1000 Years of the Olympic Games

The ancient Olympic Games began in 776 BC and ran for over 1000 years, waning during the Roman Empire and the advent of Christianity. The ancient games were imbued with a sacred significance. This book brings together some of the objects associated with these ancient games, including sculptures, grave markers, ceramic vases and sporting equipment. These objects originate from a broad geographical area, falling at one time or another into the Greek sphere. Despite their diversity of styles the objects remain connected by a group of uniting factors. They all relate to the theme of sport, most have a religious rather than secular significance and they all stand as rare examples of their kind.