York University Department of History AP/HIST 3125 Fall Term 2023 SPORT AND SOCIETY IN ANCIENT GREECE Introduction Sport occupied an important place in the highly competitive society of ancient Greece. This course explores the history of Greek sport from its first appearance in the poems of Homer down into the Roman period, but with a concentration on the Archaic and Classical periods (eighth-fourth centuries B.C.), and on the Panhellenic games. Throughout the course sport is studied not as an autonomous activity, but as a part of Greek society, only comprehensible in terms of the values and practices of that society. Topics include theories of sport; the competitive character of Greek society; the development of the sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia and of the Olympic Games; the Olympic Games and Festival; the other Panhellenic games; sport and politics; sport and religious ritual; combat sports and military training; sport and social status; amateurs and professionals; the gymnasium; representations of sport in art and literature. The course involves the critical study of a range of source material—literary, documentary, iconographic and archaeological. Course Director Jeremy Trevett, 2180 Vari Hall Tel. 416-736-2100 x30409; email: jtrevett@yorku.ca Office Hours: Wednesday 1-2 p.m. and Friday 10-11 a.m. Timetable The course meets once a week, Wednesdays 2:30–4:30 p.m. in ACW 306. Tutorials meet as follows: T1: W 4:30-5:30, ACE 010 (Irvine) T2: W 4:30-5:30, VH 1016 (Trevett) T3: W 5:30-6:30, ACE 006 (Irvine) 1 Grade Breakdown Participation One shorter essay One longer essay Examination* 10% 20% 35% 35% *NOTE: the exam will take place during the examination period (December 7-20). You should not arrange to leave Toronto during the examination period until you know when all your exams will be. Books to be purchased (available from York University Bookstore) S. G. Miller, Arete: Greek Sports from Ancient Sources (University of California Press) 3rd/4th edition (abbreviated as Arete). NB this is also available as an e-book from the Library, but you will probably find it more convenient to have your own print copy. S. G. Miller, Ancient Greek Athletics (Yale University Press) ** SOME ONLINE RESOURCES ON ANCIENT GREEK SPORT Nemea (the site of the Nemean Games excavated by S. G. Miller): http://nemeangames.org International Olympic Committee website on the ancient Olympics: https://www.olympic.org/ancient-olympic-games Oxford Bibliographies: Classical: Sport http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/view/document/obo9780195389661/obo-9780195389661-0118.xml?rskey=f9ASbq&result=200 Perseus project: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/sports.html 2 Grading: The grading scheme for the course conforms to the 9-point grading system used in undergraduate programs at York (e.g. A+ =9, A=8, B+=7, C+=5, etc.). Assignments and tests will bear either a letter grade designation or a corresponding number grade (e.g. A+ = 90 to 100; A = 80-89, B+=75-79, B=70-74; C+=65-69, C+60-64, etc.). For a full description of York’s grading system, see https://www.yorku.ca/laps/hist/academic-resources/academicadvising/grading-system/ Religious Observance Accommodation: https://w2prod.sis.yorku.ca/Apps/WebObjects/cdm.woa/wa/regobs The History Department: The department’s email for general inquiries is lapshist@yorku.ca and main phone number is 416-7365123. The History Department website: Upcoming events, resources for undergraduate history students, faculty and staff information, and much more: https://www.yorku.ca/laps/hist/ Undergraduate Program in History: links to information on history major career paths, degree programs (what is required for majors, minors, etc.), and degree checklists: https://www.yorku.ca/laps/hist/undergrad/ History Advising Hours: The Undergraduate Program Director is Prof. Jennifer Bonnell who can be contacted at dushist@yorku.ca. As well as answering questions by email, you can book a remote advising appointment: https://www.yorku.ca/laps/hist/academic-resources/academic-advising/. Please note that no grade information will be discussed via email. The Writing Centre: One-to-one help with a writing instructor on any writing assignment. You will need to enroll to set up your appointment, though they also offer some drop-in sessions. The enrollment link and further information is found at whohttps://www.yorku.ca/laps/writing-centre/. Bring a copy of your assignment to your appointment. York University Libraries: Links to the main catalogue, e-resources, on-line help chat line with librarian, and many other research aids: https://www.library.yorku.ca/web/ SPARK [Student Papers and Academic Research Kit]: This is an on-line tutorial that provides handy tips and tools for understanding and successfully completing university-level assignments. Go to https://spark.library.yorku.ca Student Accessibility Services: https://accessibility.students.yorku.ca/ Student Accessibility Services provides academic accommodation and support to students with disabilities in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Policy on accessible education for students with disabilities and York University Senate Policy on Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities. York Student Code of Conduct: http://oscr.students.yorku.ca/student-conduct. Academic Honesty Statement: Violations of the York Senate Policy on Academic Honesty will be treated severely. Recent penalties have included failure in the course, suspension from the University, and withholding or rescinding a York degree, diploma, or certificate. Cheating during inclass or take-home examinations, collaborating on written assignments, failing to use quotations marks and citations when using or paraphrasing the printed or electronically disseminated work of others, aiding, or abetting academic misconduct, and violating any other part of the Policy on Academic Honesty will result in penalties. For further details, see the relevant part of the York Website: https://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/policies/policies/academic-honesty-senate-policy-on/ Academic Integrity Tutorial: http://www.yorku.ca/tutorial/academic_integrity/index.html History department policy on grade reappraisals, including link to the https://www.yorku.ca/laps/hist/academic-resources/academic-advising/grading-system/ grade reappraisal Fall/Winter 2023-2024 Sessional & Important Dates: https://registrar.yorku.ca/enrol/dates/2023-2024/fall-winter FW 23-24 Important Add/Drop Deadlines: https://registrar.yorku.ca/enrol/dates/2023-2024/fall-winter FALL (TERM F) 3 form: Last date to add a course without permission of instructor (also see Financial Deadlines) September 20 Last date to add a course with permission of instructor (also see Financial Deadlines) September 28 Drop deadline: Last date to drop a course without receiving a grade (also see Financial Deadlines) November 8 Course Withdrawal Period (withdraw from a course and receive a grade of “W” on transcript) November 9 – December 5 Refund Table (Student Financial Services): https://sfs.yorku.ca/refund/tables/fw23 4 CLASSES SEPTEMBER Wed 6 Introduction to course. Approaches to the study of sport and sport history; Greek history and sport; sources ‘Greece (prehistory and history)’ in The Oxford Classical Dictionary (4th ed., 2012) [https://www.library.yorku.ca/e/resolver/id/2824306] Ancient Greek Athletics chs 1 ‘Introduction’ and 2 ‘The World of Greek athletics’ Wed 13 Roots of Greek sport; sport elsewhere in the ancient world; sport in the poems of Homer Arete ch. I ‘The earliest days of Greek athletics’ Ancient Greek Athletics ch. 3 ‘The origins of Greek athletics’ D. Kyle, review of D. Sansone’s Greek Athletics and the Genesis of Sport (1988) in Journal of Sports History 15 (1988) 356-361 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/43609229] Wed 20 The events of the Panhellenic Games Arete chs II ‘Nudity and equipment’ and III ‘The events at a competition’ Ancient Greek Athletics ch. 4 ‘The Crown competitions’ Wed 27 The early history of Olympia and the other Panhellenic festivals Ancient Greek Athletics ch. 5 ‘The Sites of the crown competitions’ C. Morgan, ‘Sanctuaries, the state and the individual’ from J. König (ed.), Greek Athletics (2010) 23-35 [e-class] S. Instone, ‘Origins of the Olympics’ in S. Hornblower and K. Morgan (ed.), Pindar’s Poetry, Patrons and Festivals (2007) ch. 2 [e-class] M. Scott, ‘Beginnings’ in Delphi: A History of the Center of the Ancient World (2014) ch. 2 [e-class] OCTOBER Wed 4 Athletic festivals Ancient Greek Athletics ch. 6 ‘Reconstruction of a festival’ and 7 ‘The Money games’ Arete ch. IV ‘Organization of a Panhellenic festival’ and ch. V ‘Local festivals’ D. Kyle, ‘The Panathenaic Games: sacred and civic athletics’ from J. Neils (ed.), Goddess and Polis: The Panathenaic Festival in Ancient Athens (1993) [eclass] Wed 18 The gymnasion and palaistra as sporting and social institutions Ancient Greek Athletics ch. 11 ‘Training: the world of the gymnasion and the palaistra’ Arete ch. X ‘Gymnasion, athletics, and education’ N. Fisher, ‘Gymnasia and the democratic values of leisure’ from J. König (ed.), Greek Athletics (2010) 66-86 [e-class] 5 Wed 25 Athletics and social class: ‘professionalism’ and ‘amateurism’ Ancient Greek Athletics ch. 13 ‘Professionals and amateurs’ Arete ch. XIII ‘Amateurism and professionalism’ M. Golden, Sport and Society in Ancient Greece (1998) ch. 5 ‘Class difference, dissent, democracy’ [e-class] D. C. Young, ‘How the amateurs won the Olympics’ [e-class] NOVEMBER Wed 1 The Commemoration of victory: poetry, statues and monuments Ancient Greek Athletics ch. 16 ‘Arete’ Arete ch. XV ‘Beauty and reality’ Wed 8 Sporting ‘heroes’ and the politics of Greek sport Ancient Greek Athletics ch. 9 ‘Athletes and heroes’ and ch. 14 ‘Politics and the games’ Arete, ch. VIII ‘Athletes and heroes’ and XIV ‘Nationalism and internationalism’ Wed 15 The Religious dimension of Greek sport and the role(s) of women in Greek athletics T. F. Scanlon, ‘Greek athletics and religion’ from his Eros and Greek Athletics (2002) ch. 1 [e-book: https://www.library.yorku.ca/e/resolver/id/2433514] Ancient Greek Athletics ch. 8 ‘Women and athletics’ Arete ch. VII ‘Women in athletics’ Mon 22 Athletics in Hellenistic and Roman times: continuity and change Ancient Greek Athletics ch. 12 ‘Athletics as entertainment in the Hellenistic and Roman periods’ Arete ch. XI ‘The spread of Greek athletics in the Hellenistic period’ and XII ‘Greek athletics in the Roman period’ O. Van Nijf, ‘Local heroes: athletics, festivals and elite self-fashioning in the Roman East’ in S. Goldhill (ed.), Being Greek Under Rome (2001) [e-book: http://www.library.yorku.ca/e/resolver/id/2434160] Wed 29 The modern reception of Greek sport; end-of-course review A. E. Housman, ‘To an athlete dying young’ (e-class) 1936 Berlin Olympics: The Triumph of Hitler (http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/triumph/tr-olympics.htm ] Final exam (within period 7-20 December: date to be announced) 6
