Sport and Society in Ancient Greece

Sport and Society in Ancient Greece provides a concise and readable introduction to ancient Greek sport. It covers such topics as the links between sport, religion and warfare, the origins and history of the Olympic games, and the spirit of competition among the Greeks. Its main focus, however, is on Greek sport as an arena for the creation and expression of difference among individuals and groups. Sport not only identified winners and losers. It also drew boundaries between groups (Greeks and barbarians, boys and men, males and females) and offered a field for debate on the relative worth of athletic and equestrian competition. The book includes guides to the ancient evidence and to modern scholarship on the subject.

• Concise and readable • Only up-to-date introduction to ancient Greek sport in English • Explores the subject in the context of class, age and gender

1. Ways of seeing Greek sport; 2. The evidence and its limits; 3. Reflections of victory in literature and art; 4. Divisions of age and sex; 5. Class differences, dissent, democracy; Conclusion; Bibliographical essay.

‘This book reveals a thorough and refreshing respect for both the topic and the reader. Golden clearly understands and enjoys his subject, and he wants the reader to understand and enjoy it as well … It must then be regarded as a highly successful addition to that series [Key Themes in Ancient History].’

– Tim Devlin, Prudentia