Course
Description:
Sport and Recreation focuses on various aspects of athletics in
the ancient world and a comparative examination of ancient and
modern sports activities and athletic values. The course surveys
ancient sport events, especially the Greek Olympic games, and
considers the role of sport in Greek and Roman societies. Ancient
evidence on sport from various sources as well as literary
references with sport as a theme are a major focus of the course.
Many types of evidence will be discussed, including readings in
translation from several ancient Greek and Latin texts, painting,
sculpture, and archaeological remains. Some of the topics to be
discussed may include:the
origin of play and sport in human culture
the relationship between sport and ritual
sportsmanship in the ancient world
professionalism versus amateurism
training and competing
winning and celebrating
the rules of the games
women in ancient athletics
religion in ancient athletics
athletics in ancient myth
The basic premise of
this course is that athletics were a central social activity in
many ancient societies, but especially in the
Greco-Roman world and athletics illustrate values and attitudes upon which
ancient societies were based. Ancient sports were generally part of
public celebrations, almost always religious in nature, but
sometimes commemorating political events or the funerals of famous
individuals. Ancient athletic events honored not only the athletes
themselves but also the gods and society as a whole. In Greece,
especially, athletics served to define an individual or community as
Greek as opposed to barbarian. Arete, the Greek concept of
excellence, was central to ancient Greek athletics. The material
prizes won in competition were considered a physical emblem of this
excellence.
Modern athletics,
especially in the context of the modern International Olympics, has
idealized ancient Greek athletics and claims to use the ancient
Greek Olympics as a model. Roman athletics, on the other hand, is
associated today with the gladiatorial amphitheater, with violence
and cruelty, and with persecution of Christian martyrs.
In this course we will
examine and evaluate these stereotypes and models in the context of
the ancient reality. What were ancient athletics really like? What
were the actual rules and events? What values drove ancient athletes
to succeed? Inevitably, the study of the ancient sports inevitably
confronts us with attitudes and social structures different from our
own and puts contemporary attitudes about sports in a more
historical and universal perspective. |
