Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #314449 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Synopsis
Ancient Greece was full of wonders, but none quite compared to the Olympic Games - the most dazzling event in the pagan world. Held without a break for over 1200 years, it remains one of the greatest institutions of the civilised world, yet little is known about its history, beyond the mythical. Piecing together ancient eyewitness accounts, this history is a fascinating mix of the familiar and the wildly exotic, exploring the often harsh conditions the spectators endured, the bizarre events that were held, and even Plato's changing room "pick up" lines.

Customer Reviews

deliciously entertaining history
This is a wonderful introduction to the ancient Greek sporting culture -- and because athletics was so central to the way of life, it makes a fascinating intro to the whole pagan world, with great sections on the religious and social aspects of the games (boozing, prostitution, literary readings, you name it!). The Olympics festival is taken day by day, from the point of view of spectators (who had to be physically fit just to get to Olympia, walking 210 miles, say from Athens!), the athletes (who were never amateurs -- they loved money!) and the organizers (who had it very easy compared to the modern counterparts -- the ancient games were held at the same site for nearly 1200 years!) The details are wonderful -- Plato was an avid wrestler and sports fan, for example, who went to the games incognito, and slept in a barracks with a bunch of snoring strangers (he became great friends with them, as it happens). It's a funny, erudite, entertaining read -- and the illustrations are excellent, drawn from ancient vase paintings.

The Olympics were more fun then
I have never been a sports fan, so I didn't know if I would care for Tony Perrottet's book on the ancient Greek Olympics. However, I found it quite enthralling.

The book is packed with fascinating information and there isn't a dull passage in it. It is interesting to learn for instance that the games themselves were only part of the Olypmic experience, religious celebrations predominated, and enormous numbers of animals were sacrificed to the gods in the course of the event. The games were often bloody and violent, and men competed naked (this may or may not be an agreeable prospect to you). Married women were not allowed to attend the games, though they had their own seperate sporting festival in honour of the goddess Hera. Singel women could attend the games, and prostitutes abounded. altogether it was a far more colourful, varied, and violent spectacle than we are accustomed to today.

this is the kind of book I love, packed with fascinating information that makes me go "Gosh, I never knew that" all the time. Well worth reading.