The Ancient Olympics

The Ancient Olympics describes the heritage of the Olympics, from its beginnings in Olympia and 3 other places in ancient Greece (For those who didn’t know, there were originally four Panhellenic Games – Nemean, Pythean, Pythian & Olympic) to its gradual spread across Europe and other parts of Central Asia and Africa.

Although the structure of the book is a little irregular, in that that its not exactly a logical progression, it does build a thread through various references, largely in sculpture and ancient literature to describe the origins of the Games as we know it today.

One begins to appreciate the origins of the gymnasium, why the Greeks competed in the nude, etc. There are even painting showing women in bikinis competing in some event. To think that the bikini has been wrongly attributed as a twentieth century concoction! One also sees how closely the early games were associated with the heroes that we know mostly in myth today – Milo, Odysseus, Achilles, Ajax, etc. As you read, you realize how cynicism towards sport is not exactly a modern reaction.

All in all, a masala read.

Worth a read, even if you are just a history buff or a sports maniac or don’t mind reading anything interesting.