London 2012 Olympics

Olympics Ancient and Modern

2012 was a great year for athletics. And for the history of athletics. The whole concept of peaceful international competition through sport has its origin in the ancient world. To celebrate the return of the games to London after 64 years we offered a rich programme of events devoted to sport and competition, ancient and modern. Through exhibitions, public lectures, conferences our programme looked not just at events and sites but at the idea of competition, the pursuit of excellence, motivation, rewards and prizes; we looked at the way the ancient games have travelled across space and time, from a small site in ancient Greece to worlds then undreamt of. We looked at the rebirths and revivals, at the different shapes the original idea has taken in different periods and cultures down to today.

Management Committee

Prof. Chris Carey, UCL/SPHS
Prof. Mike Edwards, University of Wales, Lampeter
Dr. J. Lesley Fitton, British Museum
Dr. Jerzy J Kierkuc-Bielinski, Sir John Soane’s Museum
Dr. Gesine Manuwald, UCL
Prof Dominic Rathbone, KCL
Dr. Judith Swaddling, British Museum
Prof. Hans Van Wees, UCL

Ancient and Modern Olympics Blog:

by Dr Jason König (University of St Andrews): http://ancientandmodernolympics.wordpress.com/

Calendar of events

29 March	Readings & Talks	Goldsmiths, University of London	Poetry and the Olympics - ancient and modern
28 April	Conference	University of Reading	Celebrate like it's 776 BCE: the ancient Olympics and other festivals
8 May	Public Lecture	Institute of Classical Studies, Senate House	The ancient Olympics and contemporary academic values
21 May - 17 October	Exhibition	Museum of Classical Archaeology,Cambridge	The Ancient Olympics
22 May	Public Lecture	UCL	Martin Polley
24 May	Public Lecture	Newcastle, Staffs	North Staffs Branch, CA
1 June - 15 Sept	Exhibition	Petrie Museum, UCL	Fit bodies: statues, athletics and power exhibition
1 June - 20 July	Exhibition	Royal Society of Medicine	Medicine and the Olympic Games of Antiquity
9 June	Hellenic Society	Senate House	Annual General Meeting, Lecture & Reception
11 June	Theatrical Performance	Italian Cultural Institute	Heroes and Games
13 June	Public Lecture	Institute of Classical Studies, Senate House	John Barron Memorial Lecture
14-15 June	Conference	British Museum	Sport and Competition in Ancient Greece and Rome
14 June	Evening Event	UCL	Olympic Angles
15 June	Evening Lectures	British Museum	Lectures to explore aspects of the ancient and modern competition
16 June	Athletics Day	British Museum	Hands on activities and encounters designed to bring the past to life
16 June	Roman Society	British Museum	Annual General Meeting followed by a series of lectures celebrating the London Olympics
18 June	Conference	Open University London Regional Centre	Athletic Foundations: identity,heritage and sport
19 June	Debate	Petrie Museum, UCL	A debate around the Fit Bodies exhibition
20 June	Public Lectures	British Academy	Training, cheating, winning, praising: athletics and shows in papyri from Ancient Egypt
23 June	Discussion & Debate	British Museum	The Olympic Games and sport across ancient cultures
28 June	Public Lecture	Leeds City Museum	Classics in our Lunchtimes
28 June	Public Lecture	UCL	The Pursuit of Olympic Ideals - physical, neural and aesthetic
30 June	Conference	King's College London	Representing Victory
3 July- 10 August	Exhibition	Hellenic Centre	The First Modern Olympic Games, Athens 1896
5-6 July	Conference	Senate House, London	Ancients and Moderns, 81st Anglo-American Conference of Historians
6 July-22 Sept	Exhibition	Sir John Soane's Museum	Stadia: sport and vision in architecture
26 July	Public Lecture	Leeds City Museum	Classics in our Lunchtimes
28 July	Public lecture & events	National Waterfront Museum, Swansea	South West Wales Classical Association
14 August	Debate	The Hub, Edinburgh	Athletes and Ideals

Collaborating Bodies

British Academy
British Museum
Cambridge University Press
Classical Association
Egypt Exploration Society
Friends of the Classics
Greek Archaeological Committee
Institute of Classical Studies
Italian Cultural Institute
Joint Association of Classical Teachers
Kings College London
Open University
Oxyrhynchus Papyri Management Committee
Sir John Soane’s Museum
Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies
Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
University College London

The IRIS Project ran workshops and outdoor events in state primary and secondary schools, and an international Olympics themed competition for schools in conjunction with City Hall in London.