Emma Taylor | University of Glasgow (original) (raw)
My name is Emma Taylor. I completed my Bachelor's degree in Classics at Emory University and my Master's in Material Culture and Artifact Studies at University of Glasgow. I am currently pursuing a second Master's in Tourism and Recreation Management at the University of Florida.
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It is only within the last few decades that Classical scholars have begun to acknowledge the poli... more It is only within the last few decades that Classical scholars have begun to acknowledge the political and social impact of athletics on the ancient Classical world during the 5 th and 4 th centuries BCE. In this work, after assessing the theory of identity and the perceived distinction between the ancient Greeks and their "barbaric" neighbors, the Macedonians, I examined Olympia and Athens as two case studies that combine athletics and ritual within a single landscape. After recognizing how these sites reaffirm Greek identity, I have applied the same parameters to Macedonian Dion, where I believe the Macedonians similarly utilized the landscape to affirm their own Hellenicity.
Much has changed in the time between Alexander the Great and our modern society, yet the fundamen... more Much has changed in the time between Alexander the Great and our modern society, yet the fundamentals of athletics and competition have maintained a similar relevance over the millenia. Due to biases from ancient authors and many modern scholars, not a large amount of archaeological attention has been directed to the topic of Macedonian athletics. A lack of physical evidence has induced either guesswork or an avoidance of scholarship altogether. Additionally, the agones from King Philip II and Alexander III's careers have been treated as isolated events and not as phenomena related to politics, the military, and cultural identity. This work will implement an interdisciplinary approach in order to incorporate data from physical remains and analyze the symbolic communication of ancient sports in this specific time period. Though it may be impossible to fully comprehend the complete extent to which athletics contributed to Macedonia's pursuit of Greek identity, I believe that this course of study is a new academic route to understanding the impact of the agones on larger societal issues and the transmission of Greek culture over time and space.
It is only within the last few decades that Classical scholars have begun to acknowledge the poli... more It is only within the last few decades that Classical scholars have begun to acknowledge the political and social impact of athletics on the ancient Classical world during the 5 th and 4 th centuries BCE. In this work, after assessing the theory of identity and the perceived distinction between the ancient Greeks and their "barbaric" neighbors, the Macedonians, I examined Olympia and Athens as two case studies that combine athletics and ritual within a single landscape. After recognizing how these sites reaffirm Greek identity, I have applied the same parameters to Macedonian Dion, where I believe the Macedonians similarly utilized the landscape to affirm their own Hellenicity.
Much has changed in the time between Alexander the Great and our modern society, yet the fundamen... more Much has changed in the time between Alexander the Great and our modern society, yet the fundamentals of athletics and competition have maintained a similar relevance over the millenia. Due to biases from ancient authors and many modern scholars, not a large amount of archaeological attention has been directed to the topic of Macedonian athletics. A lack of physical evidence has induced either guesswork or an avoidance of scholarship altogether. Additionally, the agones from King Philip II and Alexander III's careers have been treated as isolated events and not as phenomena related to politics, the military, and cultural identity. This work will implement an interdisciplinary approach in order to incorporate data from physical remains and analyze the symbolic communication of ancient sports in this specific time period. Though it may be impossible to fully comprehend the complete extent to which athletics contributed to Macedonia's pursuit of Greek identity, I believe that this course of study is a new academic route to understanding the impact of the agones on larger societal issues and the transmission of Greek culture over time and space.