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The Olympic Games: The First Thousand Years
A definitive survey of the Olympic games, from 776 B.C. to A.D. 261, this scholarly, yet immensely readable account of Olympic athletes in ancient times takes a highly realistic view of these fabled contests. Transporting readers back to the eighth century b.c., Professor M. I. Finley and Dr. H. W. Pleket draw upon their extensive knowledge of the ancient world to explain in absorbing detail the various sporting events and their historical, social, and religious context. They also detail the similarities and differences between ancient and modern games.
Through their examination of ancient documents, the authors conclude that today's audiences would be astonished by the brutality exhibited in many of the Olympic events. The ferocity of boxing and wrestling matches, for example, is unparalleled in modern games. No event today could match the spectacle or excitement of the four-horse chariot races in which thirty to forty teams competed. Of special interest were the demands made by the victors, who expected, insisted upon, and procured material rewards for their victories, regardless of class or personal fortune.
Richly illustrated with rare artwork, this authoritative account of one thousand years of early Olympic history will appeal not only to classical scholars but to all those interested in sports and athletic events.
Through their examination of ancient documents, the authors conclude that today's audiences would be astonished by the brutality exhibited in many of the Olympic events. The ferocity of boxing and wrestling matches, for example, is unparalleled in modern games. No event today could match the spectacle or excitement of the four-horse chariot races in which thirty to forty teams competed. Of special interest were the demands made by the victors, who expected, insisted upon, and procured material rewards for their victories, regardless of class or personal fortune.
Richly illustrated with rare artwork, this authoritative account of one thousand years of early Olympic history will appeal not only to classical scholars but to all those interested in sports and athletic events.
208 pages, Paperback
First published June 14, 1976
About the author
Moses I. Finley
95 books69 followersSir Moses I. Finley was an American and English classical scholar. His most notable work is The Ancient Economy (1973), where he argued that status and civic ideology governed the economy in antiquity rather than rational economic motivations.
He was born in 1912 in New York City as Moses Israel Finkelstein to Nathan Finkelstein and Anna Katzenellenbogen; died in 1986 as a British subject. He was educated at Syracuse University and Columbia University. Although his M.A. was in public law, most of his published work was in the field of ancient history, especially the social and economic aspects of the classical world.
He taught at Columbia University and City College of New York, where he was influenced by members of the Frankfurt School who were working in exile in America. In 1952, during the Red Scare, Finley was fired from his teaching job at Rutgers University; in 1954, he was summoned by the United States Senate Internal Security Subcommittee and asked whether he had ever been a member of the Communist Party USA. He invoked the Fifth Amendment and refused to answer.
Unable subsequently to find work in the United States, Finley moved to England, where he taught classical studies for many years at Cambridge University, first as a Reader in Ancient Social and Economic History at Jesus College (1964–1970), then as Professor of Ancient History (1970–1979) and eventually as Master of Darwin College (1976–1982). He broadened the scope of classical studies from philology to culture, economics, and society. He became a British subject in 1962 and a Fellow of the British Academy in 1971, and was knighted in 1979.
Among his works, The World of Odysseus (1954) proved seminal. In it, he applied the findings of ethnologists and anthropologists like Marcel Mauss to illuminate Homer, a radical approach that was thought by his publishers to require a reassuring introduction by an established classicist, Maurice Bowra. Paul Cartledge asserted in 1995, "... in retrospect Finley's little masterpiece can be seen as the seed of the present flowering of anthropologically-related studies of ancient Greek culture and society".[1] Finley's most influential work remains The Ancient Economy (1973), based on his Sather Lectures at Berkeley the year before. In The Ancient Economy, Finley launched an all-out attack on the modernist tradition within the discipline of ancient economic history. Following the example of Karl Polanyi, Finley argued that the ancient economy should not be analysed using the concepts of modern economic science, because ancient man had no notion of the economy as a separate sphere of society, and because economic actions in antiquity were determined not primarily by economic, but by social concerns.
He was born in 1912 in New York City as Moses Israel Finkelstein to Nathan Finkelstein and Anna Katzenellenbogen; died in 1986 as a British subject. He was educated at Syracuse University and Columbia University. Although his M.A. was in public law, most of his published work was in the field of ancient history, especially the social and economic aspects of the classical world.
He taught at Columbia University and City College of New York, where he was influenced by members of the Frankfurt School who were working in exile in America. In 1952, during the Red Scare, Finley was fired from his teaching job at Rutgers University; in 1954, he was summoned by the United States Senate Internal Security Subcommittee and asked whether he had ever been a member of the Communist Party USA. He invoked the Fifth Amendment and refused to answer.
Unable subsequently to find work in the United States, Finley moved to England, where he taught classical studies for many years at Cambridge University, first as a Reader in Ancient Social and Economic History at Jesus College (1964–1970), then as Professor of Ancient History (1970–1979) and eventually as Master of Darwin College (1976–1982). He broadened the scope of classical studies from philology to culture, economics, and society. He became a British subject in 1962 and a Fellow of the British Academy in 1971, and was knighted in 1979.
Among his works, The World of Odysseus (1954) proved seminal. In it, he applied the findings of ethnologists and anthropologists like Marcel Mauss to illuminate Homer, a radical approach that was thought by his publishers to require a reassuring introduction by an established classicist, Maurice Bowra. Paul Cartledge asserted in 1995, "... in retrospect Finley's little masterpiece can be seen as the seed of the present flowering of anthropologically-related studies of ancient Greek culture and society".[1] Finley's most influential work remains The Ancient Economy (1973), based on his Sather Lectures at Berkeley the year before. In The Ancient Economy, Finley launched an all-out attack on the modernist tradition within the discipline of ancient economic history. Following the example of Karl Polanyi, Finley argued that the ancient economy should not be analysed using the concepts of modern economic science, because ancient man had no notion of the economy as a separate sphere of society, and because economic actions in antiquity were determined not primarily by economic, but by social concerns.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 14, 2024
Nous avons tendance à aborder la notion même de ces jeux en étant marqués par les filtres actuels : des jeux tous les 4 ans, un pays d'accueil qui change, des dépenses et constructions de plus en plus pharaoniques. Mais les premiers temps des Jeux en sont bien éloignés.
Ils naissent à Olympie, lieu d'un sanctuaire dédié à Zeus : pas de grande cité, pas de stade immense, juste, dans un premier temps, des jeunes hommes qui se réunissent au cours d'une journée pour honorer la Divinité, et s'affronter à la course. Si 776 avant JC est souvent évoquée comme date de la première session des Jeux, c'est avant tout une convention. Les sources sont très parcellaires : fouilles archéologiques, dédicaces de statues... Les textes des auteurs grecs, y compris les poètes qui ont vanté les qualités des victorieux, nous permettent, au fil des années, de disposer de plus en plus d'informations.
Les premières années, les épreuves semblent concerner essentiellement la course, puis seront introduites des disciplines phares telles que la lutte, la boxe, les courses de chars, le pancrace (une sorte de mix entre lutte et boxe) et quelques épreuves juniors.
Les lieux vont être, petit à petit, aménagés, pour accueillir les sportifs, les entraîneurs et le public. Toutefois, rien de grandiose. Les installations sont sommaires, tout se fait en plein air, sous la surveillance des temples et sanctuaires dédiés à Zeus, à Héra, et bien entendu, au grand héros des sportifs : Héraclès.
L'institution se codifie lentement. D'une durée d'une journée, les Jeux finissent par s'étaler sur une semaine, où alternent cérémonies religieuses et épreuves.
Les auteurs du livre nous entraînent dans une fresque colorée, où nous suivons les entraînements et les combats où tout est permis. Ils mettent aussi en avant les vraies différences existant entre les Jeux antiques et actuels… différences qui deviennent une évidence à la lecture de cet essai.
Ils naissent à Olympie, lieu d'un sanctuaire dédié à Zeus : pas de grande cité, pas de stade immense, juste, dans un premier temps, des jeunes hommes qui se réunissent au cours d'une journée pour honorer la Divinité, et s'affronter à la course. Si 776 avant JC est souvent évoquée comme date de la première session des Jeux, c'est avant tout une convention. Les sources sont très parcellaires : fouilles archéologiques, dédicaces de statues... Les textes des auteurs grecs, y compris les poètes qui ont vanté les qualités des victorieux, nous permettent, au fil des années, de disposer de plus en plus d'informations.
Les premières années, les épreuves semblent concerner essentiellement la course, puis seront introduites des disciplines phares telles que la lutte, la boxe, les courses de chars, le pancrace (une sorte de mix entre lutte et boxe) et quelques épreuves juniors.
Les lieux vont être, petit à petit, aménagés, pour accueillir les sportifs, les entraîneurs et le public. Toutefois, rien de grandiose. Les installations sont sommaires, tout se fait en plein air, sous la surveillance des temples et sanctuaires dédiés à Zeus, à Héra, et bien entendu, au grand héros des sportifs : Héraclès.
L'institution se codifie lentement. D'une durée d'une journée, les Jeux finissent par s'étaler sur une semaine, où alternent cérémonies religieuses et épreuves.
Les auteurs du livre nous entraînent dans une fresque colorée, où nous suivons les entraînements et les combats où tout est permis. Ils mettent aussi en avant les vraies différences existant entre les Jeux antiques et actuels… différences qui deviennent une évidence à la lecture de cet essai.
December 31, 2023
The book covers the main features of the ancient Olympic games. It doesn't get into any great detail, but covers the site at Olympia, the history and development of the program, the spectators, and officials. The authors also cover the political aspects of the ancient games and contemporaneous criticisms of the games. There are several interesting things covered: in particular, the lack of amateur/professional dichotomy moderns are seemingly obsessed with, and the deeply intertwined relationship with ancient religious rituals. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered; in particular, why do the Olympics get and then maintain the prestige and prominence in the ancient world that they do? It's a short book, but worth the quick read for anyone interested in the history of the ancient Olympics.
July 17, 2024
Yo I learned so many Olympics facts! Some of the impressions I had gleaned over the years about the original games were totally wrong. This was a quick and easy read and I learned a lot!
July 30, 2011
Amusant et bien documenté, nous rappelant que 5 siécles avant JC les données du sport moderne s annoncaient dejà: professionnalisation à l extreme, exigences des sponsors, medicalisation, difficultés à se democratiser, abus des juges et interventions politiques!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews