Sports and Society in the Ancient World - Essay Example

Sports and Society in the Ancient World Sports have been an important part of society since antiquity. The history of sports can be traced back to the existence of Man on earth. However it is possible that ancient sports were markedly different as compared to present day sports. As such they involved lesser formal rules and thus were gory in nature. Nevertheless, examining ancient sports allows us to understand the evolution in sports and how many modern games have transformed from their ancient counterparts. The recovery of many ancient artifacts has allowed us to know what kinds of sports were played in the ancient society and how they contributed to the socio-cultural setting. Wrestling was a visibly popular sport in ancient times as depicted in image 2 and 3 as compared to sports like discus throwing. While image 2 and 3 show the importance of physical fitness in ancient Greek society, images 1 and 4 reflect a greater value for agility and balance. Image 1 depicts the subject – a discus throwing athlete – holding a disc. The recovery of the artifact from Olympia further suggests that the figurine may have been a part of a collection of different sports that composed the Olympic Games. As such discus throwing was an important game that entertained its spectators. This rationale is consolidated by the size of the figure which is merely 8.2 centimeters high which points towards the fact that the figurine must have been a collectible item. The figurine could have been kept as an art piece either for decoration or as a motif representing discus throwing as part of the Olympic Games. The presence of a stand over which the figurine is adjusted also shows that the artifact was used as a decoration item that stood on a particular platform such as a table or a shelf. Either way the size of the figurine as well as its structure with a stand on the bottom clearly shows that the figure was a decorative item which might have been used in addition with other pieces. The purpose of the figurine was to represent the sport, discus throwing, as part of other Olympic Games. The figurine therefore reflected the importance of discus throwing in ancient Greek society as it was a prestige to have the sports be a part of the Olympic Games. Hence discus throwing was an important sport in the society as it was featured in the Olympic Games and had many supporters and followers. Image 2 is a depiction of an athlete, more specifically a wrestler, who can be seen to be flexing his muscles. The artifact is a 1.82 meters tall figure of a male wrestler flexing his muscles thereby depicting the significance of physical strength and fitness in a sport like wrestling. The artifact is again a bronze figure but of a disproportionately higher size as compared to the figurine in image 1. The comparable difference in size also reflects greater importance of wrestling relative to discus throwing, in a sense. However a common feature is that both figures in image 1 and 2 stand on a base, which shows that the figures must have been used as a art piece that stood on its own. The wrestler in image 2 must have been used inside halls as a sculpture or a statue that depicted wrestling as a sport. It is also possible that the statue was of an important or popular wrestler that may have won many championships. In a more deep sense, the figure also indicates that wrestling was synonymous with physical power, strength, and fitness which is also visible in the figure as well as its huge size. In image 3 there is metal coin that shows two athletes, with one holding the other’s leg. The embossment may represent a particular leg or knee pulling move that must have been a part of wrestling. The engraving of the wrestlers on a coin points to the possibility of the coin being a collectible item. Perhaps the coin was a part of a larger collection of coins with similar engravings of different wrestling moves. The coin could also be used as a souvenir that representing different wrestling moves that was collected by wrestling supporters. Also the embossment of the wrestlers on a metal coin shows the importance of wrestling as a sport which was popularly supported by its adherents. It is also possible that the coins had some intrinsic value which is why they could be used for financial or monetary exchanges. The presence of wrestlers on a coin constructed out of metal also showed the exclusivity of such an inscription despite it not being a full-fledged stand alone sculpture unlike image 2. Hence, wrestling was an important sport in society especially among men who took part in the sport in huge numbers. Image 4 again represents a discus throwing athlete whose image had been created on a Kylix. Considering the creation of the image on a Kylix, it was necessary to use colors for added aesthetical appeal. The construction of the image of a discus throwing athlete on a Kylix depicts great importance of discus throwing beyond entertainment. Unlike having it embossed on a coin or creating a figurine out of it, the image is created on a Kylix. Hence it shows that discus throwing as a sport was popular even outside the sports context and in social settings as well. Perhaps the Kylix could have been used by discus throwing enthusiasts or perhaps it was owned by the athletes themselves. Unlike other wrestling engravings, the presence of a discus throwing athlete on a Kylix shows the importance of the sport outside the gaming and in the daily lives of ancient Greeks. The images of the ancient artifacts show that sports were an important part of the ancient society. However artifacts sporting wrestling athletes depict values of strength, masculinity, and physical fitness as compared to artifacts showing discus throwers that give more importance to agility and balance. Also it can be understood that wrestling was more popular in terms of sport whereas the inscription of discus throwers on artifacts of daily usage shows their importance in daily life as well. Read More