Introduction

The world of Greek athletics

The origins of Greek athletics

The crown competitions: the events at Olympia, Delphi, Nemea, and Isthmia

The sites of the crown competitions

The Olympic games, 300 B.C.: a reconstruction of a festival

The money games at Epidauros, Athens, Larissa, and Sparta

Women and athletics

Athletes and heroes

Sport and recreation

Training: the world of the gymnasion and the palaistra

Athletics as entertainment in the Hellenistic and Roman periods

Professionals and amateurs

Politics and the games

Athletics and society

Arete.