Experts of ancient sport have long treated "money" and "honor" as opposites. Up to the 1970s, the idea of Greek gentlemen's sport prevailed. It is one of the most exciting challenges for sport historians to overcome this opposition and to develop a concept that integrates the economic and symbolic motivations of ancient athletes. From the very beginning, economic aspects played a role in Greek sport, and honor remained important until the end of ancient athletics. But despite these continuities there are obvious developments in favor of economic factors: Cash prizes grew in importance since the Hellenistic period, and symbolical honors awarded to victorious athletes by their hometowns were transformed into financial ones.
The studies collected in this volume aim at exploring the relationship of money and honor with regard to athletes, festivals and poleis.
„All texts in the discussed volume reveal to the reader that money and fame have been the attraction of sports from their inception. They also demonstrate that in some historical periods fame and its associated honors and privileges were more attractive to athletes than the prize itself. The authors’ exploration of how the relationship between these two aspects developed over a long period and across different eras of the ancient world makes the volume’s contents worthwhile.“
Edward Dąbrowa, Electrum, 32, 2025
„With a strong reliance on epigraphical and philological evidence, the book covers a wide range of subjects, […]. Indeed, the strong emphasis on the ancient sources throughout these essays is enough to recommend this book to the interested reader.“
David Lunt, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 37,1
| ISBN | 978-3-515-13634-1 |
|---|---|
| Media type | Book - Hardcover |
| Edition number | 1. |
| Copyright year | 2024 |
| Publisher | Franz Steiner Verlag |
| Length | 228 pages |
| Illustrations | 9 b/w figs., 3 b/w tables |
| Size | 17.0 x 24.0 cm |
| Language | German, English, Italian |
