By Donald G. Kyle

Donald Kyle concludes this fantastic e-book by means of declaring that “it should still now be clear
that the interrelationship among the histories of Athens and its athletics is
significant and non-stop . . . Athletics have been a public, fundamental, and poten-
tially unifying or disruptive point within the civic event of the Athenians”
(p. 177). one of the robust issues of this research is its regular specialise in the
historical and cultural value of athletics: this publication isn't any mere workout in
antiquarianism, yet a delicately documented research of the prosopography and
politics of athletics in Athens.
At the middle of the e-book is a list of identified and attainable Athenian
athletes. every one athlete gets a separate biographical access in Appendix II with
the correct historical testimonia and bibliographical notes: classicists and ancient
historians wiIl locate this sober and particular catalogue a priceless examine tool.
The history of Lysis, recognized to us from Plato’s discussion, is properly illumi-
nated, as is that of the charismatic Autolykos, whom Xenophon, between others,
described. Taking to middle the significance of the paintings of H. W. Pleket and
David C. younger, Kyle makes use of his catalogue to handle in bankruptcy four the query of
the athletes’ socio-economic history: who're the individuals? Does the
personnel switch over the centuries of Athenian background? Kyle adequately dis-
tinguishes among “elitism of delivery” and the “elitism of wealth” to which it
increasingly yielded within the 5th century BC. what's troublesome is the
difficulty in deciding upon even if the socio-economic prestige of a given athlete
was the results of athletic success or the prerequisite for it, and there are few
cases the place the hereditary the Aristocracy of the athletes, or its absence will be proven.
It is formidable to give some thought to how few of Athens’ archons, strategoi, choregoi and
other notables are identified to us in any respect, to claim not anything in their pursuits (or lack
thereof) in athletics. Kyle is cautious to warn the reader many times that the trends
he issues out are in line with very fragmentary facts, and he properly refrains
from computing probabilities or in a different way giving a deceptive positivism; the
trends he does indicate are good and sound deductions from the evidence
that has come all the way down to us.