Monday 3rd March 2025

The Sport of the Gods: Olympia and the Ancient Olympics 
by James Renshaw
 

Every four years, the advent of the newest iteration of the Olympic games brings scrutiny and reflection on their ancient forebears. The ancient Olympics lasted for over 1000 years and were both very similar and very different to the modern games. They were held as religious games in honour of the great god Zeus at his sanctuary at Olympia in the Greek Peloponnese. The art and architecture of this sanctuary was emblematic of the ancient Olympic spirit - and represents some of the finest sculpted art to survive from ancient Greece. In this talk, we look at the artistic and literary evidence for the ancient games, learning about triumphs and heartaches, and stories of athletes, both weird and wonderful! 

 

James Renshaw

Following a degree in Classics from Oxford University, James has taught Classics at secondary school level since 1998, and currently teaches at Godolphin and Latymer in London. He runs the school’s Ancient World Breakfast Club. James has published a number of textbooks related to the classical world, including In Search of the Greeks and In Search of the Romans. In addition to being a school teacher, he also lectures for the V&A Academy. James is a keen traveller, and uses his high quality photographs of ancient sites in his lectures and books. He's an accredited lecturer for the Arts Society.

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