Athletries: The Untold History of Ancient Greek Women Athletes

by Anne Reese and Irini Vallera-Rickerson

From women bull-jumping in Minoan Crete and ancient Sparta -- where girls wrestled in the nude alongside boys -- to women competing in full armour in chariot races, this book presents ancient women as... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0971498407
• ISBN13: 9780971498402
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Nightowl Publications
• Length: 189 Pages
• Weight: 5.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.9" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

"Real-life Indiana Jones" reviews Athletries

Dr. E. Gary Stickel, the Archaeologist whom the London Times called "The real-life Indiana Jones" because he helped LucasFilm with their production of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and the Indiana Jones film series, says the following of the book entitled, Athletries: The Unknown History of Ancient Greek Women by Anne Reese and Irini Vallera-Rickerson: The book is extraordinary and it is a revelation. I have been studying ancient Greek archaeology for many years and have even conducted an excavation at the legendary birthplace of Achilles at the site of Achilleion, and I am somewhat embarrassed to say that I was unaware of these ancient Greek women athletes and their accomplishments at the ancient Olympic Games and at the other Games in Greece. It is amazing to me that the achievements of these exceptional women had been forgotten and ignored until now. The book is well researched and documented, and it is a good testament to the authors that they have righted this wrong so that the ancient women will now receive the credit that is due to them. People everywhere (both men and women) can now appreciate their historic accomplishments. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in sports, the history of sports, the Olympic Games, and to giving women the place they deserve in world history - a history which has been dominated, in this case in a detrimental way, by men for far too long. Kudos to the authors for enlightening us and straightening our history out!

Track and Field

With the Summer Olympics looming, this is a wonderful and timely book on the history of women athletes. Well-written and well-organized, it a valuable addition to anyone's library.

A Laurel Wreath for Athletries

Athletries is a well-illustrated, well-versed panorama of the ancient Olympic games with copious historical documentation. Moreover, besides its excellent review of the games generally, this book specifically details the role that women played in those ancient tournaments, placing them back on their earned pedestals, trumping the too-long-held assumption that women were non-existent beyond the hearth of the ancient world. The inclusion of copies of the actual Ancient Greek inscriptions (translated into Modern Greek and English), evincing the triumphs of women athletes, establishes this book's credibility in stone. The authors even include a pronunciation guide for the "it's-all-Greek-to-me" crowd, making an already accessible book more so. With the coming Olympic games, to be held once again in Athens, Greece, the timing of a book that reviews that competition's history is ideal--to enlighten readers that the spirit of that ancient contest was one shared by both men and women is essential.

Greek Women Athletes

I read this book in our college library. Though it was obvious that the authors had done a lot of research, the book was easy to read and included great graphics. I came away with a deep appreciation for the role of women in this ancient society and in the history of the world. This is a book that would appeal to both men and women and to all ages, including young adults. It should be in public and academic libraries.