Sport and spectacle in the ancient world
By: Donald G. Kyle
Series: Ancient cultures; Ancient cultures (Malden, Mass.)
Publisher: Blackwell Pub.
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Malden, MA; Oxford
Language: eng
Number of pages: 403
Subjects: Sports -- History
Description: "Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World chronicles 2,000 years of organized sporting events and public exhibition in the ancient Mediterranean. Using the evidence of art history and archaeology, as well as more traditional literary evidence, this volume uses the perspectives of social history and anthropology to examine the history, nature, and meaning of organized athletic events, combat sports, chariot races, beast fights, and gladiator competitions." "Examining issues of violence, professionalism, class, gender, and eroticism, this accessible and up-to-date volume presents a vivid and thorough introduction of sport and spectacle in the ancient world."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [377]-388) and index
Table of contents: title: Origins and essences : early sport and spectacle; title: Late Bronze Age Minoans, Hittites, and Mycenaeans; title: Sport in Homer : contests, prizes, and honor; title: Archaic Greece : athletics in an age of change; title: In search of the ancient Olympics; title: Ancient Olympia and its games; title: Panhellenic sacred crown games; title: Athens : city of contests and prizes; title: Spartan sport and physical education; title: Greek athletes : myths, motives, and mobility; title: Females and Greek athletics; title: Macedon and Hellenistic sport and spectacle; title: The Roman Republic : festivals, celebrations, and games; title: Late Republic and Augustus : spectacles, politics, and empire; title: Spectacle, sport, and the Roman Empire