Description
Book SynopsisModern sport cannot be understood without ancient sport. Sport saturates contemporary society and the global reach of sport and its intense popularity characterizes the modern world. But, at the same time, sport is one of the most ancient human pursuits. In the globalized sport of today, the type of athletic performance and the ideology of sport and its apparent origins are mostly derived from the model of one pre-modern civilization: Graeco-Roman antiquity. Juxtaposing ancient writers with recent ones, including the modern Olympic founder Pierre de Coubertin and physical fitness impresario Bernarr Macfadden, and by examining the representation of sport in Olympic films, Miller demonstrates the ancient heritage of contemporary sport, and the creative ways in which ancient sport has been adapted, appropriated, mishandled and reimagined. Sport today contains a surprising contradiction: its explicit modernity (from its technological sophistication and integration into capitalist market
Trade ReviewMiller expertly navigates the complex and fascinating world of ancient sport, as well as shining a perceptive light of some of the more and less well-known ways in which ancient sport has impacted on the modern world. * Michael Scott, Professor of Classics and Ancient History, University Of Warwick, UK *
I would encourage anyone with even a passing interest in the sporting identity of the West to seek out this remarkable book for the wealth of insights it offers. * The Journal of Classics Teaching *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Figures Abbreviations and Conventions Introduction: Which Ancient Sports? Chapter 1: Sport in Greek Antiquity Chapter 2: Sport in Roman Antiquity Chapter 3: The Ancient and Modern Olympics Chapter 4: Beauty, Strength, and Physical Culture Chapter 5: Arenas, Stadiums, and Gyms Chapter 6: Olympic Art and Cinema Further Reading Notes Index
