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"A fascinating book, with much to teach, especially for those who only have a hazy knowledge of the ancient Olympics.... Spivey clearly shows how violent and dangerous the games of ancient Olympia were. He brings alive the place, the time and the brutal men who came together to fiercely compete for honor and glory. He also describes how the contestants were chosen and describes each competition, including boxing, the pentathlon and wrestling."--USA Today
"Just in time for the Summer Olympics, a fresh new history of the games that begot all of today's quadrennial pomp.... An essential resource: always reliable and instructive, often entertaining."--Kirkus Reviews
"A good survey of the Olympics, well informed and concise.... If we had been able to visit Olympia in its classical heyday, he says, we should not have liked it much: 'it must have reeked to high heaven'; it was bloody and noisy; and it 'should not be idealized with too much faded grandeur.' As for the origin of the G
The Guardian, Saturday 23 July 2005
A scholarly yet accessible text; history and myth intertwining.
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Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
It is not a book for GCSE Classics students but for A level students or university degree. Nigel Spivey is an author who breaks the conventional rules. It makes you see the Ancient Olympics or the Greeks from a different perspective, quite revolutionary! It is a book written with heart and soul, trying to be as sincere and as honest as possible, getting rid of the cliches and the prejudice. Above all, Nigel Spivey takes you to the heart of The Ancient Olympics and makes you see the Games with the eyes of an Ancient Greek. It is thanks to him that you are able to understand the truth of the Ancient Greek World.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Excellence in Research
30 Aug 2006
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I cannot praise enough the excellence of Nigel Spivey's research and presentation involved with the ancient Olympics.
The craftsmanship of his narrative is first-rate and there is a refreshing candor and lack of romanticizing regarding this event and the times surrounding it.
Mr. Spivey may be remembered from his presenting of "The Queens and Kings Of England" on the Biography Channel. He is a charming host on this particular documentary and one can see his sincere interest in putting forth well done research in a way to include the viewer outside the convention of a professor ponticificating to his classroom.
A perfectly wonderful book by a perfectly wonderful writer!
Thomas Lee
The craftsmanship of his narrative is first-rate and there is a refreshing candor and lack of romanticizing regarding this event and the times surrounding it.
Mr. Spivey may be remembered from his presenting of "The Queens and Kings Of England" on the Biography Channel. He is a charming host on this particular documentary and one can see his sincere interest in putting forth well done research in a way to include the viewer outside the convention of a professor ponticificating to his classroom.
A perfectly wonderful book by a perfectly wonderful writer!
Thomas Lee
1 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Thank God They're Going to England, Not New York!
20 July 2005
Format:Hardcover
The anicent Greeks at Adelphia considered the original Olympics a 'civilized mode of war without the shooting.' The aim was winning at any cost (like American politics today), as the losers were called and looked down on as failures in disgrace. He dwells on boy athletes and shows a marble statue of the naked David minus one arm and a hand.
Why did the early Greek athletes compete naked? Did it have something to do with sex or did they have perfect bodies? Why did the Romans change the games in Olympia and make it more civilized? There the Greeks raised their sporting prowess to heroic status.
The historian, Bettany Hughes, wrote that this book shows "a number of hand-picked historical characters (which) bring us face to face with ... the ruthless business of winning the games." Nigel Spivey includes a photo of the naked wrestlers in marble. This is an erotic book. The poster for the 1912 Stockholm Olympics shows a naked combatant.
There is a drawing of the Olympic Zeus in the original Parthenon, a huge six-story-tall fixture similar to the modern Athena statuary in the Nashville, Tennessee, Parthenon. He has written many books among which are PANORAMA OF THE CLASSICAL WORLD and UNDERSTANDING GREEK SCULPTURE.
Why did the early Greek athletes compete naked? Did it have something to do with sex or did they have perfect bodies? Why did the Romans change the games in Olympia and make it more civilized? There the Greeks raised their sporting prowess to heroic status.
The historian, Bettany Hughes, wrote that this book shows "a number of hand-picked historical characters (which) bring us face to face with ... the ruthless business of winning the games." Nigel Spivey includes a photo of the naked wrestlers in marble. This is an erotic book. The poster for the 1912 Stockholm Olympics shows a naked combatant.
There is a drawing of the Olympic Zeus in the original Parthenon, a huge six-story-tall fixture similar to the modern Athena statuary in the Nashville, Tennessee, Parthenon. He has written many books among which are PANORAMA OF THE CLASSICAL WORLD and UNDERSTANDING GREEK SCULPTURE.
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