Here Nigel Spivey paints a portrait of the Greek Olympics as they really were--fierce contexts between bitter rivals, in which victors won kudos and rewards, and losers faced scorn and even assault. Bitterly Contested and often bloody, the ancient Olympics were no an idealistic celebration of unity, but a clash of military powers in an arena not far removed from the battlefield. The author explores what the events were, the rules for competitors, training and diet, the pervasiveness of cheating and bribery, the prizes on ...
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Here Nigel Spivey paints a portrait of the Greek Olympics as they really were--fierce contexts between bitter rivals, in which victors won kudos and rewards, and losers faced scorn and even assault. Bitterly Contested and often bloody, the ancient Olympics were no an idealistic celebration of unity, but a clash of military powers in an arena not far removed from the battlefield. The author explores what the events were, the rules for competitors, training and diet, the pervasiveness of cheating and bribery, the prizes on offer, the exclusion of "barbarians," and protocols on pederasty. He also peels back the mythology surrounding the games today and investigates where our current conception of the Olympics has come from and how the Greek notions of beauty and competitiveness have influenced our modern culture.
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Add this copy of The Ancient Olympics: a History: War Minus the Shooting to cart. $15.22, new condition, Sold by Aardvark Books Ltd rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bucknell, HEREFORDSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2006 by Oxford University Press, USA.
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Good. Light bumps/wear at edges/corners of dust jacket and hard board. Light marks, scratches and fading to dust jacket and parts of hard board. A few foxing specks at top text block. Text excellent and appears unread. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 304 p. Contains: Illustrations.
Add this copy of The Ancient Olympics: a History to cart. $10.00, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Oxford University Press, USA.
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Very Good. Very Good Dust Jacket. 1st Printing. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. pp. 273. 273 pp. Tightly bound. Corners not bumped. Text is free of markings. No ownership markings. Very good dust jacket. Jacket not price clipped. First Edition / First Printing with the number I printed.
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Add this copy of The Ancient Olympics: a History to cart. $41.21, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Oxford University Press.
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Add this copy of The Ancient Olympics: a History to cart. $85.25, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Oxford University Press.