A Companion to Sport and Spectacle in Greek and Roman Antiquity [Hardcover]

A Companion to Sport and Spectacle in Greek and Roman Antiquity presents a series of essays that apply a socio-historical perspective to myriad aspects of ancient sport and spectacle.

• Covers the Bronze Age to the Byzantine Empire
• Includes contributions from a range of international scholars with various Classical antiquity specialties
• Goes beyond the usual concentrations on Olympia and Rome to examine sport in cities and territories throughout the Mediterranean basin
• Features a variety of illustrations, maps, end-of-chapter references, internal cross-referencing, and a detailed index to increase accessibility and assist researchers

List of Figures ix

List of Maps and Plans xiii

Notes on Contributors xv

Acknowledgments xxi

General Introduction 1
Paul Christesen and Donald G. Kyle

Section I Greece 17

Part I The Background 19

1 Greek Athletic Competitions: The Ancient Olympics and More 21
Donald G. Kyle

2 Sport in the Aegean Bronze Age 36
Jeremy Rutter

3 Sport in the Early Iron Age and Homeric Epic 53
Timothy P. J. Perry

4 Representations of Sport in Greek Literature 68
Nigel Nicholson

5 Picturing Victory: Representations of Sport in Greek Art 81
Jenifer Neils

6 Inscriptions as Evidence for Greek Sport 98
H. W. Pleket

7 Recent Trends in the Study of Greek Sport 112
Ingomar Weiler