Greek Athletics

Jason König is Senior Lecturer in Greek and Classical Studies at the University of St Andrews. His research is focused especially on the Greek literature and culture of the Roman Empire.

• Acknowledgements; Note to the Reader; Abbreviations; Maps; General Introduction; PART 1: Olympia, the Periodos and Panhellenism; Introduction to Part 1; 1. Sanctuaries, the State and the Individual, Catherine Morgan; 2. The So-called Olympic Peace in Ancient Greece (translated by Julietta Steinhauer), Manfred Lammer; PART 2: Gymnasion Education; Introduction to Part 2; 3. Gymnasia and the Democratic Values of Leisure, Nick Fisher; 4. Notes on the Role of the Gymnasion in the Hellenistic City (translated by Margarita Lianou), Philippe Gauthier; PART 3: Festival Foundations Introduction to Part 3; 5. Opening Address: Eighth International Congress of Greek and Latin Epigraphy (translated by Margarita Lianou), Louis Robert; 6. Two Greek Athletic Contests in Rome (translated by Margarita Lianou), Louis Robert; PART 4: Competition and Victory; Introduction to Part 4; 7. Games, Prizes, Athletes and Ideology, H.W. Pleket 8. Athletics, Festivals and Greek Identity in the Roman East, Onno van Nijf; PART 5: Athletic Representations; Introduction to Part 5; 9. The Economy of Kudos, Leslie Kurke 10. Greek Athletics as Roman Spectacle: The Mosaics from Ostia and Rome, Zahra Newby; PART 6: Greek Athletics and the Modern World; Introduction to Part 6 11. First with the most: Greek Athletic Records and "Specialization", David Young; 12. E. Norman Gardiner and the decline of Greek sport, Donald Kyle; Chronology; Glossary; Note on further reading; Bibliography; Index

...provides a good introduction to how the study of ancient athletics intersects with subjects such as the influence of Greek culture on the Roman world and the importance of state-sponsored education in the life of Greek cities.