Includes bibliographical references (pages 249-377) and indexes.
Contents:
Introduction -- Part I. An Overview of Athletics in Late Antiquity. 1. Greece ; 2. Asia Minor ; 3. Syria ; 4. Egypt ; 5. Italy ; 6. Gaul ; 7. North Africa ; Conclusions to Part I -- Part II. Agones in a Changing World. 8. A religious ban? ; 9. An imperial ban? ; 10. The athletic professionals ; 11. Athletics as elite activity ; 12. The practical organization of agones ; 13. The agon as spectacle ; Conclusions to Part II.
Summary:
"Around AD 250 athletics was a significant part of civic life from southern Gaul and northern Africa to Syria and Egypt. Within this broad area, exercising in the gymnasium was a beloved pastime among those members of ancient society who could afford to be (occasionally) at leisure. Hundreds of agones, contests for athletes and/or performing artists, were organized by almost as many cities. Though some of these competitions could look back on centuries-old traditions, most had been founded only a century or even a few decades before, as part of a phenomenon described by Louis Robert as the "agonistic explosion" of the imperial age"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.