Statius and Epic Games: Sport, Politics and Poetics in the ThebaidEpic games are more than just an interlude; they reflect the realities of epic: heroism, power and war. This first major study of the athletic games in Statius' Thebaid Book 6 uses them to produce a new reading of the poem as a whole. It explores each event in Statius' games, discussing intertextual manoeuvres, historical context and poetic positioning, developing a theme from each: audience power, cosmic disruption, national identity, masculinity and the body, games and war, kingship and narrative control. This book uses a close reading of one part of one text to range over ancient literature. It casts light on the tradition of games in ancient epic as a whole, examining the works of Homer, Virgil, Apollonius, Ovid and Lucan. It is essential reading for the student of Statius and of ancient epic and of interest to historians of Roman society with an interest in sport and spectacle. |
From inside the book
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Page viii
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Page 27
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Contents
The chariot race | 23 |
The running | 55 |
The discus ΙΟΙ | 101 |
The boxing | 141 |
The wrestling | 193 |
The sword fight | 243 |
The archery | 277 |
Conclusion | 307 |
331 | |
Common terms and phrases
Acestes Achelous Achilles Adrastus Aeneas Aeneid Aeneid 12 Agylleus Ajax Alcidamas Amphiaraus Amycus Antaeus Antilochus Apollo Apollonius archery Argives Argonautica aristeia athletic audience battle beautiful beginning blood body boxing match caestus Capaneus chariot race circus civil competitors contest cosmos death defeat described discus duel emphasises Entellus Epeius epic games erotic Eteocles fight in armour giant gigantomachy gladiatorial gods Greek Hardie Hercules hero heroism Hippomedon Homer horses Iliad imagery intertextual ipse javelin Jupiter look Lucan ludi masculinity Mnestheus naked narrative Odysseus omen Ovid Ovid's Parthenopaeus Phaethon Phlegyas play poem poet poetic poetry Pollux Polydeukes Polynices prize reality Ripoll river role Roman Rome running ship race Silius Siluae simile Spartan spectacle star Statius story Stosch suggests sword fight Thebaid Theban Thebes Trojan Turnus Tydeus uirtus Valerius Vessey victory Virgil Virgilian watching weapons wrestling match καὶ