Arete: Greek Sports from Ancient Sources by Stephen G. MillerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is an impressive collection of sources from a range of writers from the ancient world. These selections are from poets, politicians, philosophers, as well as plaques, stone inscriptions, and vase paintings. They all connect in different ways to ancient Greek sport. Many are about the Olympics, but it is far broader including a variety of ancient competitions as well as physical education and exercises more generally.
This is not a book to be read as such; it is a useful handbook to find ancient quotations about sport. I found it quite useful for finding sources for my classes -- but it is not something a causal reader would find helpful. I would have liked more introduction to, context for, or interpretation of the quotations. But the author quite consciously is putting this together to be used along side a text that would provide such explanations.
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