End of Greek Athletics in Late Antiquity

A comprehensive study of how and why athletic contests, a characteristic feature of ancient Greek culture, disappeared in late antiquity.

List of contents

Introduction; Part I. An Overview of Athletics in Late Antiquity: 1. Greece; 2. Asia Minor; 3. Syria; 4. Egypt; 5. Italy; 6. Gaul; 7. North Africa; Conclusions to Part I; Part II. Agones in a Changing World: 8. A religious ban?; 9. An imperial ban?; 10. The athletic professionals; 11. Athletics as elite activity; 12. The practical organization of agones; 13. The agon as spectacle; Conclusions to Part II.

About the author

Sofie Remijsen is a Junior Professor in the Department of History at Universität Mannheim, Germany.

Summary

The demise of the ancient Olympics has commonly been blamed on a ban imposed by the Christian emperor Theodosius I. Sofie Remijsen challenges this conventional view, and traces instead the collapse of the entire professional circuit of Greek athletics under the pressure of changing institutions and perceptions in late antiquity.

Product details

• Authors: Sofie Remijsen, Sofie (Universitat Mannheim Remijsen, Remijsen Sofie
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.03.2019
• EAN: 9781107644700
• ISBN: 978-1-107-64470-0
• No. of pages: 407
• Series: Greek Culture in the Roman World; Greek Culture in the Roman Wor; Greek Culture in the Roman World
• Subjects: Guides > Sport; Humanities, art, music > History > Antiquity; European History, HISTORY / Ancient / General, Ancient Greece, Ancient History, Classical history / classical civilisation, Sports and Active outdoor recreation