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57th out of 427 books
—
350 voters
The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Ancient Games
by
Tony Perrottet (Goodreads Author),
Lesley Thelander
What was it like to attend the ancient Olympic Games?
With the summer Olympics’ return to Athens, Tony Perrottet delves into the ancient world and lets the Greek Games begin again. The acclaimed author of Pagan Holiday brings attitude, erudition, and humor to the fascinating story of the original Olympic festival, tracking the event day by day to re-create the experience in...more
With the summer Olympics’ return to Athens, Tony Perrottet delves into the ancient world and lets the Greek Games begin again. The acclaimed author of Pagan Holiday brings attitude, erudition, and humor to the fascinating story of the original Olympic festival, tracking the event day by day to re-create the experience in...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
June 8th 2004
by Random House Trade Paperbacks
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Very enjoyable, easy read. Certainly not for you if you are looking for serious scholarly information, but that isn't the intent of this book. It sets out to explain what the ancient games were really like, especially for those attending. TP also covers the competitors, the nature of the competitions themselves, the judges and the whole structure of the 5 day festival that was the Olympic games.
I have been to Olympia, and it remains one of the most atmospheric places I have ever visited. Much of...more
I have been to Olympia, and it remains one of the most atmospheric places I have ever visited. Much of...more
Jul 19, 2012
David
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
body_parts,
brutal_reality,
class,
coming_out,
corruption,
frisky,
greece,
historical,
hitler,
horses,
life_as_a_body,
massage,
religion
Excellent "you are there" type of book that takes you on a tour of what the old games must have been like. We are shown a religious festival filled with blood and gore, and also a celebration filled with wild debauchery. The winners were immortalized in history, the losers often sank into a deep depression. If you think you might read or if you have read Steven Saylor's _The Seven Wonders_, this is a marvelous book to read before/after in order to get further background on the games and Phidias’...more
This is a reconstruction of what the Greek games at Olympia must have been like. Perrottet describes events in chronological order, starting with the arrival of the athletes at the nearby town of Elis, through the day-by-day athletic events, with asides about training, evening debauchery, and cheating, among others. I was amazed at the large amount of detail available from ancient sources. Also included are many illustrations of various events found inside Greek drinking cups. The only lack was...more
Very interesting facts about the ancient Olympics. They weren't like I really thought at all. Well worth reading.
An interesting book about the early Olympics in Greece. More on http://bookwinked.wordpress.com
Really interesting description of the ancient Olympics... the angle is terrific: Here's what it's like for the athletes and fans heading into and during the games at Olympia. This book dispells many myths surrounding the Olympics -- and enlightens us that the glory of sport was just as overbearing as it is today (for all the good and bad -- corruption, greed, sex, etc. -- it just is what it is, and what it ain't, that's all).
Tony Perrottet has a great ability to describe ancient life in a vivid and entertaining manner. I really liked this book!
Some interesting tidbits about the Ancient Olympics, a little dry in parts.
A lighthearted popular history of the original Olympic Games that should appeal mainly to armchair enthusiasts of Greek history. While impressive scholarship or exhaustive research is not the order of the day, there is enough to satisfy - and entertain - the casual reader.
I wasn't sure how to rate this. At first I liked it, as it was very informative. But I guess it got a little graphic for me, and it later became a little uncomfortable for me to read... maybe I just wasn't ready to know THAT much about the ancient games! ;)
A friend got me a copy of this book signed by the author and inscribed to me - it's pretty cool.
May 17, 2013
Lauren
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