FAH305H1

The Arts of Ancient Olympia and the Origins of the Olympic Games

Sports have been an essential source of entertainment, social interaction, and a way to make a living since antiquity. This course will examine the Olympic Games and their significance to the culture and art of ancient Greece. We will review the history of the art and architecture from Olympia, which was not only an important sanctuary for Zeus, but the most successful of the many Greek sanctuaries to host quadrennial athletic contests. The Olympic games became the premier athletic venue in the Greco-Roman world soon after they were established, and – long after the sanctuary was abandoned – Olympia inspired the modern international games revived in Athens in the 19th century. While examining the influence of athletic ideals on the sculpture and architecture at the site of Olympia, we will also compare and contrast sport in the Classical world to its roles in the modern world.