympia
Why Olympia? other contests of the ancient world
Games at a Glance
Then and Now: the role of the Games
Living Olympia
A Rebirth of Tradition?
The Athlete And The Nation
Women and Athletics
What does it all mean
References
Blake, Tyrrell. The Smell of Sweat: Greek Athletics, Olympics, and Culture. Wauconda, Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, 2004.
Miller, Stephen. Arete: Greek Sports from Ancient Sources. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004.
Phillips, David. Sport and Festival in the Ancient Greek World. Wales: Classical Press, 2003.
Sinn, Ulrich. Olympia. Princeton: Markus Wiener Publishers, 2000.
Scanlon, Thomas. Eros and Greek Athletics. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Spivey, Nigel. The Ancient Olympics. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Sweet, Waldo. Sport and Recreation in Ancient Greece. New York: Oxford Press, 1987.
