As religious rituals, rites of passage, and celebrations of the body, athletics were deeply woven into the fabric of ancient Greek life. Modeled after physical exercises and competitions that existed in earlier Near Eastern cultures, hundreds of athletic contests took place throughout the ancient Greek world. In the eighth century B.C., the games held at Olympia began to surpass all others in their fame and glory and gave rise to a sporting tradition that engages and enthralls the world to this day.
Published to coincide with the return of the Olympics to Greece in 2004, this thoroughly researched book studies sport in ancient Greece over a span of a millennium and a half—from the earliest mentions of athletics in Homer’s Iliad and other literary sources, through the Classical age, and into the Hellenistic, Roman, and late antique periods. With more than five hundred illustrations, the book tours the monumental stadiums, bathhouses, temples, and other structures built to host the athletic events and to house the wealth of art created to pay tribute to the athletes, gods, and heroes of the games.
Panos Valavanis studied classics at the University of Athens and at the Archaeological Institute of the University of Würzburg, Germany. He teaches history and archaeology at the University of Athens.
Games and Sanctuaries in Ancient Greece
Olympia, Delphi, Isthmia, Nemea, Athens
Panos Valavanis
J. Paul Getty Museum Bookstore
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Immortal spirit of antiquity,
Father of the true, beautiful and good,
Descend, appear, shed over us thy light
Upon this ground and under this sky
Which has fits witnessed by unpersihable fame.
Give life and animation to those noble games!
Throw wreaths of fadeless flowers to the victors
In the race and in the strife!
Create in our breasts, hearts of steel!
In thy light, plains, mountains and seas
Shine in a roseate hue and form a vast temple
To which all nations throng to adore thee,
Oh immortal spirit of antiquity!
The Olympic Hymn
Composed by Spirou Samara
Lyrics by Costis Palamas of Greece.
Enjoy games of the XXVIII Olympiad !
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Have a nice weekend everyone!
