Ancient Sports

It's hard for modern listeners to truly grasp the spectacle that was arena sports in ancient Rome, which pitted man against man and man against beast in mortal combat. Our modern games of football and hockey, or even boxing and MMA, truly pale in comparison. The Gladiators is a comprehensive survey of these ancient sports, focusing on gladiatorial combat and the beast hunts (venationes).

In 490 BCE Pheidippides ran for 36 hours straight from Athens to Sparta to seek help in defending Athens from a Persian invasion in the Battle of Marathon. In doing so he saved the development of Western civilization and inspired the birth of the marathon as we know it. Even now, some 2,500 years later, that run stands enduringly as one of greatest physical accomplishments in the history of mankind.

Whakapapa is a Maori idea which embodies our universal human need to belong. It represents a powerful spiritual belief—that each of us is part of an unbroken and unbreakable chain of people who share a sacred identity. Owen places this concept at the core of his methods to maximise a team's performance.

"The Art of War for Soccer" is a groundbreaking book that seamlessly adapts the ancient wisdom of Sun Tzu to the modern soccer pitch, offering readers a unique lens through which to understand the strategy, tactics, and psychology of one of the world’s most beloved sports. This compelling read draws direct parallels between the battlefields of yesteryears and today's soccer arenas, illustrating how principles of warfare can inform and enhance approaches to soccer coaching, team management, and individual player development. At the heart of the book is the notion that success in soccer, ...

Emerald Marcillon lives with her archaeologist parents at a dig site on the Yucatan Peninsula. She has trouble handling social situations and connecting with her peers, so she's an expert watcher. Her parents believe they have found ancient artifacts from an alien war that spilled over onto Earth ages ago. What they don't suspect is that Inamma, the alien AI that survived the war, is still hidden in the jungle. Now that the artifacts have been found, Inamma has awakened, and it's seeking the artifacts. With them it can build a weapon that will end the ancient war once and for all—and with...

Discover a world of ancient wisdom melded with modern science in "The Acupuncture Answer," a transformative guide that unlocks the secrets to pain relief and holistic wellness. Uncover the powerful practices that have healed for millennia, now illuminated by contemporary research to guide your journey to a pain-free life. Delve into the allure of this age-old art with "Understanding Acupuncture," the definitive opening chapter that primes you for a deeper appreciation of Traditional Chinese Medicine's rich heritage. Here, truths are unraveled about Qi and Meridians, setting the stage for a ...

Why do we run? To what end, all the effort and pain? Wherefore this love of muscle, speed, and sweat? The Greeks were the first to ask these questions, the first to suspend war, work, politics, to enjoy public celebrations of athletic prowess. They invented sport and they were also the first to understand how physical activity connected to our mental well-being.

On Horsemanship, also sometimes titled The Art of Horsemanship, is a treatise written about 350 BCE by the Athenian historian, soldier, and student of Socrates, Xenophon (c. 430-354 BC). The treatise is a "hands-on" manual which deals with the selection, care, and training of horses in general.

Ancient Greece was the birthplace of advances in government, art, philosophy, science, and architecture - all of which continue to influence the world today. Warriors and diplomats, scientists, artists, and the first comedians: The achievements of this ancient society have formed a strong foundation to be built upon by later cultures.

Award-winning, bestselling author John Feinstein chronicles a year inside Ivy League Football, unveiling the heart and soul of college football’s oldest teams as they compete at an elite level in a conference that prizes tradition—amid a rapidly changing and increasingly monetized collegiate sports world.

Tai Chi is a form of Chinese martial arts that has been shown to promote body and mind capabilities by enhancing a person's stamina, strengthening the body, and boosting overall mental capacities. This, in turn, allows you to have a better life that is harmonious with the forces around you. From among the many hundreds of Tai Chi techniques, this audiobook presents the basic movements you'll need to get started.

Meet our fearless adventurers Cassandra, Otto and Missy AKA the smartest raven in the universe as they set out on their next action-packed Ladybird Audio Adventure! Get ready, set, go! On this adventure, we're going to learn about some incredible sporting heroes! Grab your trainers as we're going to meet some amazing athletes, from top tennis legends to speedy formula one racers.

Two Years Before the Mast is an 1840 memoir by the author Richard Henry Dana. A Harvard graduate, he spent the years 1834 to 1836 as a sailor on a merchant ship on a voyage from Boston to California. The journey took them past Cape Horn on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet. Dana provides detailed descriptions of ship life and the technical aspects of sailing. A chapter on California and its inhabitants offers valuable historical insights on the state which was then a foreign land.

While they are still well-known, the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece are more relevant today than most people know, and the ways in which athletic sports pervade contemporary culture is comparable only to the spirit of athleticism in Hellenic Greece. Today, a large section of the media industry is devoted exclusively to sports, and in some nations sports even figures as a critical component of their identity.

In ancient Greece and across the Mediterranean, kingdoms strive for dominance. The great powers of Carthage and Egypt look on with avarice as the might of the Greeks is spent warring between themselves, oblivious to external dangers. Year in and year out, the people suffer at the hands of their rulers and the famine and pestilence that comes with conflict. The great rulers of the day are themselves helpless to end this cycle of destruction. While life on the battlefield is cheap, the slave trade flourishes through the years of interminable battle and death.

Recently recovered from his epic bicycle journey that took him from the Delaware shore to the Oregon coast, distinguished climate scientist David Goodrich sets out on his bike again to traverse the Western Interior Seaway - an ancient ocean that once spread across half of North America. When the waters cleared a geologic age ago, what was left behind was vast flat prairie, otherworldly rock formations, and oil shale deposits.

Winning Not Fighting draws on the philosophy of Wing Tsun, an ancient Chinese martial art, to offer a profound and practical guide to achieving success at work, life and business. By explaining what these teachings reveal about decision-making, professional relationships, personal targets and positivity, it challenges some of our deepest held assumptions and forces us to unlearn many ideas that inform our current ideas on professional success. Why, for example, do we refer to business through a lens of conflict?

All over the world, people love to watch the athletes of the Olympics compete. But just why are there Olympic Games? Why are they so important? The truth is, the modern Olympics are a return to a mysterious, ancient festival. The ancient Olympics were more than just fun and games; they helped shape Greek culture and its contributions to us.

The Pan-Hellenic Games is the collective term for the four major sports festivals held in ancient Greece. These include the Olympic Games, held in honor of Zeus at Olympia every four years; the Pythian Games in honor of Apollo, held at Delphi every four years; the Nemean Games, held to celebrate Zeus and Heracles at Nemea near Corinth every two years; and the Isthmian Games, honoring Poseidon at Isthmia every two years. The main events at all of the games were chariot racing, wrestling, boxing, the pankration, the stadion, various other foot races, and the pentathlon.