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11 - Neither Amateurs nor Professionals: The Status of Greek Athletes

from Part IV - Case Studies of Professions 2: Music and Athletics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2020

By
Christian Mann
Edited by
Edmund Stewart ,
Edward Harris  and
David Lewis
Edmund Stewart
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham
Edward Harris
Affiliation:
University of Durham
David Lewis
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh
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Summary

Since the late nineteenth century, scholars have discussed if Greek athletes were ‘amateurs’ or ‘professionals’. Analysing the ancient evidence on time, money, social status and group identity, this article argues that neither of the two terms helps in understanding the social reality of ancient athletes.

Keywords

athleticstrainingwages and prizes
Type
Chapter
Information
Skilled Labour and Professionalism in Ancient Greece and Rome , pp. 313 - 332
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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