Cornell: On War and Games in the Ancient World

Cornell, T. J. “On War and Games in the Ancient World.” Sixth International Symposium for Olympic Research, pp 29-40.
29 Great list of resemblances shared by war and sport in intro
29 two prime theories about sports & war: sports are complementary to war and stimulate the attitudes; sports are an alternative to war.
30 while sports promote fitness needed by soldiers, it's an incidental feature not the primary function of sports

30 vital discussion in second paragraph: while sports helped develop the manly virtues needed in war ( a Victorian value/view), sports were not a form of military training.
30 sports training not always relevant to war
30 list of a few generals in classical period who did not like athletics for their soldiers
30 Romans (plutarch) greek athletics led to the feminization of the greeks and eventual downfall of the greeks
30 ancients stressed or denied the value of sports in soldierly training; victorians pomorted the charcter building and abstract vvitres of team, group, selflessness
30 there was little to no team sports in the clasical world—especially contact sports
only the Spartans
31-32 sport as alternative to war discussed
32 proposes that sports and war are autotelic, that is ends in themselves
32 war often had ritual/cultural purpose and not just a political instrument as proposed by Clausewitz
32 primitive war is highly ritualized
32 in Homer war and sports are highly ritualized events by aristocratic men
33 “The agonistic spirit expressed itself not only in athletics, but in competitions in art, drama and music, and in the constant striving to outdo one's rivals in all areas of life—public speaking, law politics, and philosophical argument.”
33 chivalric behavior in war only makes sense with an agonistic sense of war (contest) in which artificial rules ensure a fair fight. this reduces battle to a game
34 Gladiator contests were called a munus, which means gift (of the citizens who promoted them)
35 in Greece the citizens were the atheletes; in Rome, the citizens were usually spectators watching low-class pros, foreigners and/or slaves compete
35-6 discussion/dismissal of links usually made between war and games in Rome: ampitheaters and gladiator training
36 gladiators rarely soldiers; very rare to have large scale combat—usually one on one or pairs
37 battles rarely restaged for the public
37 games were at their height when Rome was at peace