Classics in Contemporary Culture

Olympic Controversies

In the midst of all the Olympic-torch protest stories, the reminders about the (largely) Fascist origins of the torch thing, there is of course one solution to all the political machinations surrounding the games, advanced back in 2004, that at least one European country could get behind:  Just always hold the Olympics in Greece!

On the other hand, Mary Beard did point out political machinations (and worse!) connected to the ancient Games:

The classic case is the eligibility of Alexander the Great’s ancestor, Alexander 1 of Macedon.  When he turned up to compete in the early fifth century BC , the other Greeks said that he was a foreigner and so wasn’t eligible. Eventually the gate-keepers allowed him to take part, but -- although he finished first (equal) – he didn’t  get his name written into the official list of winners. (Hence, he is an awkward example on both sides for the modern argument about whether “Macedonia” is “Greek”. Does Alexander 1 prove the Greekness of the Macedonians, or vice versa?).

But there were plenty more political controversies.  The worst was in 364 BC when the Games happened while Olympia was under enemy occupation, or more accurately in the middle of a war zone. In fact, the Arcadians (Olympia’s neighbours in the Peloponnese) invaded during the Pentathlon event and some of their soldiers looted the sacred treasures. So much for the “Sacred Truce”.

That was only the tip of the iceberg. In the 380s Lysias, the Athenian orator and democratic hero, harangued his fellow countrymen, urging them more or less to wreck the Olympic village. Four and a half centuries later, the Olympic officials appear to have turned a blind eye and let the emperor Nero win whatever competition he wanted -- in return for some rather generous investment at the Olympic site.

Roman Football Stars

A new play is on stage in Manchester, adapting football (i.e., soccer) players in a Roman setting:  I, Keano.

As you'd expect, much like Keane's actual World Cup, there isn't any football in the play, which is set in ancient Roman times, with McCarthy turning into a general called Macartacus (see what they did there, almost sounds like Spartacus doesn't it?). The rest of the squad is made up of Quinness, Duffus, Keano The Younger, Shay Givennus, Harttus, etc, etc, as well as goalkeeping coach Packie Bonnerus.

Written by one of the writers of classic sitcom Father Ted, I, Keano doesn't really take sides in the conflict between Keano and Macartacus, preferring to make both of them (and absolutely everyone else involved) look utterly ridiculous. Particularly the head of the Federation, a bumbling drunken oaf who literally is called Ridiculus, while the scribes (journalists) are called names like Sanctimonius, Scandalus, Obsequius and Superfluous.

Keano is a headstrong, self-obsessed loner, who spends the play raging against the inadequacies of the preparations that Macartacus has arranged. There are no daggers for practice, Duffus and Keano The Younger (both played by children) are wearing rags because the proper kit hasn't arrived yet, and the drunken parties and feasts are not what Keano had in mind when he showed up, having had to row his way there using spoons because there weren't any oars.

The article cites another review, and also a game to play (no Roman content) at the theatre's website...

Jamboree of the Gods

Just happened across a fairly elaborate "influence" of Greek mythology on modern culture (perhaps inspired by the 2004 Olympics?)--the 2004 Essex International Scout/Guide Jamboree:  each "subcamp" was named after a Greek god or goddess (with corresponding symbols and colors, and a page to give a rundown on the different gods and goddesses they chose, with cartoon pictures), with the staff taking the designation "Mount Olympus."  Hope they had fun...

War Games

Computer game company Slitherine has a product called "Legion Arena" (GameSpot review) in which you e-fight historic battles (a series of Roman and a series of Celtic conflicts are offered, and obviously they cross paths once or twice--apparently a copy of Caesar's De Bello Gallico is included with the game)--but it crossed my desk today because of the expansion module just announced--"The Cult of Mithras."  No announcement of exactly that would entail (battles from the late Imperial period?), only:

The Cult of Mithras is set in the boundaries between history and mythology. Can you keep the gods happy and find your way to Elysium?

Walk A Mile In Caesar's Sandals

A new video game, called "Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War,"  lets you sit at the helm of Greek, Roman, or other armies and participate in historic campaigns, or those of your own devising.  It features some very neat-looking graphics, etc.  And it's not just about armchair generalship:

[article 1]
...you'll get to do things never before possible in an RTS. Take it from me, the first time you charge an enemy fortification in Hero Command or ram an enemy ship with your Trireme and send hundreds of enemy units to a watery grave, it's truly a visceral, emotional experience. And once you experience it, you'll never want to play a game that doesn't have those features.

[article 2]
The truly innovative thing about Rise & Fall is hero command, which will be the key to your civilization's success. A powerful, heroic leader like Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, or Ramses the Great will perform incredible feats on the battlefield. At key, strategic moments in the game, you will leap into action and take personal control of your hero and cut a swath of destruction across the battlefield.

Mmmm...destruction...

Shaq's Arete

Much, much later than the rest of the planet, I've discovered that Shaquille O'Neal's nickname is "the Big Aristotle"...This older article explains the moniker, after an interpretation of a painting of Atlas:

But recall that, in Greek mythology, Atlas was forced to hold up the world for eternity. It was a punishment, not a privilege. Look closer at the painting and Atlas' powerful arms and hulking back muscles strain at the task. The Titan struggles with something as imposing as his will. It makes one wonder whether, in O'Neal's universe, basketball is a blessing or a burden.
...
...he called attention to his mind, not his brawn. "I'd like to be known as 'the Big Aristotle.' It was Aristotle who said excellence is not a singular act, but a habit."

So, it's up to you whether to buy this Socrates t-shirt, or this one...

Periodization: Nope, Not That Kind!

At RunnersWeb.com, Owen Anderson discusses the history of periodization:

Periodization simply refers to changes in the volume, intensity, and frequency of training over time; it also encompasses the way in which the basic structure of training (in terms of the types of workouts which are completed) is a function of time.

The notion that proper periodization of training is necessary for the achievement of peak performance originated over 2000 years ago, when the "ancient Greeks" utilized basic, periodized training schemes to prepare their athletes for the Olympics. For example, the legendary Milo of Croton (not to be confused, of course, with the renowned Milo of Manchester) varied only the intensity of his training, lifting a bull-calf on a daily basis until it was fully grown, at which point Milo was able to lug the adult bull around the Olympic stadium. Another legendary figure, Galen (A. D. 129-199), was the first person to write at some length about periodization. A Turk born in Pergamum, Galen eventually became "doctor to the gladiators" in Rome and also took care of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and his son, Commodus. Galen believed that there were various types of exercise which needed to be blended in order to enhance performance; he classified exercises into those which exercised the muscles without violent movement (digging and weightlifting, for example), quick exertions which promoted activity (ball play and a form of gymnastics), and "violent" exercises, the ones which might be today called "plyometrics."

After Galen's death, periodization underwent a rather long "down period," but the philosophy of changing training as a function of time experienced a small rebirth in the 1950s and began to come into full bloom in the 1960s and early 1970s, at least partially as a result of some groundbreaking research carried out by noted physiologist Hans Selye.

Naked Is Mine Enemy

The FCC is looking into the NBC broadcast of this summer's Olympic opening ceremonies--after receiving complaints about the nudity of male dancers representing kouroi...This appears to be the initial story, from Reuters; the NY Post has the most entertaining take:

It all began at the Olympics ceremonies, where about a dozen men were hired to pose as ancient statues in bizarre, anatomically correct rubber get-ups, while a toga-clad pregnant dame posed with a glow-in-the-dark belly.

Indecent? No. Hilarious.

This craziness was still enough to cause nine — count 'em nine — indecency complaints from scary loonies who must have seen photos of the men in the opening ceremonies. They'd have to have seen photos because NBC (tragically!) never showed the rubber men in their coverage.

I don't know about you, but nothing would have knocked me out of my opening ceremony stupor faster than a bunch of guys with green genitalia who look like they escaped from the 1950s grade-C flick "Plan Nine from Outer Space."

Doesn't the FCC have better ways to waste our money? People are dying in wars, children are going hungry, schools are shamelessly underfunded — and they're wasting tax dollars investigating a ceremony that took place in Greece but was never even shown here? I think NBC should get fined — for not showing what sounds like the best part of the whole Olympics!

Excuse me, but the ancient Olympics, which began in 776 P.L.E. (Pre-Lycra era), all took place in the nude (except the equestrian events — obviously!). And if it were not for the invention of rubberized, stretch fabrics, they probably still would be.

Well, in all fairness, the ancients weren't totally naked. Ancient boxers wore thongs called himantes. On their hands.

And the runners? They wore loin cloths, which they usually discarded after the first few miles because according to ancient text, "a naked man can run more easily than one girt [in a girdle]." And really, who likes a man in a girdle — right?

If you ask me, the ancient naked Olympics were a lot more fun, not to mention decent, than the modern games.

For one thing, without pricey uniforms they didn't need to whore themselves out to official sponsors. And laundering consisted of a shower.

Oh, almost forgot.  For pictures, see Yahoo and the Classical Values blog, where I first read about the controversy (in the middle of an long  post on art, censorship, Graeco-Buddhism, the Taliban, etc.).

 

Field & Stream Endorsement

How fun is reading Thucydides in the original Greek? According to David Petzal, it's on a par with "watching some good-looking babe swallow a cobra headfirst on a TV “reality” show"--and more interesting than counting up all the big-game cartridges available these days...Hey, I'll take the endorsements wherever I can...

Goddesses in the News...

First, there's an underwater humanoid robot named Artemis, put together by Texas' Mainland Robotics Team...

Then, Jo Hilton, owner of Wig Wham, is up for a Hera Award (the Everywoman categories [UK] also include Artemis, Demeter, and Athena Awards)...

And...sequins are in! As Marylou Luther (Cleveland Plain Dealer) describes the trend:

They're already sending off sparks in Roland Nivelais' new collection. The French-born New York designer has celebrated these glittering spangles (in his native France, they're called paillettes) in the truly breathtaking design illustrated here. Each sequin is hand-embroidered in overlapping rows that ombre from black to pink to give the effect of fish scales.

To complete the mermaid effect, Nivelais creates a skirt of vertical ruffles made of hand-painted, satin-faced organza. Think goddess Aphrodite stepping out of the ocean on the island of Cypress, and you have some idea of this goddess gown.

Er...Cyprus...

[In other editing news (uh-oh, catty comment coming up!), Marvin Olasky refers to a "Milton of Croton" in a piece on the Olympics...Milton, thou shouldst have been living at that hour! For Milo(n), see this or any number of reference works...]