The developing understanding of Human Health and Fitness: 3. The Classical Era.

Authors

  • Roy J. Shephard University of Toronto

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v5i2.119

Keywords:

Aesculapius, Galen, Greece, Gymnasia, Hippocrates, Military training, Minoa, Olympica Games, Physical Education, Pythagoras, Recreation, Rome, Spectator events, Sport, Thermal baths

Abstract

This article follows the development of interest in health and fitness, looking at contributions from the Minoan, Greek and Roman cultures. The Minoan era is best known for the institution of bull vaulting, but it also opened up sports for women, and served as an important bridge for the transmission of Egyptian knowledge to Greece. Ceramics suggest that their athletes had superb physiques, but the common people suffered from rickets, scurvy, a stunted stature and a short life expectancy. The most widely recognized contributions of the Greek period were the Hippocratic codification of health professionals and the establishment of inter-city Games such as the Olympiad. The latter competitions were initially amateur and patrician, but quickly became corrupted by the award of major prizes, with the modern problems of age classification, doping,

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Published

2012-06-30

How to Cite

Shephard, R. J. (2012). The developing understanding of Human Health and Fitness: 3. The Classical Era. The Health & Fitness Journal of Canada, 5(2), 3–29. https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v5i2.119

Issue

Section

SYSTEMATIC OR NARRATIVE REVIEWS

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