ANCIENT GREECE
I. Homeric Greece
A. Greek society and ideas important for many reasons.
Homer’s accounts of life during that period, education,
religion, art, sport, philosophy, the ancient games.
B. Homer (Homeric period or Homeric Greece)
First written accounts of life in the ancient Greek civilizations.
Two epic poems or stories, The Iliad and the Odyssey.
1. The Iliad - approximately two week period during the
Trojan wars.
2. The Odyssey - Odysseus’ return trip from the wars.
3. Both accounts provide specific and detailed descriptions
of Greek culture during 8th century B.C. (approx)
4. Sport occupies an important place - equal in status to
other cultural aspects of society - education, poetry, art,
music, architecture.
5. Athletic festivals such as the Olympic Games had
religious connection by honoring various of the Greek
Gods.
6. The funeral games (described by Stull and Lewis)
describe specific events as well as role delineation within
sport.
7. Achilles (Iliad) and Odysseus (Odyssey) represented the
man of action and the man of wisdom respectively.
Combined this represents the concept of “arete” or all
around excellence that was an important Greek
emphasis.
The pan hellenic athletic festivals were the
perfect place to display this concept.
II. City States
A. Hellenic culture evolved from tribal society to city states.
Most prominent were Athens and Sparta.
B. Fundamental philosophical differences between the two.
Athens - arete -integrated, balanced approach to education.
all around excellence - equal emphasis for
mind and body - unite the man of action and
the man of wisdom.
Sparta - utilitarian - sport and fitness for purpose of soldiers
to maintain military and political
strength.
III. Influence of Plato
A. The Greek life associated with humanism comes from the early
Athenian period sometimes referred to as Periclean Greece.
B. Plato writing in about the 4th century B.C. evolved to a more
anti naturalistic view of humans.
C. This resulted in Plato’s more influential stance of metaphysical
dualism which has pervaded Western thought in the
subsequent years.