Sports and Society in Ancient Greece and Rome
3200:230 - 001 Prof. J. C. Fant
Crause Tu Th 9:15 - 10:30 cfant@uakron.edu
Fall 2001SYLLABUS www.uakron.edu/csaa/sports
TA Kim Rea (kar2@uakron.edu)
Greek sports
Week 1
Aug 30 The Age of Heroes and athletic competitions in Homer: what were their functions?
Reading: Miller, introduction & Ch. I.
Week 2 Sept 4 The Olympics: origins of the festival and the topography of Olympia
Reading: Miller, sec.50, 103 (cults); Swaddling Ch. 1 & 2.
Sept 6 The historical Olympics: the truce, order of events added to the program, the organization of the festival. Reading: Miller, Ch. II & IV and Appendix p. 203
Week 3 Sept 1 The historical Olympics: the program of events; the footraces: stadion, diaulos, dolichos, hoplitodromos. Reading: Miller, Ch III sec. 12-19, and Ch. VIII; Swaddling Chs. 3 - 8.
_ Sept 12, Wed, Special Event: AIA lecture, 8pm, Folk auditorium
Sept 13 The pentathlon. Reading: Miller, sections 32-46.
Week 4
Sept 18 _ 1st Objective Test (does not cover today’s material)
Combat sports in the Olympics: pale (wrestling), the pancration;
Reading: Miller, sec. 20-23, 30-31; Poliakoff Introduction, Ch. I-II.
Sept 20 Combat sports continued: pyx (boxing). Reading: Miller, sections 24-29; Poliakoff Ch. III-V.
Week 5
Sept 25 Tu The eqestrian events and their social significance. The tethrippon (4-horse chariot), synoris (2- horse chariot), keles (horse and jockey), apene (mule wagon), kalpe. Reading: Miller, sec. 47-52
Sept 27 Th The Olympic schedule; the ritual origins of Greek athletics
Week 6
Oct 2 Tu _ 2nd Objective Test (does not cover today’s material)
The other panhellenic festivals: the Nemean, Pythian and Isthmian Games
Reading: Miller, Ch. XIV and section 146; sec. 53-59.
_ Oct 3, Special Event: AIA lecture, 8pm, Folk auditorium
Oct 4 Th The Panathenaic Games at Athens. Reading: Miller, Ch. V & XIV.
Week 7
Oct 9 Tu The victor’s rewards: statues and song. Reading: Miller, Ch. VIII & XV; Pindar handouts.
Oct 11Th The games in Greek society: natonalism and internationalism. Reading: Miller Ch. XIV
Week 8
Oct 16 Tu. _ 3rd Objective Test (does not cover today’s material)
The gymnasion as a social institution; ephebes, neaniskoi and hoplites
Reading: Miller Ch. X
Oct 18 Th Class and professionalism in the ancient games:
Reading: Young, Olympic Myth, Part Two; Miller, Sec. 146-148
Week 9
Oct 23 Tu Women and athletics. Reading: Miller, Ch. VI
Oct 25 Th _ First essay exam; study suggestions posted one week before the test.
Week 10 Roman spectacles and recreation
Oct 30 Tu Roman history in three minutes; Greek games under the Roman empire.
Reading: Miller, Ch. VI sec. 95-, XI, XIII sections 149-155.
Nov 1 Th _ 4th Objective Test (does not cover today’s material)
The Circus Games; the chariot race in Ben Hur
Week 11
Nov 6 Tu Beast hunts: performance and social significance.
Nov 8 Th Gladiatorial games: origins and social meaning. the new theories; early amphitheaters. Arena and theater seating as diagram of society.
Week 12
Nov 13 Tu Styles of gladiatorial combat; who fought, who won and who died; who retired rich. Patrons, emperors and the mob: bread and circuses?
Nov 15 Th _ 5th Objective Test (does not cover today’s material)
Spectacle in the movies: from Demetrius the Gladiator to The Fall of the Roman Empire and Gladiator
_ Nov 15 Th, Special Event: AIA lecture, 8pm, Folk auditorium
Week 13
Nov 20 Tu Sport, spectacle and recreation in a small town
Reading: Miller, Ch. IX
Nov 22 Th no class: Thanksgiving
Week 14
Nov 27 Tu The Baths and bathing, personal hygiene and fitness, social interchange without clothes and their social coding
Nov 29 Th _ 6th Objective Test (does not cover today’s material)
The myth of amateurism in the revival of the modern Olympics.
Reading: Young, Olympic Myth, Part One
Week 15
Dec 4 The ideological uses of the Olympics: Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia, art film as propaganda for Hitler's 1936 Olympics
_ _ Final projects due at this class period
Dec 6 _ _ 2nd essay exam (_ there is no final exam).