Games and sanctuaries in ancient Greece : Olympia, Delphoi, Isthmia, Nemea, Athens

Author(s)

    • Valavanēs, Panos

Bibliographic Information

Games and sanctuaries in ancient Greece : Olympia, Delphoi, Isthmia, Nemea, Athens

Panos Valavanis ; foreword Sir John Boardman ; translated by Dr. David Hardy

Kapon Editions, [2017], ©2017

2nd edition, revised and enlarged

Available at  / 1 libraries

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Note

Content Type: text (rdacontent), Media Type: unmediated (rdamedia), Carrier Type: volume (rdacarrier)

Includes bibliographical references (page 370) and index (pages 372-375)

Summary: Celebrates the athletes, the games, the sanctuaries, the cities and, above all, the inspiring spirit of the ancient Greeks over a span of a millennium and a half - from the earliest mentions of athletics in Homer's Iliad and other literary sources, through the Classical age, and into the Hellenistic, Roman and late antique periods. That our modern athletes still compete every four years in such contests as the pentathlon, discus, javelin, boxing, jumping, wrestling and running events, much as their ancient antecedents did centuries before them, is a testament to the longevity of competition, triumph and defeat

Contents of Works

  • Foreword / Sir John Boardman
  • Acknowledgments
  • Publisher's note
  • Preface. Introduction : Athletics and religion
  • The prehistory of athletics
  • Great festivals and games. 1. Olympia : The site
  • Olympia and the Olympic games
  • Zeus
  • Olympia over the centuries. 2nd and 2nd millennia BC. 11th-8th c. BC: the establishment of the sanctuary and the early period. 8th c. BC: the foundation of the Olympic games : Foundation myths and traditions
  • the historical beginnings of the games
  • The oracle of Olympia
  • Games and hero worship. 7th-6th c. BC: the period of great development : The Heraion
  • The treasuries
  • Other buildings. 5th c. BC: the glory of the Classical period : The temple of Zeus
  • The workshop of Pheidias
  • The baths
  • The stadium
  • The hippodrome
  • Other buildings
  • The prytaneion
  • Dedications. 4th c. BC: The Late Classical period : The metroon
  • The philippeion
  • The leonidaion
  • The stoas
  • Dedications. 3rd-2nd c. BC: the hellenistic period : The palaestra
  • The gymnasium
  • The krypte stoa. 1st c. BC-2nd c. AD: The Roman intervention : The Roman emperors at Olympia
  • New building activity
  • The nymphaion of Herodes Atticus
  • Th account of Pausanias
  • The games : The festival programme. 3rd-4th c. AD: Olympia in late antiquity : The end of th Olympic games
  • A Christian village at Olympia
  • The abandonment of Olympia. 2 Delphi : The site
  • Foundation myths and legends
  • Apollo
  • Delphi over the centuries. 16th-11th c. BC: the prehistoric settlement. 10th-8th c. BC: The arrival of Apollo. 7th-6th c. BC: The great development of the sanctuary and the amphictyony : Valuable dedications
  • The first stone temples
  • The sacred wars
  • The Pythian games : Preparations for the festival
  • The festival. 6th c. BC: The Archaic period : The architectural development of the sanctuary
  • The 6th c. temple of Apollo
  • The buildings of the Sikyonians
  • The treasury of the Siphnians
  • Dedications. 5th-4th c. BC: Classical period : The first phase after the Persian Wars
  • THe treasury of the Athenians
  • The stoa of the Athenians
  • Other 5th century dedications
  • 5th century conflicts between the cities
  • 4th-century architectural development
  • The gymnasium
  • The new temple of Apollo
  • Dedications of the 4th c. BC. 3rd-2nd c. BC: the Hellenistic period : The stadium
  • The Hippodrome
  • The theatre. 1st c. BC-4th c. AD: Roman times : THe Roman emperors
  • Plutarch and Pausanias
  • The end of the sanctuary and the early Christian period
  • Oracles and the oracular process : The oracular process
  • Interpretation of the Delphic oracle
  • The oracle and moral instruction. 3 Isthmia : The site
  • Foundation myths and legends
  • Poseidon
  • Isthmia over the centuries. 11th-6th c. BC: Early history of the sanctuary : The first temple of Poseidon
  • The games : The history of the games
  • The 6th-century stadium. 5th-4th c. BC: The Classical period : The new temple of Poseidon
  • The theatre and cult caves. 3rd-2nd c. BC: The Hellenistic period : The new stadium. 1st c. BC-3rd c. AD: Roman times : The renovation of the sanctuary
  • The temple of Melikertes-Palaimon
  • The baths complex
  • The end of Isthnia and of the festival. 4 Nemea : The site
  • Foundation myths and legends
  • The games : The history of the games
  • the interval of the games and the kinds of contests
  • Nemea over the centuries. 6th c. BC: the early history of the sanctuary. 5th c. BC: the Classical period : The Oikoi. 340/30-270/60 BC: the return of the games to their cradle : The new temple of Zeus
  • The heroon of Opheltes
  • The guesthouse
  • The baths complex
  • The stadium
  • The starting mechanism
  • The end of Nemea and the games
  • Early Christian Nemea. 5 Panathenaia : Foundation myths and traditions
  • Athena
  • The organisation and conduct of the festival
  • The Panathenaic procession : The Parthenon frieze
  • The contests : The programme
  • The prizes
  • Venues for the preparation and conduct of the games : The Panathenaic stadium
  • Odeia and theatres
  • The Odeion of Herodes Atticus
  • The end of

Description and Table of Contents

Description

2nd edition (2017) revised and enlarged, updated to include new historical and archaeological research and new photographic material from the many sites and monuments where excavation and restoration works have provided fresh insights. This book celebrates the athletes, the games, the sanctuaries, the cities and, above all, the inspiring spirit of the ancient Greeks over a span of a millennium and a half-from the earliest mentions of athletics in Homer's Iliad and other literary sources, through the Classical age, and into the Hellenistic, Roman and late antique periods. Modelled on the physical exercises and competitions that existed in earlier Near Eastern cultures, hundreds of athletic games took place in Greek antiquity, extending across every area of the Mediterranean in which Greek culture flourished. In these five games the magnificent culture and ideology of Greek antiquity flourished, and the spectacle of the games gave rise to a sporting tradition that engages the world to this day.

Table of Contents

Foreword Sir John Boardman Acknowledgments Publisher's Note Preface Introduction Athletics and Religion The Prehistory of Athletics Great Festivals and Games lympia The Site Olympia And the Olympic Games Zeus lympia Over the Centuries 3rd And 2nd Millennia BC Prehistoric Elis And Olympia 11th-8th C. BC The Establishment of the Sanctuary and the Early Period 8th C. BC The Foundation of The Olympic Games 7th-6th C. BC The Period of Great Development 5th C. BC The Glory of the Classical Period 4th C. BC The Late Classical Period 3rd-2nd C. BC The Hellenistic Period 1st C. BC-2nd C. AD The Roman Intervention 3rd-4th C. AD Olympia in Late Antiquity Delphi The Site Foundation Myths and Legends Apollo Delphi Over The Centuries 16th-11th C. BC The Prehistoric Settlement 10th-8th C. BC The Arrival of Apollo 7th-6th C. BC The Great Development of the Sanctuary and the Amphictyony 6th C. BC The Archaic Period 5th-4th C. BC Classical Period 3rd-2nd C. BC The Hellenistic Period 1st C. BC-4th C. AD Roman Times sthmia The Site Foundation Myths and Legends Poseidon Isthmia Over The Centuries 11th-6th C. BC Early History of The Sanctuary 5th-4th C. BC The Classical Period 3rd-2nd C. BC The Hellenistic Period 1st C. BC-3rd C. Ad Roman Times emea The Site Foundation Myths and Legends Nemea Over The Centuries 6th C. BC The Early History of the Sanctuary 5h C. BC The Classical Period 340/30-270/60 BC The Return of the Games to their Cradle Panathenaia Foundation Myths and Traditions Athena The Organisation and Conduct of the Festival The Panathenaic Procession Other Greek and Roman Games Local Games in Greece Games in the Hellenistic East The Games and the Roman Emperors Games in the East in Roman Times The Olympic Games of Antioch The End of the Ancient Games The Events, Rules and Great Champions Bibliography Illustration Credits Index

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