The Oxford Handbook Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World

This Handbook presents innovative research on sport and spectacle in ancient Greece and Rome, exploring historical perspectives, contest forms, and civic and social aspects such as class, spaces, health, gender, and sexuality. Greek and Roman topics are interwoven to simulate contest-like tensions and complementarities between the two cultures.

Alison Futrell is Associate Professor and Head of the History Department at the University of Arizona. Her research interests focus on the discourse, performance, and imagery of power in imperial Rome, with special interest in spectacle and gender.
Thomas F. Scanlon is Professor Emeritus of Classics at University of California, Riverside. His research interests focus mainly on Ancient Greek Sport and Greek and Roman historical writing, especially Thucydides and Sallust. His approach to Greek sport is primarily one of investigating social and cultural contexts, including issues of gender, sexuality, religion, and literary sources.

PART I. Introduction
1: Thomas F. Scanlon: Overview and Approaches
2: Paul Christesen: Theories of Greek and Roman Sport
PART II. Development in Historical Perspective
Section 1- Pre-Greek Mediterranean
3: Wolfgang Decker: Sport in Ancient Egypt and the Ancient Near East
4: John G. Younger: Sport and Spectacle in the Greek Bronze Age
Section 2- Early Competitions and Events
5: Ulrich Sinn: Origins of the Olympics to the Sixth Century BCE
6: Jean-Paul Thuillier: Etruscan Events
Section 3- Panhellenic Games and the Spread of the Tradition
7: Manuela Mari and Paola Stirpe: The Greek Crown Games
8: Julia L. Shear: The Panathenaia and Local Festivals
9: Panos Valavanis: Patterns of Politics in Ancient Greek Athletics
10: Zahra Newby: Greek Festivals in the Hellenistic Era
Section 4- Roman Games and Spectacles
11: Alison Futrell: Games in the Republic
12: Richard Beacham: Theatre of Cruelty: Games of the Flavian Emperors
13: Zahra Newby: Greek Festivals in the Roman Era
14: David Potter: Roman Games and Spectacle: Christian Identity and the Arena
15: Paul Milliman: The Decline and Fall of Spectacle
PART III. Forms of Contests and Display
16: David Gilman Romano: Greek Footraces and Field Events
17: Michael B. Poliakoff: Greek Combat Sport and the Borders of Athletics, Violence, and Civilization
18: Michael Carter: Gladiators
19: Nigel Nicholson: Greek Hippic Contests
20: Donald G. Kyle: Animal Events
21: Rabun Taylor: Naval Events and Aquacades
PART IV. Texts, Contexts, Contests
22: Gregory Nagy: Athletic Contests in Contexts of Epic and Other Related Archaic Texts
23: Leslie Kurke: Epinikion, Kudos, and Criticism
24: Kathryn Chew: Thematic Texts: Ovid, Martial, Tertullian
25: Anne Hrychuk Kontokosta: Contests in Context: Gladiatorial Inscriptions and Graffiti
26: Alexander Hollmann: Curse Tablets
27: Nathan T. Elkins: Coins
PART V. Civic Contexts
Section 1- Some Local Contests and Festivals
28: Paul Cartledge: Sparta's Contributions to Greek Sport
29: Guy Chamberland: Imperial Spectacle in the Roman Provinces
Section 2- Architecture of Games and Competitions
30: David Gilman Romano: Greek Sanctuaries and Stadia
31: Garrett G. Fagan: Gymnasium and Bath
32: Hazel Dodge: The Colosseum
33: P. J. Holliday: Circuses and Hippodromes
Section 3- Representations and Material Culture
34: Shelby Brown: Combat Sports and Gladiatorial Combat in Greek and Roman Private Art
35: Wendy J. Raschke: Athletic Images and the Monumentalization of Victory
Section 4- Urban Contexts of Local Festivals
36: Onno van Nijf: Local Festivals
37: Luciana Jacobelli: Pompeii and Games
38: Nigel Kennell: Gymnasium and Polis
Section 5- Games and Community
39: Lucia D'Amore: Economic Aspects of Athletic Competition in the Archaic and Classical Age
40: Ingomar Weiler: 'Professional' Organizations in the Hellenistic World
41: Steven L. Tuck: Ludi and Factiones as Organizations of Performers
42: Michael MacKinnon: Animal Supply
43: Valerie M. Hope: Gladiators as a Class
44: Matthew J. P. Dillon: Cult and Competition
45: Zinon Papakonstantinou: Law, Litigation, and Sport in Ancient Greece
46: Geoffrey Sumi: Spectatorship, Control, and Collective Groups
PART VI. Body and Individual
Section 1- Health and Training
47: Lesley Dean-Jones: Too Much of a Good Thing: The Health of Olympic Athletes in Ancient Greece
48: David M. Pritchard: Athletic Participation, Training, and Adolescent Education
Section 2- Gender and Sexuality
49: Thomas F. Scanlon: Gender and Sexuality in Greek Sport
50: Alison Futrell: Sex in the Arena