A Brief History of the Olympic Games

For more than a millennium, the ancient Olympics captured the imaginations of the Greeks, until a Christianized Rome terminated the competitions in the fourth century AD. But the Olympic ideal did not die and this book is a succinct history of the ancient Olympics and their modern resurgence. Classics professor David Young, who has researched the subject for over 25 years, reveals how the ancient Olympics evolved from modest beginnings into a grand festival, attracting hundreds of highly trained athletes, tens of thousands of spectators, and the finest artists and poets.

List of Figures ix Preface xi 1 Introduction 1 2 Beginnings and Evidence 12 3 Athletic Events 24 4 Combat and Equestrian Events 38 5 Zeus Country 52 6 Pindar and Immortality 67 7 Body, Mind, and Greek Athletics 80 8 Questions of Profit and Social Class 92 9 The Athletes 102 10 Women and Greek Athletics 113 11 Between the Greek and Roman Worlds 122 12 The Later Centuries of Olympia 130 13 The Origin and Authenticity of the Modern Olympic Games 138 Appendix A: Chronology and Schedule of the Athletic Circuit 158 Appendix B: Technical Note on Discus and Long Jump 161 Appendix C: Modern Issues: The Marathon and Torch Relay 165 Notes 170 Glossary 175 Bibliography 177 Index 181