Arete
Greek Sports from Ancient Sources
4th Edition
Published on 1. September 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-0-520-27433-4 (ISBN)
Description
From the informal games of Homer's time to the highly organized contests of the Roman world, Miller has compiled a trove of ancient sources: Plutarch on boxing, Aristotle on the pentathlon, Philostratos on the buying and selling of victories, Vitruvius on literary competitions, and Xenophon on female body building. Arete offers readers an absorbing lesson in the culture of Greek athletics from the greatest of teachers, the ancients themselves, and demonstrates that the concepts of virtue, skill, pride, valor, and nobility embedded in the word arete are only part of the story from antiquity. This bestselling volume on the culture of Greek athletics is updated with a new preface by leading scholar Paul Christesen that discusses the book's continued importance for students of ancient athletics.
Reviews / Votes
"A remarkable compendium of ancient sources ... An invaluable resource for the study of Greek sport ... What Miller's Arete does extremely well is to show that 'nearly almost every aspect of athletics we know today existed already in that distant but kindred world'" The European LegacyMore details
Edition
4th edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Berkerley
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
363 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-520-27433-4 (9780520274334)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2012
3rd Edition
Naval Institute Press
€20.49
Available for download
Persons
Stephen G. Miller is Professor of Classical Archaeology Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. Paul Christesen is Associate Professor of Classics at Dartmouth College.
Content
Abbreviations Foreword Introduction I. The Earliest Days of Greek Athletics II. Nudity and Equipment III. The Events at a Competition a. Running b. Wrestling c. Boxing d. Pankration e. Pentathlon f. Equestrian g. Herald and Trumpeter h. Music i. Poetry and Prose Composition j. Acting k. Painting IV. Organization of a Panhellenic Festival a. Preparations at the Site b. Preparations of the Athletes c. The Truce d. Preliminaries: Registration and Certification e. Schedule, Heats, and Pairings f. Prohibitions and Penalties g. Officials h. Rewards for Victory V. Local Festivals a. The Panathenaic Games of Athens b. The Eleutheria of Larissa in Thessaly c. The Bomonikai of Sparta VI. The Role of the Games in Society VII. Women in Athletics VIII. Athletes and Heroes IX. Ball playing X. Gymnasion, Athletics, and Education XI. The Spread of Greek Athletics in the Hellenistic Period XII. Greek Athletics in the Roman Period XIII. Amateurism and Professionalism XIV. Nationalism and Internationalism a. Relations between the Panhellenic Sanctuaries b. Relations between City-States and the Panhellenic Sanctuaries c. Relations between City-States at the Panhellenic Sanctuaries XV. Beauty and Reality Appendix: The Olympian and Pythian Programs Select Bibliography Index and Glossary Sources for the Chapter-Opening Sketches