Physical Education and Sports Culture among the Ancient Greeks : an Essay for a History of gymnasion

Abstract

This paper attempts to delineate physical education (or gymnastike) together with sports culture (or agones) among the Ancient Greeks roughly from the 7th to 2nd century BC. In other words, it is an essay for a history of gymnasion from its genetic stage in the archaic age till the zenith of its development in the Hellenistic period. The author"s interest lies, most emphatically, in extending retrospectively to the archaic and classical ages the view of M. Nilsson"s (in Die Hellenistische Schule, 1955) concerning the physical education in the Hellenistic school that it was no less valued than the literate education in cultivating citizens, a critical thesis correcting the picture H.-I. Marrou drew in the monumental work on the Ancient education (Histoire de l"education dans l"Antiquite, 1948) where the physical education was conceded merely a negligible role. After the first chapter for an overall view of research trends until recently, the 2nd and 3rd attempt to follow the developments in the archaic and classical ages, while the last those in the hellenistic period.