Midterm Rec Sport

What is a serious limitation of using literature as evidence for ancient athletics?

Literature often mentions athletics only in passing because athletics is not the main topic.

When would a Greek use the technique called the "dog-leash"?

Before competing in an athletic competition.

What is striking about most paintings of Minoan bull-leaping?

Most depict an incorrect or unsuccessful bull-leap.

What does the Greek word "arete" mean?

Excellence.

What kinds of things could the Greeks believe had arete?

Humans, animals, and other things could have arete; it means whatever makes something excellent or outstanding.

Could an athlete have arete?

Yes.

Could a politician have arete?

Yes.

Could an eagle have arete?

Yes.

What competition does Odysseus arrange when he returns home and confronts the suitors?

An archery competition.

What is Miller's Thesis about the origin of Greek athletics?

The origin of Greek athletics lies in the Dorian invasion.

What is striking about Epeios in the boxing match at Patroklos' funeral games?

Epeios admits that although he is a great boxer, he is not a great warrior.

How can you often identify what type of footrace is depicted on a Greek vase?

By looking at the position of the runners' legs.

How did Greek boxing gloves change over time?

They extended farther up the forearm and gained more padding.

Was the marathon an athletic competition in Ancient Greece?

No.

Was the torch race an athletic competition in Ancient Greece?

Yes.

Was the hippios an athletic competition in Ancient Greece?

Yes, although it was not an Olympic event.

What often happened to oil after an athlete scraped it from his body?

It was kept and sold for medicinal purposes.

In the Iliad footrace, what happens after Odysseus prays to Athena for help?

Athena causes another runner to trip and fall in a pile of dung.

What were Egyptian Sed festivals?

Festivals in which the Pharaoh ran around a number of turn-posts.

According to Arete, what happened to people found with flabbiness, softness, or pudginess in one community?

They were flogged and punished.

Which historical figure has a name meaning "Anointed" and is connected in AGA to the practice of pouring oil over the body?

Jesus Christ.

What happened when a reconstructed Greek starting gate was tested in a modern footrace?

It tangled runners who started early.

How does David Sansone define sport?

A ritual sacrifice of physical energy.

What are the main features in the lecture's fuller definition of sport?

Non-routine physical activity; skilled; no designated place for luck; no intent to harm; specified rules.

What does "agonism" mean?

Competition.

What are athletics?

Competitive sport.

What is arete?

Excellence; what makes something excellent or outstanding.

What is important about athletics and arete in Greek culture?

Athletics were involved in being an excellent human being.

What is the difference between athletics and spectacle?

Athletics involve competition rather than simply performance for spectators.

What early Mesopotamian epic contains a wrestling-like encounter?

The Epic of Gilgamesh.

What happens when Egyptian pharaohs are depicted performing athletic activities?

The pharaoh always succeeds.

What happens when Egyptians wrestle foreigners in Egyptian art?

The Egyptians always win.

What types of athletic displays were associated with Egyptian pharaohs?

Hunting, archery, and other physical demonstrations.

What is a major problem with evidence for Minoan sport?

No Minoan literature survives; much of the evidence comes from art.

Where were the Minoans centered?

Crete.

What activities appear in Minoan sporting art?

Boxing, possible running, bull sports, and other performances.

What does the Minoan Grandstand Fresco show?

Spectators gathered for an organized public performance or spectacle.

What does the Boxer Fresco depict?

Young boxers.

What is the Boxer Rhyton evidence for?

Minoan boxing and other physical performances.

What is the Runner's Ring possible evidence for?

A Minoan running contest or ritual involving running.

What activity is famously associated with Minoan culture?

Bull-leaping/bull sports.

Why can't we automatically call Minoan bull-leaping a sport?

Its purpose is uncertain; it could involve ritual, spectacle, initiation, or competition.

What evidence suggests Hittites held competitive running contests?

The king's bodyguards ran, and the winner "seized the bridle."

What prize could a Hittite archery winner receive?

Wine.

What other physical contests are associated with the Hittites?

Weightlifting, stone-throwing, wrestling, and boxing.

What physical activities appear in Mycenaean evidence?

Hunting, bull imagery, wrestling, and other physical activities.

What is the main idea of the "Sporting Mediterranean World"?

Greek sport developed within a wider Mediterranean world of interacting sporting traditions.

When did the Greeks traditionally believe the Olympic Games began?

776 BCE.

When were Homer's epic songs composed?

Around 750 BCE.

What period do Homer's heroes supposedly belong to?

Around 1250 BCE, near the end of the Bronze Age.

What athletic event does the Iliad describe in detail?

The funeral games for Patroklos.

What athletic setting appears in the Odyssey?

Friendly games held during a banquet.

Why is Homer important to the history of athletics?

His poems contain the earliest descriptions of athletic competitions in Western literature.

According to Miller, do Homer's athletics accurately represent the Mycenaean world?

No; they primarily reflect Homer's own period.

According to Miller's Thesis, where does the origin of Greek athletics lie?

In the Dorian invasion following the fall of Mycenae.

Were Homeric athletics part of a regularly recurring festival?

No.

Were Homeric athletics primarily training for battle?

No.

Which event receives particular emphasis in Homer's athletic descriptions?

The chariot race.

In Homeric athletics, what mattered more than the monetary value of prizes?

The ranking of the prizes.

Did Homeric athletics include team events?

No.

Were Homeric athletics highly organized and technical?

No.

What major characteristic did Homeric athletics have?

They were highly competitive.

What choice does Achilles face?

A long life without glory or a short life ending in glorious death at Troy.

What heroic ideal is expressed by "Always to be the best and to be eminent beyond others"?

The competitive pursuit of excellence or arete.

Why were spectators important to Homeric competition?

They publicly recognized and judged the competitors' excellence.

What does "externalized heroic excellence" refer to?

Arete demonstrated publicly through competition.

Who organizes Patroklos' funeral games?

Achilles.

Who competes in Patroklos' funeral games?

Princes and kings.

What events occur at Patroklos' funeral games?

Chariot race, boxing, wrestling, footrace, armed combat, archery, and spear throwing.

Who wrestles to a draw at Patroklos' funeral games?

Odysseus and Ajax.

Which goddess does Odysseus pray to during the footrace?

Athena.

What do the Homeric games demonstrate about the gods?

Divine intervention could affect athletic competition.

Where do the friendly games in the Odyssey occur?

Phaiakia.

Who holds the impromptu Phaiakian competition?

King Alcinoos.

Who insults Odysseus and motivates him to compete?

Euryalos.

Which event does Odysseus enter at the Phaiakian games?

Discus throw.

What competition occurs at Odysseus' home involving the suitors?

An archery/bow contest.

What is a stephanitic competition?

A crown competition.

What are the four major crown competition sites?

Olympia, Delphi, Nemea, and Isthmia.

What is a gymnikos agon?

Athletic/naked competition.

What is a hippikos agon?

Equestrian/horse competition.

What is the stadion race?

A footrace of about 200 yards, or one stade.

Which Greek footrace had the highest prestige?

The stadion.

What is the diaulos?

A race of two stadion lengths, about 400 yards.

What does "diaulos" mean?

Double-flute.

What is the dolichos?

The long-distance footrace.

Did the Greeks use staggered starts in the dolichos?

No.

What is the hoplitodromos?

A footrace of about 400 yards run in armor of some kind.

Was the hoplitodromos highly regarded?

No, not particularly.

What is the hippios?

An approximately 800-yard footrace.

Was the hippios an Olympic event?

No.

What was the torch race?

A relay race found at Athens involving groups of young men.

Was the ancient marathon a regular athletic competition?

No.

What is the balbis?

The starting line/starting apparatus used for footraces.

What is the kampter?

The turning post used in races.

What is the hysplex?

A starting mechanism used to release runners together.

What were the three major Greek body-contact sports?

Wrestling, boxing, and pankration.

Did Greek contact sports have weight classes?

No.

Did Greek contact sports have rounds?

No.

Did Greek contact sports have age categories?

Yes.