Classics 102 (Section 1:) Sports and Spectacles in Antiquity

This course explores ancient sports and other spectacles in their mythic and historical contexts with the goal of helping us understand more broadly the values and structures that underlie athletic competition within a society. We will examine a wide variety of ancient materials and reflect on sports, games, and performance in myth and religion. We will learn about the history of the Olympics and other local and Panhellenic festivals, and we will explore ideas about the “athletic body,” including considerations of health and exercise, medicine, and age and gender in sports. Throughout, we will develop conceptual frameworks for connecting ancient athletics and performance to current deliberations on topics like masculinity, entertainment, violence, and identity.