Friday 5 November 2010

[N599.Ebook] Ebook Download Ancient Greek Athletics, by Stephen G. Miller

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Ancient Greek Athletics, by Stephen G. Miller

Ancient Greek Athletics, by Stephen G. Miller



Ancient Greek Athletics, by Stephen G. Miller

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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.

  • Sales Rank: #824663 in Books
  • Published on: 2006-08-01
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: 10.00" h x 1.44" w x 7.00" l, 1.38 pounds
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 304 pages

From Scientific American
As the Olympic Games open in the land where it all began, it is both fitting and delightful to sit down with this beautiful, informative book. Miller, an archaeologist and professor of classics at the University of California at Berkeley, brings the ancient Greek athletic festivals to life by reconstructing the scene at one of the Panhellenic games and explores broader themes such as the integral role they played in society and politics. For almost 12 centuries, beginning in 776 B.C. at Olympia in the Peloponnese (not at Mount Olympus, as one often hears), the games were so popular that nothing was allowed to stand in the way; even battles were temporarily halted in deference to the athletic competition. Olympia was the site of only one of four major contests; the others were at Delphi, Isthmia and Nemea. The closest visual link to the classic athletic festivals comes from paintings on amphoras, huge vessels that held as much as 39 liters of olive oil. These were offered as prizes at the games; one side depicted the event for which the prize was given. Modern fans would find other striking differences between today's contests and the original games: There were no second-place prizes--you won or you lost. There were no team sports. Fouls were punished by flogging. Athletes performed nude. By the fourth century A.D., with the spread of Christianity and the waning of belief in the Greek gods, the games "ceased completely to play any meaningful role in society." They were revived in something resembling their modern form in 1896.

Editors of Scientific American

From The New Yorker
This exhaustive survey by a Berkeley archeologist covers not only the Olympic Games but the related festivals at Delphi, Isthmia, and Nemea (where Miller is in charge of excavations), and uses evidence from vase painting, statuary, and the remains of ancient stadiums to elucidate such details as halteres (special weights used by long jumpers) and the hysplex, a complicated gate intended to prevent false starts. By our standards, many of the events were brutal; an unfortunate boxer named Kreugas had his intestines ripped out in a bout at Nemea. But Miller identifies a specifically Greek ideal in the fact that the athletes, regardless of social standing, competed on equal footing and would even submit to flogging if they fouled. This is a far cry from the behavior of the Roman Emperor Nero, who breezed through Greece in A.D. 67, winning some eleven hundred events; at Olympia, he fell out of his chariot and failed to finish the race but was still awarded the victory crown.
Copyright � 2005 The New Yorker

Review
"Concise yet comprehensive... the crowning glory of a lifetime's work in the field" James Davidson, Daily Telegraph "Excellently documented and marvellously illustrated" Times Literary Supplement "Miller proves that a good scholar can write clearly and be engaging about specialised research without prostituting scholarship for entertainment." History Today "The finest, most complete, and most useful account of ancient Greek athletics that I have seen." Donald Kagan, author of The Peloponnesian War "Everyone interested in sports will want to own this book, which is a lucid introduction to ancient athletics." Mary Lefkowitz, author of Greek Gods, Human Lives "A beautiful, informative book. Miller... brings the ancient Greek athletic festivals to life." Scientific American "This book will serve as the locus classicus for the history of sport in ancient Greece." Jenifer Neils, Odyssey"

Most helpful customer reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Everything you wanted to know about the Greek games, and more
By Michael R. Davenport
Everybody knows that the Olympics started in ancient Greece over 2,000 years ago, but nobody seems to know much about those games. Well, the author of this book really knows his stuff. He gives lots of detailed information, and answers lots of questions that you never thought to ask.

My personal interest in the subject was not so much about the sports aspect of the ancient games, but more about how those competitions illuminated the Bible's use of athletic metaphors. The Apostle Paul used a number of them. I have gotten some insight on the metaphors, but I've also been drawn in to the workings of the games, the contestants, the officials, and, of course, the games themselves.

The author uses many Greek words in his writing, but explains each one when it is first used. (I wish I could remember them all). Having some knowledge of the Greek language is not necessary, but will make some things easier to follow.

The book is lavishly illustrated with dozens of pictures of Greek vases and inscriptions that depict the ancient athletes performing in their events - most of the time, completely naked. Modern readers (especially men) will find it surprising, I suppose, that for most events, this was exactly how it was done (I guess that motivated them to run really fast). And the gymnasium was the place where they practiced and performed naked. And that is the meaning od the Greek word, gumnos.

I think this book will set the standard for information on the ancient Greek games. I highly recommend it.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Scholarly and insightful with details about the four Panhellenic games ...
By Sophia Kugeares
Scholarly and insightful with details about the four Panhellenic games, athletics in general. The average reader will add dimensions to understanding modern Olympic games. The scholar gains insights into the culture, politics and economics of the ancient games; and the significance of the crownings, the "stephanitic cycle" at Olympia, Delphi, Nemea and Isthmia.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
good book
By Rccolaman
I bought this book for college and it arrived on time with minimal wear and tear. I recommend this for other students.

See all 6 customer reviews...

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