Download or read book The Olympics Ancient to Modern written by Joe Fullman and published by Wayland. This book was released on 2017-05-16 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Olympics Ancient to Modern is a fascinating look at the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, from the first events in Ancient Greece right the way up to London 2012 and Sochi 2014. It focusses on when and where each Games has been held, and some key stats, such as how much it cost, how many athletes competed, and how many spectators came to watch. The book explains how all the Games - Summer Olympics, Winter Olympics and Paralympics - came into being, and how the Olympic Games were revived in Paris at the end of the 19th century. It compares the ancient and modern Games, looking at the sports and athletes involved then and now, and at how the modern Games are continuosly evolving. It also looks at key moments in the Games' history, and at some of the tragedies and controversies that have rocked it - from doping scandals, boycotts and cheating to the Berlin Olympics of 1936, and the Munich Massacre. The book celebrates the achievements of star Olympians, and gives the lowdown on the most popular and exciting Olympic sports, from cycling and rowing to skiing and wheelchair basketball. Fun, fact-filled text and a bright, engaging design make this the perfect Olympic title for children of 9+. If you've enjoyed finding out about the history of the Olympics, why not try learning all about key Olympic sports in Going for Gold: A Guide to the Summer Olympics, another title in the series.
Download or read book A Brief History of the Olympic Games written by David C. Young and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2008-04-15 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For more than a millennium, the ancient Olympics captured the imaginations of the Greeks, until a Christianized Rome terminated the competitions in the fourth century AD. But the Olympic ideal did not die and this book is a succinct history of the ancient Olympics and their modern resurgence. Classics professor David Young, who has researched the subject for over 25 years, reveals how the ancient Olympics evolved from modest beginnings into a grand festival, attracting hundreds of highly trained athletes, tens of thousands of spectators, and the finest artists and poets.
Download or read book History of Olympic Games written by Hugh Harlan and published by . This book was released on 2013-10 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a new release of the original 1932 edition.
Download or read book History of the Olympic Games written by Hugh Harlan and published by . This book was released on 2008-06 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
Download or read book The Ancient Olympics written by Nigel Jonathan Spivey and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2004 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here Nigel Spivey paints a portrait of the Greek Olympics as they really were--fierce contexts between bitter rivals, in which victors won kudos and rewards, and losers faced scorn and even assault. Bitterly Contested and often bloody, the ancient Olympics were no an idealistic celebration of unity, but a clash of military powers in an arena not far removed from the battlefield. The author explores what the events were, the rules for competitors, training and diet, the pervasiveness of cheating and bribery, the prizes on offer, the exclusion of "barbarians," and protocols on pederasty. He also peels back the mythology surrounding the games today and investigates where our current conception of the Olympics has come from and how the Greek notions of beauty and competitiveness have influenced our modern culture.
Download or read book History of Olympic Games Ancient and Modern written by Hugh V. Harlan and published by . This book was released on 1964 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Ancient Olympic Games written by Judith Swaddling and published by . This book was released on 1980 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For over one thousand years between 776 B.C. and A.D. 395, princes, statesmen, and famous athletes gathered every four years at Olympia in western Greece to compete for the olive crowns of the ancient Olympic Games. Judith Swaddling traces the mythological and religious origins of the games and describes the events, religious ceremony, and celebrations that were an essential part of the Olympic festival. The book also features a large, detailed model of the site of ancient Olympia, where, alongside religious and civic buildings, there grew an elaborate sports complex with a stadium for 40,000 spectators, indoor and outdoor training facilities, hot and cold baths, a swimming pool, and a race course. This fascinating description of Ancient Olympia and the Games is superbly illustrated with vases, sculpture and other works of art, views of the site and photographs of the unique model.
Download or read book Onward to the Olympics written by Gerald P. Schaus and published by Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. This book was released on 2009-08-02 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Olympic Games have had two lives—the first lasted for a millennium with celebrations every four years at Olympia to honour the god Zeus. The second has blossomed over the past century, from a simple start in Athens in 1896 to a dazzling return to Greece in 2004. Onward to the Olympics provides both an overview and an array of insights into aspects of the Games’ history. Leading North American archaeologists and historians of sport explore the origins of the Games, compare the ancient and the modern, discuss the organization and financing of such massive athletic festivals, and examine the participation ,or the troubling lack of it, by women. Onward to the Olympics bridges the historical divide between the ancient and the modern and concludes with a thought-provoking final essay that attempts to predict the future of the Olympics over the twenty-first century.
Download or read book The Origins of the Olympic Games written by Andras Patay-Horvath and published by Archaeolingua. This book was released on 2015-08-31 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Even in antiquity it was debated when and why the Olympic Games had been established and by whom. Modern scholarship has also advanced a great number of hypotheses on the origins of the games (ranging from funeral games to harvest ceremonies/vegetation magic or even initiation rites), but a truly convincing reconstruction has not yet been formulated. The present volume off ers a new comprehensive explanation for the phenomenon and argues that the Games evolved from hunting and from animal ceremonialism observed among various hunting groups. This explanation is admittedly a hypothetical one, based mainly on the interpretation of the archaeological material and some ethnographic parallels, but conjecture is necessary due to the complete absence of contemporary written evidence. In addition, although it is essentially a simple theory that simultaneously explains many perplexing features of the Games in a coherent way, it must remain without definitive proof, as with all other previous similar explanations. "Anyone who takes issue is allowed a simple remedy: to off er something better, something that is coherent and constructive as an alternative."
Download or read book History of Olympic Games written by Hugh Harlan and published by . This book was released on 1931 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Ancient Olympic Games written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-02-03 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures. *Includes ancient accounts about the Games. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well."- Epictetus "Many are the sights to be seen in Greece, and many are the wonders to be heard; but on nothing does Heaven bestow more care than on the Eleusinian rites and the Olympic games." - Pausanias While they are still well-known, the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece are more relevant today than most people know, and the ways in which athletic sports pervade contemporary culture is comparable only to the spirit of athleticism in Hellenic Greece. Today, a large section of the media industry is devoted exclusively to sports, and in some nations, sports even figures as a critical component of their identity. In America, the Super Bowl could be considered a holiday of sorts, and of course, today's Olympic Games capture the attention of millions and millions of people around the world for two weeks. The Ancient Olympic Games were all these things and then some. It was a ritualized spectacle of great cultural importance in Greece, as well as an international communion that celebrated both diversity and unity, but most importantly, it was an ode to the strength of the human body and a paean to the vigor of the human spirit. For over a thousand years, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD, competitors and spectators traveled from all over Europe and Asia Minor to attend the legendary contests, bringing with them not only their passion for athletics but also their poetry, music, arts, and ideas. The ancient historian Strabo captured the spirit well when he described the Olympics: "... the glory of the temple persisted ... on account both of the festal assembly and of the Olympian Games, in which the prize was a crown and which were regarded as sacred, the greatest games in the world. The temple was adorned by its numerous offerings, which were dedicated there from all parts of Greece." Despite their international character, the Ancient Olympic Games belonged exclusively to the Greeks, even though prior to Alexander the Great, Ancient Greece consisted mostly of small city-states that warred constantly with each other. The Olympic Games served to assemble them and allow them to appreciate the commonality of their customs, gods, language, and other cultural characteristics, the very things that made them Greek. The historian Pausanias explained just how important the games were to the Greeks and their sense of pride by discussing one of the Olympics' best athletes: "Sotades at the ninety-ninth Festival was victorious in the long race and proclaimed a Cretan, as in fact he was. But at the next Festival he made himself an Ephesian, being bribed to do so by the Ephesian people. For this act he was banished by the Cretans." The Ancient Olympic Games: The History and Legacy of Antiquity's Most Famous Sports Competitions examines the origins of the games, highlights the competitions, and looks at the history and legacy of the events that spawned today's modern Olympics. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Ancient Olympics like never before, in no time at all.
Download or read book The Dirtiest Race in History written by Richard Moore and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2012-01-01 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The men's 100m final at the 1988 Olympics has been described as the dirtiest race ever - but also the greatest. Aside from Johnson's blistering time, the race is infamous for its athletes' positive drug tests. This is the story of that race, the rivalry between Johnson and Lewis, and the repercussions still felt almost a quarter of a century on.
Download or read book A Passion for Victory written by Benson Bobrick and published by Knopf Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2014 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of the Olympic Games, starting with their inception in Ancient Greece and leading up to the 1936 games in Nazi Berlin.
Download or read book The Ancient Olympic Games written by Judith Swaddling and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For over one thousand years between 776 B.C. and A.D. 395, princes, statesmen, and famous athletes gathered every four years at Olympia in western Greece to compete for the olive crowns of the ancient Olympic Games. Judith Swaddling traces the mythological and religious origins of the games and describes the events, religious ceremony, and celebrations that were an essential part of the Olympic festival. The book also features a large, detailed model of the site of ancient Olympia, where, alongside religious and civic buildings, there grew an elaborate sports complex with a stadium for 40,000 spectators, indoor and outdoor training facilities, hot and cold baths, a swimming pool, and a race course. For this revised edition, three new chapters have been added, covering the diet and medical treatment of athletes; sponsorship, patronage, and propaganda; and revivals of the games. Superbly illustrated with vases, sculpture, and other works of ancient art, and with new views of the site, the new edition of this indispensable account of Ancient Olympia and the games now includes color reproduction for over half the illustrations, as well as many additional pictures.
Download or read book The Olympics and Philosophy written by Heather Lynne Reid and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2012-06-21 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1973, Wilson Carey McWilliams (1933Ð2005) published The Idea of Fraternity in America, a groundbreaking book that argued for an alternative to AmericaÕs dominant philosophy of liberalism. This alternative tradition emphasized that community and fraternal bonds were as vital to the process of maintaining political liberty as was individual liberty. McWilliams expanded on this idea throughout his prolific career as a teacher, writer, and activist, promoting a unique definition of American democracy. In The Democratic Soul: A Wilson Carey McWilliams Reader, editors Patrick J. Deneen and Susan J. McWilliams, daughter of the famed intellectual, have assembled key essays, articles, reviews, and lectures that trace McWilliamsÕs evolution as a scholar and explain his often controversial views on education, religion, and literature. The book also showcases his thoughts and opinions on prominent twentieth-century figures such as George Orwell and Leo Strauss. The first comprehensive volume of Wilson Carey McWilliamsÕ collected writings, The Democratic Soul will be welcomed by scholars of political science and American political thought as a long-overdue contribution to the field.
Download or read book The Games A Global History of the Olympics written by David Goldblatt and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2016-07-26 with total page 755 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A people’s history of the Olympics.”—New York Times Book Review A Boston Globe Best Book of the Year A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Year The Games is best-selling sportswriter David Goldblatt’s sweeping, definitive history of the modern Olympics. Goldblatt brilliantly traces their history from the reinvention of the Games in Athens in 1896 to Rio in 2016, revealing how the Olympics developed into a global colossus and highlighting how they have been buffeted by (and affected by) domestic and international conflicts. Along the way, Goldblatt reveals the origins of beloved Olympic traditions (winners’ medals, the torch relay, the eternal flame) and popular events (gymnastics, alpine skiing, the marathon). And he delivers memorable portraits of Olympic icons from Jesse Owens to Nadia Comaneci, the Dream Team to Usain Bolt.
Download or read book The Naked Olympics written by Tony Perrottet and published by Random House Trade Paperbacks. This book was released on 2004-06-08 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What was it like to attend the ancient Olympic Games? With the summer Olympics’ return to Athens, Tony Perrottet delves into the ancient world and lets the Greek Games begin again. The acclaimed author of Pagan Holiday brings attitude, erudition, and humor to the fascinating story of the original Olympic festival, tracking the event day by day to re-create the experience in all its compelling spectacle. Using firsthand reports and little-known sources—including an actual Handbook for a Sports Coach used by the Greeks—The Naked Olympics creates a vivid picture of an extravaganza performed before as many as forty thousand people, featuring contests as timeless as the javelin throw and as exotic as the chariot race. Peeling away the layers of myth, Perrottet lays bare the ancient sporting experience—including the round-the-clock bacchanal inside the tents of the Olympic Village, the all-male nude workouts under the statue of Eros, and history’s first corruption scandals involving athletes. Featuring sometimes scandalous cameos by sports enthusiasts Plato, Socrates, and Herodotus, The Naked Olympics offers essential insight into today’s Games and an unforgettable guide to the world’s first and most influential athletic festival. "Just in time for the modern Olympic games to return to Greece this summer for the first time in more than a century, Tony Perrottet offers up a diverting primer on the Olympics of the ancient kind….Well researched; his sources are as solid as sources come. It's also well writen….Perhaps no book of the season will show us so briefly and entertainingly just how complete is our inheritance from the Greeks, vulgarity and all." --The Washington Post
