The Senses in Ancient Greek Athletics
Exploring the Body, Society and Culture through a Sensory Lens
The Senses in Ancient Greek Athletics
Exploring the Body, Society and Culture through a Sensory Lens
Description
Combining ancient sports research and sensory studies, this volume unveils new insights into the societal and cultural history of Greek athletics. From the touch and smell of ancient substances and the taste of the athletic diet, to the sight of muscular bodies and the endurance of extreme temperatures, this book offers a unique glimpse into the vivid sensory world of Greek athletics. By examining these sensory experiences, readers will gain profound insights into the connections forged between athletes and their natural surroundings, the influence of imperial power and the significance of athletics within Greek poleis and ancient literature.
This collection of thought-provoking chapters explores topics such as the importance of the relationship between Roman emperors and Greek athletics; the use and experience of strigils, oil and dust in athletic contexts; and the transformative power of the sensory experience as featured in classical literature. Emperor Julian (331-363 CE) is one such example of this, whose understanding of the senses is grounded in an Iamblichean theory of moral psychology and whose writing touches on the multi-sensory experience of these spectacles. This book analyses this perspective, asking to what extent these sense-perceptual experiences made athletic contests a beneficial civic institution.
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Table of Contents
1. Strigils: Towards a Multi-Sensory and Experimental Perspective, by Fabiola Heynen
2. The Aesthetics and Pragmatics of Oil and Dust in Ancient Greek Wrestling and Pankration, by Armin Unfricht
3. Undefeated by Heat: Greek Athletics and Thermal Experience in Lucian's Anacharsis, by Matthew P. Evans
4. The Taste of Victory: The Athletic Diet in Ancient Greece, by Emmanuel Aprilakis
5. Dying for Victory: Athletes and Commemoration, by Hara Thliveri
6. The Dark Side of the Games: Nocturnal Rites in the Olympic Games in Imperial Times, by Rocío Gordillo Hervás
7. Virtuous Voyeurism: Emperor Julian on the Beneficial Sensory Pleasures of Athletic Spectacles, by Jamie Marvin
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Product details
| Published | 20 Aug 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 224 |
| ISBN | 9781350438415 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Illustrations | 30 bw illus |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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