Sport in Ancient Times - by Nigel B Crowther (Paperback)

About the Book

A lively survey encompassing the Orient, the Americas, and the classical world

Book Synopsis

A lively survey encompassing the Orient, the Americas, and the classical world

From the Olympic Games of Greece to the gladiatorial contests of Rome, sport in the ancient world was fiercely competitive and included a wider range of physical contests than we moderns might suspect. The early Chinese played forms of polo and golf, while half a world away, Hohokam and Maya Indians enjoyed team ball games.

Nigel Crowther, a leading authority on classical Greek sport, here casts his net over the entire ancient world to reveal the variety, and often the intensity, of sport in earlier times, from 3000 b.c.e. to the Middle Ages. Taking in twenty premodern societies on five continents--with particular emphasis on ancient Greece and Rome and the Byzantine Empire--he traces connections to modern sporting attitudes, practices, and institutions as he describes how athletics figured in cultural arenas that extended beyond physical prowess to ritual, social status, military associations, and politics.

Crowther takes us back to the birth of sumo wrestling in Japan and describes the sports of the Sumerians and Hittites. He documents bull leaping and boxing as recorded on pottery in Crete, as well as running and archery as practiced by the pharaohs in Egypt. He shows the significance of the early Olympic Games, describes the Romans' use of gladiatorial contests for political ends, and analyzes the influence of Byzantine chariot racing on society. He also notes the changing role of women in ancient sports--from their prominence in Egyptian contests, to the mythological Atalanta, to female Roman gladiators.

As informative as it is entertaining, Sport in Ancient Times opens new vistas for general readers, students, and sport historians. It offers a broad look at ancient sport and will enrich readers' appreciation of games they enjoy today.

Review Quotes

"Crowther provides a historical overview of sport as a cultural practice around the world from about 3000 BCE to the Middle Ages, mentioning nonphysical recreations and games occasionally but concentrating on "activities that embrace contests, skill, training, energy, and fitness. The survey, organized by geography, discusses such topics as early forms of polo and golf in China, sumo wrestling in Japan, bull leaping and boxing in Crete, Homeric descriptions of Ancient Greek sport, Roman gladiatorial combats and chariot racing, and team ball games in Mesoamerica, among many others. The range of themes that arise is similarly broad and includes such issues as bribery, cheating, ideals, amateurism and professionalism, violence, ritual, social class, tourism, and war. Distributed in the US by the U. of Washington Press."-Reference & Research Book News

"Crowther provides here the second volume in the "Praeger Series on the Ancient World," which is aimed at the nonspecialist and general reader. Crowther's broad sweep includes the role of sports in ancient Egypt and the Middle East, early China and Japan, and even Mesoamerica. He focuses on Greek athletics (especially the Olympics) and Roman contests (especially spectator sports) and their use for political purposes, and he expands his discussion to sport in the Byzantine Empire, particularly charioteering. Other chapters emphasize social issues, and include a comparison of noted Greek, Roman, and Byzantine athletes and a discussion of the changing role of women in sport. Crowther's main themes include amateurism and professionalism, fair play, crowd behavior, politics, class, and sexuality. He includes a time line and a brief annotated list of further readings, but no notes. Crowther seems current with relevant sources, so one regrets his failure to name the authorities he discusses. Excellent graphics. Recommended. Lower-/upper-division undergraduates; general readers."-Choice

"This book lays the foundation for studying sport within any number of disciplines, exploring the games and competitions of ancient society around the world in order to arrive at an understanding of the forms sports take today....[W]hat distinguishes Sport in Ancient Times from a rich, growing body of literature examining the heritage of sport is that Crowther also explores the role of women and the place of sport in China, Japan, and the Middle East, areas heretofore given short consideration in sports historiography.... By presenting evidence for sports in nearly every part of the world, he provides substance for contemporary research. The writing is clear and concise, and the solid bibliography includes easily accessible books. Sport in Ancient Times is appropriate for librarians from secondary through college levels, and, in fact, is so illuminating that it should be required opening text for any college course that deals with sports."-Reference & User Services Quarterly

?This book lays the foundation for studying sport within any number of disciplines, exploring the games and competitions of ancient society around the world in order to arrive at an understanding of the forms sports take today....[W]hat distinguishes Sport in Ancient Times from a rich, growing body of literature examining the heritage of sport is that Crowther also explores the role of women and the place of sport in China, Japan, and the Middle East, areas heretofore given short consideration in sports historiography.... By presenting evidence for sports in nearly every part of the world, he provides substance for contemporary research. The writing is clear and concise, and the solid bibliography includes easily accessible books. Sport in Ancient Times is appropriate for librarians from secondary through college levels, and, in fact, is so illuminating that it should be required opening text for any college course that deals with sports.?-Reference & User Services Quarterly

?This book lays the foundation for studing sport within any number of disciplines, exploring the games and competitions of ancient society around the world in order to arrive at an understanding of the forms sports take today....[W]hat distinguishes Iport in Ancient Times from a rich, growing body of literature examining the heritage of sport is that Crowther also explores the role of women and the place of sport in China, Japan, and the Middle East, areas heretofore given short consideration in sports historiography....By presenting evidence for sports in nearly every part of the world, he provides substance for contemporary research. The writing is clear and consice, and the solid bibliography includes easily accessible books. Sport in Ancient Times is appropriate for librarians from secondary through college levels, and, in fact, is so illuminating that it should be required opening text for any college course that deals with sports.?-Reference & User Services Quarterly

?Crowther provides a historical overview of sport as a cultural practice around the world from about 3000 BCE to the Middle Ages, mentioning nonphysical recreations and games occasionally but concentrating on "activities that embrace contests, skill, training, energy, and fitness. The survey, organized by geography, discusses such topics as early forms of polo and golf in China, sumo wrestling in Japan, bull leaping and boxing in Crete, Homeric descriptions of Ancient Greek sport, Roman gladiatorial combats and chariot racing, and team ball games in Mesoamerica, among many others. The range of themes that arise is similarly broad and includes such issues as bribery, cheating, ideals, amateurism and professionalism, violence, ritual, social class, tourism, and war. Distributed in the US by the U. of Washington Press.?-Reference & Research Book News

?Crowther provides here the second volume in the "Praeger Series on the Ancient World," which is aimed at the nonspecialist and general reader. Crowther's broad sweep includes the role of sports in ancient Egypt and the Middle East, early China and Japan, and even Mesoamerica. He focuses on Greek athletics (especially the Olympics) and Roman contests (especially spectator sports) and their use for political purposes, and he expands his discussion to sport in the Byzantine Empire, particularly charioteering. Other chapters emphasize social issues, and include a comparison of noted Greek, Roman, and Byzantine athletes and a discussion of the changing role of women in sport. Crowther's main themes include amateurism and professionalism, fair play, crowd behavior, politics, class, and sexuality. He includes a time line and a brief annotated list of further readings, but no notes. Crowther seems current with relevant sources, so one regrets his failure to name the authorities he discusses. Excellent graphics. Recommended. Lower-/upper-division undergraduates; general readers.?-Choice