Greek Athletics and the Genesis of SportHow is sport in contemporary society related to sport in earlier civilizations? Why is the expenditure of energy involved in sport considered exhilarating, while the equivalent expenditure of energy in other contexts can be dispiriting? David Sansone offers answers to these questions and advances a revolutionary thesis to account for the widespread phenomenon of sport. Drawing upon ethnological findings to demonstrate the ritual character of sport, he explores the relationship between ancient Greek sport and sacrificial ritual and traces elements common to both back to primitive origins. |
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Aggression altar ancient Greeks animal anointing associated Athenaeus aulos blood sacrifice body Burkert cauldron century B.C. Figure century B.C. Reproduced Cherokee Cherokee Ball-Play competitions crown of vegetation Culin Detail of red-figure Dionysus engaged ethology example explain fact feature festival fifth century B.C. footraces form of ritual forms of sacrifice Frazer function Gesammelte Schriften gods Grail Greece Greek athletes Greek sport Griechische Opferbräuche Guttmann Homo Necans human hunting ritual Iliad Indians infibulation javelin javelin throw krater lebēs Lorenz magical Meuli modern sport Mooney myth nakedness nature of sport North American olive oil Olympic Games origin of sport Patroclus Pausanias Pelops persistence Philostratus Pindar Plutarch prey primitive hunter primitive hunting practice prize purpose race reason red-figure religion religious Reproduced by courtesy ritual ritual origin ritual sacrifice ritualized behavior rubbing sacrificial ritual sickle societies strigil sweat bath symbolic Taboo taxidermy theory of sport throwing tripod victim Walter Burkert wrestlers wrestling Zeus