Epilogue: Fresh Perspectives on Ancient Sport

2014

"A Companion to Sport and Spectacle in Greek and Roman Antiquity" presents a series of original essays that apply a socio-historical perspective to myriad aspects of ancient sport. Featuring contributions from a wide range of international scholars in various Classical antiquity disciplines, readings focus on the status and roles of participants, organizers, and spectators while addressing such themes as class, gender, ethnicity, religion, violence, and more. Introductory essays on the historiography of Greek and Roman sport are followed by specialized readings relating to Greek sports in specific locales such as Athens and Sparta. Subsequent readings relating to the Roman Empire focus on sport and spectacle in the city of Rome and in various Roman cities and provinces. Distinctions between “sport” and “spectacle” are examined and understanding sport and spectacle as part of a broader social canvas, rather than isolated activities, is emphasized. Offering a wealth of insights to our current understanding of the role of sport and spectacle in the ancient world, "A Companion to Sport and Spectacle in Greek and Roman Antiquity" represents an invaluable scholarly contribution to ancient sport studies.

Sport was practised in the Greco-Roman world at least since the second millennium BC. Ancient cultures employed sport in a variety of social contexts. Sport served as an element of ceremonial performance, as a foundation for physical education, and as the dramatic focus of popular spectacles from the local to the imperial level. In recent years, the continuous re-assessment of old and new evidence in conjunction with the development of new methodological perspectives have created the need for a fresh examination of central aspects of ancient sport in a single volume. This book fills that gap in ancient sport scholarship.

Bloomsbury , 2021

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Oxford Handbook of Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World

The International Journal of the History of Sport, 2017

Book review of the book 'A Companion to Sport and Spectacle in Greek and Roman Antiquity' (2014) edited by Paul Christesen & Donald G. Kyle.