Dr Georgios Mouratidis (British School at Athens), "Athletics and Paedeia. Monuments in Context"
image: Redfigured oinochoe depicting three athletes, image source: British Museum
Abstract: The hundreds of statue bases of athletic monuments that have survived to our day, suggest that athletes have always been figures of fascination and admiration. But what makes athletes so admirable to deserve to be immortalised through monuments? Drawing on a wide range of epigraphic and other material from the Greek cities of the Late Hellenistic and Imperial periods, this paper aims to provide valuable insights into the role of athletic monuments in Greek communities, by exploring the educational potential of these monuments in non-athletic contexts. The ancient material illustrates powerfully that the role of athletic monuments in Greek cities was not only to reward victory and athletic ability, but also to encourage good behaviour and ‘lifelong education’ by highlighting the values associated with sport and competition.
