When the ancient Greeks played sports.
Hazan/Louvre Museum| N° d'inventaire | 30954 |
| Format | 18 x 21 |
| Détails | 135 p., numerous color photographs, paperback. |
| Publication | Paris, 2024 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782754113878 |
Far from the stereotypes and misconceptions that contemporary sports competitions claim to embrace, Alexandre Farnoux here paints a precise picture of sport among the ancient Greeks. Drawing on the rich collections of the Louvre, combined with textual sources, he succeeds in restoring the practices of the Greeks in all their strange and unexpected aspects, and brings to life before our eyes the animation of a gymnastics lesson or the atmosphere of competitions.
The author highlights the prominent place of sport in Greek society, the importance of training in education and preparation for the army, the links between religion, politics and competition, the role and stakes of victory. It emerges that the legacy that we could assume from the sporting practice of the Greeks is not found in the vision of contemporary sport, but rather in a lesson in moderation, which Galen, following Hippocrates, summarized thus: "Exercise, food, drink, sleep, the pleasures of love, all in moderation."
Far from the stereotypes and misconceptions that contemporary sports competitions claim to embrace, Alexandre Farnoux here paints a precise picture of sport among the ancient Greeks. Drawing on the rich collections of the Louvre, combined with textual sources, he succeeds in restoring the practices of the Greeks in all their strange and unexpected aspects, and brings to life before our eyes the animation of a gymnastics lesson or the atmosphere of competitions.
The author highlights the prominent place of sport in Greek society, the importance of training in education and preparation for the army, the links between religion, politics and competition, the role and stakes of victory. It emerges that the legacy that we could assume from the sporting practice of the Greeks is not found in the vision of contemporary sport, but rather in a lesson in moderation, which Galen, following Hippocrates, summarized thus: "Exercise, food, drink, sleep, the pleasures of love, all in moderation."