Ancient Greek Athletics

Orestes Varvitsiotes has produced an extremely useful account of the varied significance of sport in Ancient Greece. In a series of succinct chapters, he discusses the cultural meaning the Ancients attached to sport, by examining its place in important areas of life in Ancient Greece. These include the value system, myths, the works of Homer, poetry and the arts. Varvitsiotes' study considers the major sporting institution of the Ancient world, the Olympics, alongside the Isthmian, Nemean and Pythian Games. This informative and timely work is a valuable source that will convey to all those interested in the history of the Olympics, the breadth and depth of the ancient background to the Athens 2004 Games. (Alexander Kitroeff)