The Original Olympics [Hardcover]

Stewart Ross (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Ancient Greece

The original Olympics were the most exciting event of the ancient Greek life. This book transports the reader back to 100 BC to find out about horses and trainers, gods and judges, runners and wrestlers.

•Why was the chariot race the most exciting event of the games?

•What did Zeus, the king of gods, have to do with the original Olympics?

•who was the most famous athlete of the ancient games?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-Two attractive, informative additions. Both are well organized, easy to read, with copious use of full-color maps, charts, and photographs of period artwork and ruins. Although the texts have some choppy, short sentences, the information provided will be useful for reports and will appeal to history buffs. Malam includes chapters about the major deities of the Greek pantheon, creation, early written sources about the gods, temples, ceremonies, festivals, etc. This is more a discussion about religion and the gods than a collection of myths. Ross discusses the history, ceremonies, customs, and events of the ancient games. A layout of the athletic and ceremonial structures of Olympia is included, and a chapter about the rediscovery of the ancient site in the 18th century followed by the creation of the new Olympics in the 19th century. Richard Tames's The Ancient Olympics (Heinemann Library, 1995) offers much of the same information but is not as visually appealing or as colorful.
Cynthia M. Sturgis, Ledding Library, Milwaukee, OR
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Reviewed with Stewart Patrick's Daily Life.

Gr. 4-7. The Olympics, mythology, even the modern-day alphabet find their roots in Ancient Greece. Each volume in the Ancient Greece series explores a different facet of life, from eating habits to the war to deities. On nearly every page, photographs of pottery and artwork from the time, drawings of what life may have been like, and maps enhance the detailed text. The attractively designed volumes use fictional narratives (a tale of a young girl's first visit to Athens or an account of a day at the Olympic games) to convey some details and make the reading more appealing than straight factual presentations often are. The books, good additions to both school and public library shelves, include a useful time line and suggestions for further readings (adult and children's). For beginning research projects as well as pleasure reading. Other volumes in the series are included in the Series Roundup in this issue. Heather Hepler
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Peter Bedrick (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087226596X
• ISBN-13: 978-0872265967
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,431,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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