Sportsmen in ancient Greece and Rome were celebrities who won grand prizes, toured and even unionised

By Wray Vamplew, Emeritus Professor of Sport, University of Stirling

Paid to play, travelling internationally and enjoying celebrity status: the lifestyle of a modern elite professional sportsperson, but also that of some elite sportsmen in ancient Greece and Rome.

Ancient Greeks lived in perhaps 1,000 autonomous communities stretching, in modern terms, from Spain in the west to Afghanistan in the east, from Ukraine in the north to Egypt in the south. Many of these settlements held regular festivals which combined religious celebration with…

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