The History of Greek Athletic Sports and Festivals

This thorough historical study must be of interest to any sport enthusiast as well as to history scholars and professional athletes. The first part of this book is dedicated solely to the history of Greek athletics. The second part is more technical, though it may perhaps appeal to those who are actively interested in athletics. It consists of a number of chapters, each complete in itself, dealing with the details of Greek athletics. Content: History of Greek Athletics and Athletic Festivals From the Earliest Times to 393 A.D. Athletics in Homer The Rise of the Athletic Festival The Age of Athletic Festivals, Sixth Century B.C. The Age of the Athletic Ideal, 500-440 B.C. Professionalism and Specialization, 440-338 B.C. The Decline of Athletics, 338-146 B.C. Athletics under the Romans The Olympic Festival The Pythian, Isthmian, and Nemean Festivals The Athletic Festivals of Athens The Athletic Exercises of the Greeks The Stadium The Foot-Race The Jump and Halteres Throwing the Diskos Throwing the Javelin The Pentathlon Wrestling Boxing The Pankration The Hippodrome The Gymnasium and the Palaestra