The Ancient Olympic Games

by Swaddling, Judith

• ISBN13: 9780292718937
• ISBN10: 0292718934
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-09-01
• Publisher: Univ of Texas Pr

Summary

In this revised and enlarged edition of her indispensable guide to the ancient Games, Judith Swaddling traces their mythological and religious origins, and describes the events, the sacred ceremony, and the celebrations that were an essential part of the Olympic festival. A large, detailed model based on modern research and excavation reconstructs the site of ancient Olympia, where alongside religious and civic buildings there grew an elaborate sports complex with a stadium for 40,000 spectators, indoor and outdoor training facilities, hot and cold baths, a swimming pool, and a race course. Later chapters cover the diet and medical treatment of athletes, sponsorship, patronage, propaganda, and revivals of the Games. The last additional chapter on the modern Games is written in collaboration with Stewart Binns, an expert in this field who has worked closely with the International Olympic Committee over many years. Eleven additional archival photographs chart the major landmarks in the Olympics over the last hundred years.

Author Biography

Judith Swaddling is a Senior Curator in the Department of Greece and Rome at The British Museum

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 6
The Olympic Games: Where and Why?	p. 7
The Site	p. 13
Records and Regulations	p. 38
Preparation and Training	p. 44
The Programme	p. 53
The Events	p. 56
Prize-giving and Celebrations	p. 90
Politics, Scandal and Propaganda	p. 94
Death and Rebirth	p. 99
The Olympic Games since 1896	p. 107
Further Reading	p. 115
Acknowledgements	p. 116
Illustration Sources and Credits	p. 117
Index	p. 118
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