Olympia: A Cultural History

Description

A comprehensive and richly illustrated history of one of the most important athletic, religious, and political sites in the ancient Greek and Roman world The memory of ancient Olympia lives on in the form of the modern Olympic Games. But in the ancient era, Olympia was renowned for far more than its athletic contests. In Olympia, Judith Barringe

Judith M. Barringer is professor of Greek art and archaeology at the University of Edinburgh. Her books include The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece and Art, Myth, and Ritual in Classical Greece. She lives in Edinburgh and Berlin.

"Longlisted for the Runciman Award, Anglo-Hellenic League" "Despite the site's significance, the sheer quantity of material from and about Olympia means that producing an overview is a daunting prospect, and there has been a longstanding need for a detailed, up-to-date, English-language overview of the history of Olympia. Barringer's book admirably fills that need, and will immediately become an essential point of reference"---Paul Christesen, Current World Archaeology "Barringer has done a superb job of sifting through the modern literature and adding her own insights so as to produce a fresh and comprehensive account of the site-history of Olympia, with modern controversies and debates highlighted and summarized. There is much here that will be new to others who, like me, thought they had a general familiarity with the site."---Tony Spawforth, Mediterranean Historical Review "Barringer's work is both a monument to those who once achieved the extraordinary Olympic honour of being allowed to erect semi-godlike imagery of themselves within the Altis and may well be worthy of such kleos itself."---Dr. John A. Martino, The Journal of Classics Teaching