Olympia: A Cultural History

by Judith M. Barringer

Publisher:

Princeton University Press

, 2021

Overview

The memory of ancient Olympia lives on in the form of the modern Olympic Games. But in the ancient era, Olympia was renowned for far more than its athletic contests. In Olympia, Judith Barringer provides a comprehensive and richly illustrated history of one of the most important sites in the ancient Greek and Roman world, where athletic competitions took place alongside—and were closely connected with—crucial religious and political activities.

Barringer describes the development of the Altis, the most sacred area of Olympia, where monuments to athletes successful in the games joined those erected to the gods and battlefield victories. Rival city-states and rulers built monuments to establish eminence, tout alliances, and join this illustrious company in a rich intergenerational dialogue. The political importance of Olympia was matched by its place as the largest sanctuary dedicated to Zeus, king of the gods. Befitting Zeus’s role as god of warfare, the Olympian oracle was consulted to ensure good omens for war, and the athletic games embodied the fierce competition of battle. Other gods and heroes were worshipped at Olympia too, Hera, Artemis, and Herakles among them.

Drawing on a comprehensive knowledge of the archaeological record, Barringer describes the full span of Olympia’s history, from the first monumental building around 600 BC to the site’s gradual eclipse in the late Christianized Roman empire. Extensively illustrated with maps and diagrams, Olympia brings the development of Olympia vividly to life for modern readers.

Contents

• Chronology
• Introduction
• Prologue
• Chapter 1 The Shape of the Altis and Practical Matters
• Chapter 2 The Archaic Period, c. 600-480 B.C.
• Chapter 3 The Fifth Century B.C.
• Chapter 4 The Fourth Century B.C. and the Hellenistic Period
• Chapter 5 Roman Olympia
• Chapter 6 The Last Olympiad
• Bibliography
• Index Locorum
• General Index

Praise for Olympia: A Cultural History

Despite the site’s significance, the sheer quantity of material from and about Olympia means that producing an overview is a daunting prospect, and there has been a longstanding need for a detailed, up-to-date, English-language overview of the history of Olympia. Barringer’s book admirably fills that need, and will immediately become an essential point of reference.

—Paul Christesen, Current World Archaeology

Barringer has done a superb job of sifting through the modern literature and adding her own insights so as to produce a fresh and comprehensive account of the site-history of Olympia, with modern controversies and debates highlighted and summarized. There is much here that will be new to others who, like me, thought they had a general familiarity with the site.

—Tony Spawforth, Mediterranean Historical Review

Barringer’s work is both a monument to those who once achieved the extraordinary Olympic honour of being allowed to erect semi-godlike imagery of themselves within the Altis and may well be worthy of such kleos itself.

—Dr. John A. Martino, The Journal of Classics Teaching

Product Details

• Title: Olympia: A Cultural History
• Author: Judith M. Barringer
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Print Publication Date: 2021
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Resource ID: LLS:LYMPCLTRLHST
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-05-21T16:16:59Z

About Judith M. Barringer

Judith M. Barringer is professor of Greek art and archaeology at the University of Edinburgh. Her books include The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece and Art, Myth, and Ritual in Classical Greece. She lives in Edinburgh and Berlin.