Ancient Greece was the model that guided the emergence of many facets of the modern sports movement, including most notably the Olympics. Yet the process whereby aspects of the ancient world were appropriated and manipulated by sport authorities of nation-states, athletic organizations and their leaders as well as by sports enthusiasts is only very partially understood. This volume takes modern Greece as a case-study and explores, in depth, issues related to the reception and use of classical antiquity in modern sport, spectacle and bodily culture. For citizens of the Greek nation-state,...

From the early origins of the ancient Olympics to gladiatorial shows in late antiquity, these chapters, written by scholars on ancient sport, provide insights into key aspects of ancient sport in its historical, social and ideological setting.

Addressing central yet largely unexplored issues relating to sport and the complex processes of identity construction in the ancient Greek world this volume is the first systematic study of its kind and demonstrates the continuous centrality of sport in identity construction. It presents Greek sport as a malleable cultural practice that was intimately interconnected with other fundamental aspects of the social and cultural life of Greek communities from the archaic age to late antiquity. Throughout antiquity, sport and manifestations of identity (ethnic, civic, status and gender) responded to...