Class 263 Midterm

Achilles- Mythical Greek warrior. Protagonist of the Ilias. Hosted funeral games for his friend Patroclus who was killed in battle. The description of the funeral games is one of the earliest records of Greek sport.

Agamemnon- a king of Mycenae and leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War of Homer's Iliad. A great warrior but also a selfish ruler who famously upset his invincible champion Achilles, a feud that prolonged the war and suffering of his men.

Agon- comes from Greek, where it has the meaning "struggle, fight'' found in such words as: agonize, agony, antagonist, protagonist but also relates to words like contest. Athletics contests included physical contests like gymnastics, chariot races, and horse races.

Agonal age-  The term refers to the Greeks' strong commitment to competition as indeed not just an end itself, but the highest end available in human existence. It took on a great variety of different forms and was eventually disseminated throughout all spheres of life, ranging from poetry to politics and from education to social entertainment, not just sport.

Akoniti- means "without dust”, “easily" or "quickly". In ancient combat sports, some athletes were so formidable that their opponents would forfeit, allowing them to win akoniti, or without getting dirty.

Alcibiades- Like all Athenian upper-class boys, he trained in the gymnasion. He is said to have wrestled with the famous philosopher Sokrates as sparring-partner. Known for the Treaty of Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition.

Altis- the sacred grove of Zeus, or the sacred precinct in Olympia, Greece.

Altar- central to sacrificial rituals and animal sacrifice which is an activity that is designated as a type of communication with the gods. 

Amateur- one who engages in a pursuit, study, science, or sport as a pastime and for the love of it, rather than as a profession 

Amphora- an ancient Greek jar or vase with a large oval body where they keep olive oil in, given as prize in the panathenaic 

Apoxyomenos- the “scraper” of a greek sculpture represents an athlete scraping sweat and dust off their body using a strigil

Archaeology- the study of human history through the analysis of material remains, such as artifacts, architecture, and fossils

Archaic- In this era all major stephanitic games founded, many venerable chrematic games also begun, concretization and spread of homeric poems, program of athletic events mostly settled

Arete- the word essentially means honor and excellence. Arete was gained by demonstrating one's strengths and abilities in the public eye and by winning contests. Arete was not limited to just athletic competitions. Musical and artistic competitions were also a means of showing and increasing one's arete.

Argos- home of the Heraia and (sometimes) Nemean Games

Arkteia- a ritual in ancient Greek mythology that involved young girls serving as attendants to the goddess Artemis and participating in a series of rites that prepared them for puberty and marriage. Was like a campsite for them to train physically.

Artemis- the goddess of the hunt, the moon, wild animals, and more. Daughter of Zeus and Leto and the twin sister of Apollo. The goddess of the hunt and is one of the most respected of all the ancient Greek deities.

Askesis- like “exercise” and “training”, originally used to describe the physical training required for athletic events, commitment to training and realizing full athletic potential. Could include denying sleep, food, etc

Asklepia- the god of medicine and healing who became so skilled that he could heal the dead; asclepius is the game, which is a money game in Epidaurus; cult of the body emerging -athletics and medicine combined

Atalanta- a skilled huntress and athlete who was left in the forest to die by her father and was raised by hunters. Swore an oath of her virginity to Artemis as her devotion. Is a symbol of female beauty, marriageability, and choice of lifestyles. 

- Wrestling Peleus - beating men at their own game

- The footrace against Hippomenes: the only person she will allow to marry her is Hippomenes because he wins the race by deception

Athens- a city named after athena, goddess of wisdom and war, which she got to name as a result of winning a competition between her and poseidon to become patron of the land. Emphasis on forensic training, bureaucracy, individuals, fine arts, monuments

Lots of evidence from the panathenaic games here as it started in 566 BCE.

Athlon- means prize, contest, and arena, activities related to a prize

Athletes- the word comes from partaking in contest and winning a prize- prize seekers; athletics were a way to connect people, elevate social status, and train for combat

Black-figure- style of ancient greek pottery that depicts mythological scenes and stories through black-silouteed figures on a red-orange background

Boat races- were a part of games in ancient Greece, where teams of rowers competed in the events. The Panathenaic Games were held every four years in Athens in Ancient Greece - boat races were included

Bourdieu- Pierre Bourdieu was at once a leading theorist and an empirical researcher. Proposed ideas on discipline: it’s perhaps by considering what is most specific in sport, that is, the methodological manipulation of the body, and the fact that sport.... Is a way of obtaining from the body a form of consent that the mind could refuse. Bodily discipline is the instrument par excellence of all forms of "domestication"

Brauron- a site in ancient Greece associated with the worship of the goddess Artemis/ sanctuary; contained a famous sanctuary to Artemis where little girls stayed at and dressed up as Bears to honor the always virginal Goddess of the Hunt.

Bronze Age- (3300-1200 BCE) a period of human culture between the Stone Age and the Iron Age, characterized by the Minoans and Mycenaeans

Burckhardt- a Swiss historian of classical and Renaissance culture who wrote about Greek athletics proposing ideas on the agonal age: competition was a power known to no other people. The general leavening element that proved capable of working upon the will and capabilities of every individual.

Chrematitic- local athletic games that awarded prizes of material value money games, like The Panathenaic Games in Athens

Classical- in this era was the rise of athens and verbal evidence, pindaric victory odes performed and spread, perspectives on sport gained from written sources: history, drama, oratory

Diachronic- (perspective/analysis) through time- this perspective favors traditionalism Greek athletics are pretty predictable and stable

Diagoras- a boxer and a philosopher; daughter is Kallipateira (the girl who disguised herself as a trainer) Was a famous boxer: 2 Olympic, 4 isthmian, 2 nemean, and at least 1 Pythian victory

Diaulos- double-stadion race (400 m - two laps), Out-and-back race- One of the foot races which was twice the stadion in length; that is, a sprint down and back the length of the track

The second event added to the Olympics in 724 BCE

Diolkos- a paved trackway in ancient Greece that allowed ships to be moved overland across the Isthmus of Corinth and connected it to the saronic gulf, making it a crucial node of travel.

Diskobolos- a Greek sculpture that depicts a young athlete throwing a discus, and is considered one of the most famous ancient sculptures. The word Diskobolos is Greek for "discus thrower" . The sculptor froze the action of discus throwing and arranged the nude athlete's body and limbs so they formed two interesting arcs.

Diskos- the discus throw was also a featured event in ancient Greek athletics, along with other competitions such as footraces, wrestling, and the pentathlon. The discus was shaped like a flying saucer and varied in size. 

Dolichos- long-distance running race in the ancient Olympic Games, (720 BCE): enters olympics XV

Dromos- A race or a race track, sometimes used as a synonym for the stadion

Eleutheria- Games in Thessaly that are special because it’s an agrarian site. Has special events like rodeo-style and is similar to what was seen in bronze-age Greece. We don't have the best archeological records here

Elis- Region in the Peloponnesus, in which Olympia is located, home of the Olympic Games.

Emic- approach of studying a culture's behavior from the perspective of an insider

Endonym-  the native name for the Greeks that is used internally by a group of people to identify themselves like a self-placed name

Epidaurus- the name of a hero and the eponym of the polis Epidaurus, was a major healing center in ancient times and “major healing center” and the birthplace of apollo

Epigraphy- the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, in Greek letters that are engraved on stone or metal

Epinikian- a type of lyric poem that celebrated a victor in a major Hellenic game or war like a praise poem

Etiology- the explanation of origins and causes; myths told in a narrative form and are often set in a different mytho-historical period than the present and takes the cause into account

Etymology- the study of word origins; aphrodite → aphros → sea foam

Euandria- The Ancient Greek Strength and Beauty Contest for Men with age classes

Foucault- Proposed ideas on askesis, discipline, punishment training, work on ancient Greece includes studies of ethics, the care of the self, and the relationship between the self and power and said “'Society aims to create "the obedient subject, the individual subjected to habits, rules, orders, and authority that is continually exercised around him and upon him, and which he must allow to function automatically in him.”

Funeral games- athletic competitions held in ancient Greece to honor a deceased person- Iliad with funeral games held by Achilles to honor Patroclus

Gamification- the application of typical elements of game playing to other areas of activity, typically as an online marketing technique to encourage engagement with a product or service.

Gloios- the sweat and olive oil that accumulated on an athlete's body after competition

Gymnasion- a place where athletes could train for the competitions like olympics and where nude exercises took place. Consisted of a covered practice track one stadion in length, uncovered practice track.

Gymnos- means exercise naked, bare

Hellanodikai- Elean officials who served as judges of the Olympic Games and who became well known for enforcing laws of fairness

Hellas- a region of Thessaly and the name of people that lived there were the Hellenes but greek word for greece

Hellenes- the name of the greek people 

Hellenistic- Greek cultural influence reached its peak in the Mediterranean and beyond. Prosperity and progress in the arts, literature, theater, architecture, music, mathematics, philosophy, and science characterize the era. Alexander the Great had died

Heraia- an ancient Greek festival in which young girls competed in a footrace, possibly as a puberty or pre-nuptial initiation ritual in which they could win an olive crown, cow dedication to sacrifice, erect statues with name dedication at Olympia

Herakles- a hero with superhuman strength and many adventures, god of strength, patron of the gymnasium; he performed many deeds and twelve Labors and won immortality among the gods on Olympus

Herodotus- "Father of History" as a Greek historian who documented real historical events, most notably the Greco-Persian Wars, in his work called "The Histories". Said that we are using games to escape real-world suffering. We are using games to get away from everything that is broken in real life.

Hero cult- a practice of worshiping heroes, who were often considered to be a class between gods and men like Pelops at Olympia

Hippikos agon- ​​horse games, or races involving horses and mounted riders like keles and tethrippon

Hippodrome- the track for horse races and were ancient Greek and Roman stadiums used for horse and chariot races, and were central to imperial rule

Homer- author of the Iliad and Odyssey; these poems are considered landmarks in human literature and have influenced Western literature; homeric athletics- practices from the mycenaean period 

Honorand- a central idea that determined a person's worth and value to the community and a person be publicly honored

Hoplitodromos- an ancient Greek foot race that was part of the Olympic Games and Panhellenic Games where they wore armor during 

Inscription- a short dedication written in a book or engraved on something, such as a coin or monument words written or cut into a surface

Iron/Dark Age- after the Bronze Age collapse leaving the economy in a death spiral, not leaving direct evidence of athletics, but now we are athletic because of war!

1100-800 BCE; the Greek Iron Age, Economic and cultural discontinuity

Organized athletics on a significant scale is still possible

Isthmus-  the location of the Isthmian Games, now a sanctuary and festival of athletic and musical competitions held in honor of the sea god Poseidon

Kalos/kalon- a noun that refers to the ideal of physical and moral beauty, and is especially associated with the philosophers of classical Greece

Kalokagathia- an ancient Greek concept that describes the ideal of a person who is both physically beautiful and morally good, key value in analyzing art and how people were perceived

Kallipateira- ancient Greek athlete trainer and member of a famous athletic family in Rhodes who was caught attending the Olympic Games disguised as a man in 388 BCE in order to train her son to win. The only woman to have done that

Kampter- a small column or pole that marked the turning point in a race that exceeded the length of a stadium, helped runners navigate the tight hairpin turn at the end of the stadium track

Karneia- a nine-day festival that celebrated Apollo, the god of the harvest and flocks, and the warrior culture of Sparta and associated with pursuit of victim, choral performance, ram sacrifice

Keles- a type of horse race that was introduced to the Olympic Games in 648 BC

Keryx- a messenger or herald who served the gods that had the honor to call out events and announce victors 

Kithara- a stringed instrument that is associated with the gods Apollo and Hermes and would often be used as a solo instrument or accompanying a solo artist, choir, or dancers in ancient games.

Konis- means dust

Kotinos- an olive wreath given to the winners of the ancient Olympic Games

Kyniska- also known as Cynisca, was a Spartan princess and the first woman to win an Olympic event. Victorious at the chariot race in which her entry into the games is showing that anyone can enter.

Larissa- the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region in Greece where the Eleutharian games were held

Lexicography- the study and compilation of Greek dictionaries, which includes ancient, medieval, and modern Greek language forms and is helpful for understanding interactions between language and culture at any given moment- Sansone's approach

Ludic- game play; recognizing games as a certain category of life showing spontaneous and undirected playfulness; sport in terms of "play"

McGonigal- Jane McGonigal about the theory of gamification; pro-games, active engagement and argues that games can make a better world: "If we want to solve problems.... we need to aspire to play games online for at least 21 billion hours a week by the end of the next decade"

Milo- a legendary ancient Greek wrestler and athlete who is associated with a story about gaining strength by carrying a calf and known for his strength

Minoan- Prosperous civilization on the Aegean island of Crete in 2500-1500 B.C.E. Exerted powerful cultural influences on the early Greeks. A sea-power, or thalassocracy, with extensive trade networks across the eastern mediterranean. Athletics evidence: bull-jumping, boxing Were eradicated when Santorini erupted

Mousikos agon- a musical competition that took place at the Pythian Games in Delphi, a panhellenic sanctuary where athletes from all over Greece competed

Mycenaean- A civilization north of Crete that replaced the Minoans and were part of the trade network of the Late Bronze Age; at war with others around them They were homeric warriors; there was potentially athletics.During the bronze age collapse, sea people and the sons of Herakles came from the north and wreaked havoc on the other towns. This was the end of the mycenaeans

Mythology- a collection of ancient Greek stories about the gods, heroes, and other mythological figures in their world

Nike- the goddess of victory in war, athletics, art, and music. Athletes who wanted to win worshiped her

Omphalos- a sacred stone that represented the navel of the earth and marked the center of the universe- associated with delphi

Opheltes- Opheltes, the infant son of Lycurgus of Nemea, killed by a serpent and whose death is honored by the Nemean Games

Oracle- a person or priestess who was believed to be a divine representative, speaking on behalf of the gods

Palaimon- a child sea-god who, with his mother Leukothea (Leucothea), came to the aid of sailors in distress and death was commemorated by the Isthmian Games

Palaistra- the wrestling place, Mixed-use spaces: training of the mind and body; clearly demarcated: space for (welcomed) men only; an "open floor-plan" with athletic spectacle at its center

Pale- Heavy event; 708 BCE first appeared; wrestling- In the palaistra, Wrestling, both the event and the exercise

Panathenaia- a festival in ancient Greece that happened every 4 years which was the largest and best known of the chrematistic festivals in Greece

Pankration- a fighting mode an unarmed combat sport as a combination of boxing and wrestling with barely any restrictions, No holds barred; 648 BCE; "all-power" basically do whatever

Tho, no gouging eyes or biting hands

Pausanias- A Greek geographer/ traveler known for his description of Greece; Avid tourist who visited Greece in the middle of the second century and wrote a guidebook to Greece based on his observations and research. His descriptions of statues at Olympia make him the single most important ancient source for the names and careers of various athletes.

Pelops- a figure who played a significant role in both the human world and on Olympus; Wanted to marry Hippodameia. If he beats her father, he gets to marry her. If the father beats him, the father kills him

Peribolos- a walled court or colonnade that surrounded a sacred area, such as a temple, shrine, or altar 

Pierre de Coubertin- founder of the modern olympic games

poda para poda… apite!- three ancient Greek words shouted by the aphetes, or starter, at the beginning of the Nemean Games. These words were roughly equivalent to the English “ready! set! GO!”. 

primary evidence- The earliest known written versions of Greek myths are from the 8th century BCE and appear in the works of Homer and Hesiod and are first-hand information; 'eyewitness', personally/directly involved

Pyx-  Greek word pyxis, which means "box" or "receptacle". In Greek mythology, a pyxis was a boxwood receptacle. Boxing; 1st in 688 BCE Violent, bloody. Wore himantes: leather thongs as hand wraps; characteristic; strengthens blow; but rules with type of leather allowed

Pindar- an ancient Greek poet who is known for his victory odes praising winning athletes

Pythian- Games held to honor Apollo. Hosted music and poetry competitions in addition to athletics. Held in Delphi every 4 years on the side of a mountain. Reflected the nature of the divinity honored. Delphi was culturally centered, but geographically remote.

Red-figure- a style of ancient Greek pottery that depicts figures in red on a black background, and is often used to depict scenes from Greek mythology and religion and reverse of black-figure

Relief (sculptural)- a type of art that involves carving figures that protrude from a background surface, such as a wall or tomb in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material

Sanctuary- a sacred place where people could connect with the gods through rituals

Secondary evidence- a document or recording that analyzes, interprets, or discusses prior events, documents, or physical object

Skamma- a shallow pit in the stadion where ancient Greek athletes wrestled and competed in other events “ dug-up place”

Sparta- Favored physical training, laconism, the collective, martial arts, bodies in sport.

In a sense, it believes in bodies over monuments. There is not much evidence on it

Stadion- 193 meter running event, First won by Koroibos of Elis, Only olympic event recorded for 54 years

stele (plr. stelae)- a stone or wooden monument that was used in ancient cultures to convey information, mark graves, and more

Stephanitic- refers to the Panhellenic games, which were athletic competitions that awarded winners with wreaths instead of material prizes “crown games”

stlengis/strigil- was a utensil used to clean the body by scraping off dirt, sweat, and oil

Synchronic- a linguistic term that refers to the study of a language in time, without considering its history (perspective/analysis) at the same time, this perspective favors functionalism

Synoris- a type of chariot race in the ancient Olympic Games with 2 horses

Temenos- wall that surrounds a sanctuary; peribolos, altis, at olympia its known as the altis; a piece of land set aside or cut off from everyday use and assigned as a special domain for the veneration of a temporal ruler or a god

Tethrippon- a four-horse chariot race that was held in the Ancient Olympic Games

Thesaurus- treasure, treasury, or storehouse; next to the entrance

Theseus- a hero and the legendary king of Athens who is best known for slaying the Minotaur and defeated the Amazons and united Attica

Tondo-  is a circular adornment or “work of art”, either a painting or a sculpture.

Triakter- the winner of a wrestling match, specifically one where a competitor needed to throw their opponent three times to be declared the victor “three-thrower”

Votive- gifts offered to the gods by their worshippers. They were often given for benefits already conferred or in anticipation of future divine favors 

Zanes- bronze statues of Zeus at ancient Olympia that lined the entrance to the Olympic games that were built from the money/fines of corrupt athletes, people that mocked the games

Zeus- the king of the gods and the god of the sky and weather, he represents the olympics

Zeuxis- one of the best-known painters of ancient Greece and became famous for his ability to imitate nature and especially still life with his art