Περιγραφή

For the ancient Greeks, their history went back to mythical times and was linked with the gods and heroes themselves. Naturally enough, their sanctuaries were not merely cult places but were also inextricably linked with their history – sites at which festivals and games were held in honour and under the protection of the gods. The games had a sacred and also an educational character. Their objective was the cultivation of a rounded human being, in which the mental and physical were harmoniously combined. All the panhellenic sanctuaries accordingly had a stadium and a theatre, devoted respectively to athletic and music contests.

The book Games and Sanctuaries in Ancient Greece attempts to give prominence to this connection between ancient games, gods, heroes and their sanctuaries. The pages of this new publication present four major panhellenic festivals, the Olympic, Pythian, Nemean and Isthmian festivals, and one great local celebration, the Panathenaia, along with the sanctuaries at which the games were held: Olympia, Delphi, Nemea, Isthmia and Athens respectively.

The buildings and general plans of the ancient sanctuaries, the achievements of the gods and heroes, the primeval myths and the history of the games are all set forth in clear, academically documented texts. Views of the sites, plans, a variety of finds from the excavations – sculptures and pottery, metalwork, coins and inscriptions – illustrate the texts and give a clear picture of both the sanctuaries and games and also the ancient myths.