Praise and criticism of sport in greek literatura

Abstract

In this essay we try to present an overall view of the valuation of sport and athletes in the ancient Greek society, from our first literary evidences, in the Homeric poems. Starting from the opposite image of the athletes offered by Pindar’s epinicians and by the satyrical epigrams against athletes that we find in the Anthologia Palatina, we study particularly the prizes received by the athletes (as faithful testimony of the high social valuation of the sporting success). In relatioship with this argument, we study the aspects blamed in the professional sport by the ancient Greek authors (texts by Xenophanes, Euripides, Plato, Aristotle, medical writings, etc.). We also emphasize the essential role of the physical activities in the Greek poleis’ educational organization and, in general, the importance of the non professional practice of sport in the ancient Greek society.