In this revised and enlarged edition of her indispensable guide to the ancient Games, Judith Swaddling traces their mythological and religious origins, and describes the events, the sacred ceremony, and the celebrations that were an essential part of the Olympic festival. A large, detailed model based on modern research and excavation reconstructs the site of ancient Olympia, where alongside religious and civic buildings there grew an elaborate sports complex with a stadium for 40,000 spectators, indoor and outdoor training facilities, hot and cold baths, a swimming pool, and a race course. Later chapters cover the diet and medical treatment of athletes, sponsorship, patronage, propaganda, and revivals of the Games

Chinese acrobaticsw with a rich national syle has become known all over the world. Audiences abroad praise it: "Chinese acrobatics brim with poetic beauty" and "The acrobats are marvellous, beyond our immagination". Recently young Chinese acrobats have won five gold medals and "The first Prize of the President of the Republic of France" in the Fifth Louis Merlin International Acrobatic Contests and the Sixth World Acrobatic Festival of Tommorrow held in France. As a matter of fact, Chinese acrobatics today owes its achievement to its deep-rooted national and folk traditions. If we want to understand its origin and development it is necessary to trace back more than 2,000 years ago to ancient Chinese society. "Chinese acrobatics through the ages" provides for the for the reader background information based on authentic materials and ample academic research.

Roland Auguet examines the Roman taste for blood and considers what the games, that strange combination of Cruelty and Civilization, reveal about the Roman mentality. He shows how the great spectacles became a part of city life - they were awaited with impatience, everyone discussed them, some applauded the action in the arena, while others booed frantically.This book provides an exciting history of gladiators, chariot racing and other games as well as an investigation of their function and significance within society. It is essential reading for anyone who is interested in the Romans' violent form of entertainment