By: David Potter

Paperback

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Incorporating the latest research, The Victor's Crown offers an analysis of how competitive sport emerged in Greece during the eighth century BC, and then how the great festival cycle of Classical Greece came into being during the sixth century BC. Special attention is paid to violent sports of boxing, wrestling and pancration. We meet the great athletes of the past and discover what it was that made them so great. It shows how the rise of the Roman Empire transformed the sporting world by popularizing new forms of entertainment (chiefly chariot racing, gladiatorial combat and beast hunts). David Potter vividly brings to life the experiences of being fan and competitor, and extrapolates skilfully to the modern day, creating not just a history of ancient sport, but also an examination of the social and cultural roles sport has played throughout history.

'Vivid and authoritative ... scholarly and entertaining ... fascinating and impressive' Sunday Times. 'A rich, absorbing account' Independent on Sunday.

List of illustrations. Maps. Preface. Then and Now. Part 1 Ashes, Linen and the Origins of Sport: Introduction; Homer and the Bronze Age; Homer and Sport. Part 2 Olympia: From Myth to History; Olympia in 480 BC; The Olympic Games of 476 BC; The Festival Approaches; Winning (The equestrian events; The pentathlon and the foot races; Nudity; Pain and suffering); Remembering Victory (The athlete as hero); The Emergence of the Panhellenic Cycle. Part 3 The World of the Gymnasium: Sport and Civic Virtue; Beroia; Getting in Shape and Turning Pro. Part 4 Roman Games: Greece Meets Rome; Kings and Games; Rome and Italy; Actors and Gladiators; Caesar, Antony, Augustus and the Games. Part 5 Imperial Games: Watching; The Fan's Experience; Expectations; Crowd Noise; Dreaming of Sport; Images of Sport; Women's Sports; Gladiators (Life as a gladiator; Training and ranking; Dying; Choosing to be a gladiator); Charioteers; Athletes (Athletic guilds; Cheating); Running the Show (Administration; Athletics). Epilogue: The Long End of an Era. Bibliography. Classical Sources. Notes. Index.

ISBN: 9780857382009
ISBN-10: 0857382004
Audience: General
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 352
Published: 1st August 2012
Dimensions (cm): 19.8 x 13.2  x 3.1
Weight (kg): 0.494