Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World

The second edition of Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World updates Donald G. Kyle’s award-winning introduction to this topic, covering the Ancient Near East up to the late Roman Empire.

• Challenges traditional scholarship on sport and spectacle in the Ancient World and debunks claims that there were no sports before the ancient Greeks

• Explores the cultural exchange of Greek sport and Roman spectacle and how each culture responded to the other’s entertainment

• Features a new chapter on sport and spectacle during the Late Roman Empire, including Christian opposition to pagan games and the Roman response

• Covers topics including violence, professionalism in sport, class, gender and eroticism, and the relationship of spectacle to political structures

?This is without a doubt the single best overview of ancient sport. Donald Kyle delivers a clear, lively, and detailed account that reflects his unmatched erudition and insight.?- Paul Christesen, Department of Classics, Dartmouth College

"Kyle furnishes a sophisticated and lucid account of sport and spectacle as important cultural phenomena in antiquity. Especially insightful is his treatment of both Greek and Roman sport as spectacle. Most welcome too are the relevant parallels and significant differences he observes between ancient and modern athletics." - Hugh Lee, Emeritus Professor of Classics, University of Maryland, College Park

?An excellent, wide-ranging survey of ancient sport. No other introductory volume combines the study of Greek and Roman sport and spectacle so effectively. This second edition adds a wealth of new material to the original version.? - Jason Koenig, School of Classics, University of St Andrews

Donald G. Kyle is Professor, former Chair of History, and Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is the author of Athletics in Ancient Athens (1987), Spectacles of Death in Ancient Rome (1998), Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World (Wiley-Blackwell 2007); and co-editor (with Paul Christesen) of A Companion to Sport and Spectacle in Greek and Roman Antiquity (Wiley-Blackwell 2014).

The second edition of Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World provides an updated introduction to over 2,000 years of ancient history on this topic. Author Donald G. Kyle takes readers from the early civilizations of the Ancient Near East, through Greek and Hellenistic times, and up to the waning days of the Roman Empire. Kyle continues to challenge traditional scholarship in the field, supporting his claims with new research and new interpretation of ancient sources. Featuring more illustrations and a larger, more accessible format, the second edition is updated with the most recent scholarship and features an all-new chapter highlighting sport and spectacle during the Late Roman period. This edition also provides summaries of new discoveries such as bull-jumping mosaics in the Nile Delta, and insights into Greek athletic festivals from letters by the Roman emperor Hadrian. Clear and engaging, Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World, Second Edition is an invaluable resource for students and readers of all levels.

The second edition of Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World provides an updated introduction to over 2,000 years of ancient history on this topic. Author Donald G. Kyle takes readers from the early civilizations of the Ancient Near East, through Greek and Hellenistic times, and up to the waning days of the Roman Empire. Kyle continues to challenge traditional scholarship in the field, supporting his claims with new research and new interpretation of ancient sources. Featuring more illustrations and a larger, more accessible format, the second edition is updated with the most recent scholarship and features an all-new chapter highlighting sport and spectacle during the Late Roman period. This edition also provides summaries of new discoveries such as bull-jumping mosaics in the Nile Delta, and insights into Greek athletic festivals from letters by the Roman emperor Hadrian. Clear and engaging, Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World, Second Edition is an invaluable resource for students and readers of all levels.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.