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Greece
Chapter 3
Mechikoff, R.A., A History and Philosophy of Sport and Physical Education,
Sixth Edition © 2014, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Greek Influence
3-2
Greeks developed much of the Western
world’s belief about the body and physical
education
Likely with Judaic and Phoenician influences
Two metaphysical systems in Greece
Naturalistic: man’s nature is both spiritual and
corporeal (physical)
Achieving balance is desired
Emphasized physical and intellectual
education
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Greek Metaphysics
3-3
 Opposing views (cont.)
 Anti-naturalistic: man’s nature created by mind
Mind held in higher esteem than body
Physical education not necessary
View of physical education: result of a
specific metaphysical position
Both views held the mind in high esteem
Differed on importance of the body
Naturalistic view far more popular
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3-4
Philosophical
Positions: The Body
 Dualism
 Explanation of human
existence based upon both
metaphysical and
theological beliefs
 Socrates and Plato
 Has profound implications
for physical education
 Separates human existence
into two parts, mind and
body.
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3-5
Philosophical
Positions: The Body
 Dualism (cont.)
 Elevates mind over body—
regulates the corporeal to
an inferior status
 Reality and truth revealed
through the mind, not the
body
 Mind and ideas are
eternal, the body decays
 Most dualists believe it is
essential to develop the
intellectual ability over the
physical
 Philosophy was the highest
pursuit in Ancient Greece
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3-6
Philosophical
Positions: The Body
 Dualism (cont.)

Body is enemy of
the mind

Deceives as to
what is real
 Only in death is
the mind truly free
of the body
 Potentially
damaging for
view of physical
education
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3-7
Plato: View of
Physical
Education
 Initially seems that he doesn’t
support it ( wrote Phaedo)
 Later supports ideal
education as harmony of
mind (music) and body
(gymnastics)
 Plato and Socrates believed
in training the mind was
crucial. They saw the body
as an enemy of the mind.
Mind and Soul important.
 Does harmonious imply
equality?
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PLATO
Wrote the Republic:
Plato attempts to construct
the first utopia in literature.
Gymnastics and music were
in the curriculum. He saw
gymnastics as promoting
health.
The body will never equal
the mind/soul.
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Classical Humanism
3-9
Emphasized existence as humans—welfare
of the individual is most important
Body was important
One’s purpose in the universe was to work
out his destiny
Plato was not a humanist
Emphasized mind more than the body
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310
Classical
Humanism
 Greek gods thought of as
ideal humans
 Anthropomorphic
 Depicted as having
magnificent bodies (Zeus,
Apollo, Athena, etc.)
 Greeks wanted to resemble
their gods
 Sought to train and develop
the body
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311
Greek Ideals: Arete and Agon

Ideals that resonated with every Greek

Greeks were most like the gods when striving and competing for
excellence


The Greek ideal was the excellent scholar-athlete-soldier
Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey
Th Iliad is the story of Odysseus kidnapping of Helen, wife of Menelaus and the
Trojan War.
The Odyssey depicts the adventures of one of the heroes of the Trojan war
Odysseus.
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Greek Ideals: Arete and Agon
312
Herakles, wearing a cloak made from the skin of the Nemean lion
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Greek Ideals: Arete and Agon
313
Arete is possible only while individual is
striving
 Those who think they have attained it have lost it
 Have passed into hubris (excessive pride)
Arete includes virtue, skill, prowess, pride,
excellence, valor, and nobility (Stephen Miller)
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Greek Ideals: Arete and Agon
314
 Agon: Homer referenced as a meeting place
where athletic events were held
 Expanded from athletic competitions

Included competitions in music, poetry, public
speaking and other events
 Evolved into the term agonistic (competitive)
 Became associated with the process (agony)
of preparing© 2014
forThecompetition
of any kind
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315
Greek Sport
Historical foundations
 Birth of Olympic Games (776 B.C.)
 Funeral Games honored the deceased and pleased the Gods
 Climate in Greece allowed for physical activity year round
 Romantic view: Rise and fall approach
 Glory years in fifth and sixth centuries
 Declined came with Roman conquest and Christianity
 Traditional View
 Sport evolved from games described by Homer
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316
Greek Sport: Historical Perspectives
 Modern sport historians
 Many are “nontraditionalists”
 Sport grew out of Greek contact with surrounding civilizations
 Greece composed of city-states
 Not politically unified
 Athens and Sparta most famous
 Had highly contrasting cultures
 Athens: center of culture and learning
 Sparta: military power with warrior-citizens
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317
Athens and Sparta: Views
on Physical Education
 Sparta
 Obsessed with the
military
 Education was
domain of the state
 State’s purpose was to
produce soldiers
 Physical education
was taken very
seriously
 Educated Spartans
were physically fit,
good soldiers
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318
Athens and Sparta:
Views on Physical
Education
 Physical education had
prominent place
 Education of mind and body
was essential
 Athenians were educated
by their families
 Beliefs were similar to our
health clubs and personal
trainers today
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319
Athletic
Participation of
Greek Women
 Spartan women
 Participated in gymnastics
and rigorous physical fitness
and sports programs
 Common belief was that
physical fitness and training
were for both sexes
 Spartan women competed
in foot races and other
sports
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320
Athletic Participation of Greek
Women

Athenian women did not participate to extent of Spartan women

Euripides (426 B.C.): “A Spartan girl could not be chaste if she
wanted…They share the same race track and palaestra—a
situation I find insufferable”

Married women were forbidden under pain of death from
attending Olympic Games
 Held own athletic contests to honor wife of Zeus (Hera)
 Included foot races
 Used same stadium at Olympia
 Took place after the Olympic Games
 Same judges (Hellanodikai) as the Olympic Games
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321
Ancient Olympic Games
First recorded evidence of the Olympic
Games: 776 B.C.
Olympic Games occurred every fourth year
(Olympiad)
Games may have originated in the
hundreds of festivals, mostly religious, held
over the years
Athletic contests were a major activity in
festivals across Greece; a number of
stadiums
survive
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Panhellenic Games
322
Location
Name
Olympia
Olympic
Games
Pythian
Games
Isthmian
Games
Nemean
Games
Delphi
Corinth
Nemea
Honored
god
Zeus
Victory
wreath
Olive
Apollo
Laurel
Poseidon
Pine
Zeus
Celery
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323
Stadium at Olympia
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324
Stadium at Delphi
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Ancient Nemean Games
325
Race in Armor
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326
Ancient Olympic Games
 Elaborate statues and other art forms erected

Celebrated military triumphs as well as athletic
success
 Greeks believed victory (athletics, military,
etc.) was ordained by the gods
 Olympia was a sacred location where victory
was rewarded
 Cheating occurred at Olympic Games as well
as other athletic festivals in Greek world

Financial and material gain by victory in the Games
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327
Ancient Olympic Games
 Only males were permitted to compete and watch
 Married women were not allowed to attend, on pain
of death; virgins could attend
 Women who represented the priestess Demeter
could view the Games
 Showed the relationship between the ancient Games and
theology
 Women who owned a horse and chariot could enter
the competition—but not watch it
 Daughter of Spartan king was victorious in fourth century
B.C.
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WOMEN AND THE
ANCIENT OLYMPICS
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329
Ancient Olympic Games
By 472 B.C. games were five days long


Half competitive events, half religious events
Also had non-athletic competition


Competitions in arts, philosophy, poetry, music
Spirit of the games: originally religious



Gave way to attitude of celebrity
City states lured Olympians to their city by
wealth and material possessions
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330
Ancient Olympic Games
 Olympic champions
became heroic
 Closest thing to a god
as mortal can
become.
 Given special
privileges and could
make vast sums of
money by continuing
to win.
 Received a lifetime
pension
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Gift from a Champion Charioteer
331
Bronze statue, gift of the winner of the Chariot race at the Pythian Games
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332
Ancient Olympic Games
 Greeks believed in developing mind & body
 Olympics: pinnacle of this achievement
 Plato, Aristotle and other famous philosophers
gathered at Olympia
 Theodosius I, II: Christian Roman emperors



Outlawed pagan cults in A.D. 393
Ordered destruction of pagan temples (including
temple at Olympia) in A.D. 435
Most Games tied to pagan activities ceased
 Unknown if continued in some areas for a while
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REVIEW OF THE OLYMPICS
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SUMMARY
 1. What was the Greek position on physical education.
 2. What was Plato’s position on physical education.
 3. Review the meanings of what Arete’ and Agon and the
characteristic.
 4. Review Greek history of:
 A. State of Athens
 B. State of Sparta
 C. Olympics: first recorded Olympics, how often the games
occurred, how did Olympics get started, who participated,
women and Greek Olympics, and rewards for victory.
 What did Socrates write about.
 Review Dualism Philosophy and Classical Humanism
Philosophy and know the difference regarding the mind and
body.
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