The victor's crown : a history of ancient sport from Homer to Byzantium / David Potter.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Potter, David, 1957-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sports--History.

Sports.

History.

Greece--Civilization.

Greece.

Civilization.

Byzantine Empire--Civilization.

Byzantine Empire.

Physical Description:

xxx, 416 pages : color illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, [2012]

Summary:

The Victor's Crown brings to life the signal role of sport in the classical world. Ranging over a dozen centuries-from Archaic Greece through to the late Roman and early Byzantine empires-David Potter's lively narrative shows how sport, to the ancients, was not just a dim reflection of religion and politics but a potent social force in its own right. Potter charts the origins of competitive athletics in Greece during the eighth century BC and the emergence of the Olympics as a preeminent cultural event. He focuses on the experiences of spectators and athletes, especially in violent sports such as boxing and wrestling, and describes the physiology of conditioning, training techniques, and sport's role in education. The rise of the Roman Empire transformed the sporting world by popularizing new entertainments, particularly gladiatorial combat, a specialized form of chariot racing, and beast hunts. Here, too, Potter examines sport from the perspectives of both athlete and spectator, as he vividly describes competitions held in such famous arenas as the Roman Colosseum and the Circus Maximus. While linking ancient sport to events such as religious ceremonies and aristocratic displays. Potter emphasizes above all that it was the thrill of competition-to those who competed and those who watched-that ensured sport's central place in the Greco-Roman world. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part 1 Ashes, Linen and the Origins of Sport

1 Introduction 3

2 Homer and the Bronze Age 13

3 Homer and Sport 24

Part 2 Olympia

4 From Myth to History 37

5 Olympia in 480 BC 49

6 The Olympic Games of 476 BC 55

7 The Festival Approaches 62

8 Winning 67

The equestrian events 67

The pentathlon and the foot races 73

Nudity 76

Pain and suffering 78

9 Remembering Victory 89

The athlete as hero 93

10 The Emergence of the Panhellenic Cycle 98

Part 3 The World of the Gymnasium

11 Sport and Civic Virtue 109

12 Beroia 127

13 Getting in Shape and Turning Pro 137

Part 4 Roman Games

14 Greece Meets Rome 163

15 Kings and Games 169

16 Rome and Italy 179

17 Actors and Gladiators 186

18 Caesar, Antony, Augustus and the Games 209

Part 5 Imperial Games

19 Watching 225

20 The Fan's Experience 229

21 Expectations 233

22 Crowd Noise 237

23 Dreaming of Sport 242

24 Images of Sport 246

25 Women's Sports 252

26 Gladiators 258

Life as a gladiator 259

Training and ranking 262

Dying 264

Choosing to be a gladiator 269

27 Charioteers 273

28 Athletes 278

Athletic guilds 279

Cheating 286

29 Running the Show 288

Administration 292

Athletics 300.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780199842759

0199842752

9780199842735

0199842736

OCLC:

707266098