A Brief History of the Olympic Games

For more than a millennium, the ancient Olympics captured the imaginations of the Greeks, until a Christianized Rome terminated the competitions in the fourth century AD. But the Olympic ideal did not die and this book is a succinct history of the ancient Olympics and their modern resurgence.Classics professor David Young, who has researched the subject for over 25 years, reveals how the ancient Olympics evolved from modest beginnings into a grand festival, attracting hundreds of highly trained athletes, tens of thousands of spectators, and the finest artists and poets.

First sentence: Rhodon: "Maybe he will really do it!"

Year

2004

Language

English

Publisher

Blackwell Publishing Limited

Editions

5

Pages

200

ISBN

9781405111294

Data source: Wikidata