Buch, Englisch, 296 Seiten, Format (B × H): 134 mm x 196 mm
War Minus the Shooting
Buch, Englisch, 296 Seiten, Format (B × H): 134 mm x 196 mm
ISBN: 978-0-19-280433-4
Verlag: Oxford University Press
Key Features:Paints a portrait of the Greek Olympics as they really were - fierce contests between bitter rivals, in which victors won kudos and rewards, and losers faced scorn and even assault
- Major two-part TV programme featuring Nigel Spivey to be screened on Channel 4 in England and PBS (US) to coincide with the 2004 Athens Olympics
- Published to coincide with the 2004 Athens Olympics
- Shows how Greek notions of beauty and competitiveness have influenced modern culture
- Spivey is uniquely well-placed to write this - he is a Cambridge classicist and athletics coach
- High profile author - regular Channel 5 presenter
Description:
The word 'athletics' is derived from the Greek verb 'to struggle/suffer for a prize'. After reading this book, no one will see the Olympics as a graceful display of Greek beauty again, but as war by other means.
Nigel Spivey paints a portrait of the Greek Olympics as they really were - fierce contests between bitter rivals, in which victors won kudos and rewards, and losers faced scorn and even assault. Victory was almost worth dying for, and a number of athletes did just that. The author explores the events: 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.
Contested always bitterly and often bloodily, the ancient Olympics were not an idealistic celebration of unity, but a clash of military powers in an arena not far removed from the battlefield
Zielgruppe
All those with an interest in history, ancient history, and the Olympic Games.
