Olímpia: orígens dels Jocs Olímpics

This book about Olympia contains Greco-Latin writings from Classical antiquity. Olympia and the Olympic Games are viewed from the writings of over 100 Greek and Latin authors. Focusing on a specific theme and organised into a coherent unit, these works represent a very valid, broad compendium for anyone interested in learning about antiquity and for specialists like philologists and historians.

The first chapter deals with the main themes of Olympia as a symbol and an ideal, and a place for everyone that is rich in diversity and brimming with creativity. An Addendum contains two studies on the phenomenon of Olympia, which delves deeper into its religious origins rooted in Mediterranean fertility rites. The second chapter examines Olympia’s archaeology and history through an analysis comparing writings to archaeological results. The third chapter is the biggest and it focuses solely on the development of the Olympic Games. Several Indices make the volume of data contained in this book much easier to locate.

It is a handy guide and a book of reference on Olympia in the main. It is not, therefore, a general study on ancient sport, although it does contain writings that may prove useful to scholars of sport.

The book was published by the UAB’s Publications Service in collaboration with the Secretariat for Sports of the Government of Catalonia and the CEO-UAB.