Ancient Olympic Games: Banned, Revived, Roaring

ABOUT THE BOOK:- Synopsis:- This book portrays on a larger canvas the glories, trials and tribulations of the ancient Olympic Games. No other book has ever provided such a thorough documentation of that ancient heritage. The book opens with the chapter ‘The Legendary Origin of the Olympic Games’, which reaches back to pre-historic times. The Olympic ‘concept’ has been exhaustively traced drawing heavily from the authoritative versions of the Greek myths and original sources such as Homer’s ‘Iliad’ and ‘Odyssey’, historical writings of Herodatus and Hesiod, Pausania’s travelogues, Pindar’s Odes, to name but a few. A separate chapter is devoted to Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games, describing vividly the lay-out and the environs of the Altis, - the sacred precinct. The next chapter exclusively deals with the organisation, conduct and development of the Olympic Games in ancient times under the heading ‘Olympic Regimen in Ancient Times’. Deeds and achievements of some of the outstanding performers, viz., Polydamas, Theogenes, Euthymus, Flaucus, Milo, Pisidores, have been recalled in detail in the chapter captioned ‘Heroes of Ancient Olympics’ which should make a very interesting reading. When Greece came under the sway of the Romans, the Games, slowly, yet surely, lost the sanctity and reverence surrounding them and were ultimately banned by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I in 393 AD. The circumstances culminating into the suspension of the Games form the theme of the fifth chapter.