Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World - Paperback

by Donald G. Kyle (Author)

The second edition of Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World updates Donald G. Kyle's award-winning introduction to this topic, covering the Ancient Near East up to the late Roman Empire.

- Challenges traditional scholarship on sport and spectacle in the Ancient World and debunks claims that there were no sports before the ancient Greeks

- Explores the cultural exchange of Greek sport and Roman spectacle and how each culture responded to the other's entertainment

- Features a new chapter on sport and spectacle during the Late Roman Empire, including Christian opposition to pagan games and the Roman response

- Covers topics including violence, professionalism in sport, class, gender and eroticism, and the relationship of spectacle to political structures

Back Jacket

The second edition of Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World provides an updated introduction to over 2,000 years of ancient history on this topic. Author Donald G. Kyle takes readers from the early civilizations of the Ancient Near East, through Greek and Hellenistic times, and up to the waning days of the Roman Empire. Kyle continues to challenge traditional scholarship in the field, supporting his claims with new research and new interpretation of ancient sources. Featuring more illustrations and a larger, more accessible format, the second edition is updated with the most recent scholarship and features an all-new chapter highlighting sport and spectacle during the Late Roman period. This edition also provides summaries of new discoveries such as bull-jumping mosaics in the Nile Delta, and insights into Greek athletic festivals from letters by the Roman emperor Hadrian. Clear and engaging, Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World, Second Edition is an invaluable resource for students and readers of all levels.

Author Biography

Donald G. Kyle is Professor, former Chair of History, and Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is the author of Athletics in Ancient Athens (1987), Spectacles of Death in Ancient Rome (1998), Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World (Wiley-Blackwell 2007); and co-editor (with Paul Christesen) of A Companion to Sport and Spectacle in Greek and Roman Antiquity (Wiley-Blackwell 2014).