Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
Athletics represented an important institution through which the Greek aristocracies sought to maintain their privileged political position, with the assistance of charioteers, jockeys and trainers from the lower classes. In the late archaic and early classical period, the relationship between the victors and helpers changed radically, threatening the political value of athletics, and undermining the institution for aristocrats. Nigel Nicholson examines how aristocrats responded to these changes through a study of the significance of victory memorials as a symbol of social struggle in ancient Greece.