"In this revised and enlarged edition of her guide to the ancient Games, Judith Swaddling traces their mythological and religious origins and describes the events, the sacred ceremony and the celebrations that were an essential part of the Olympic festival. A large, detailed model based on modern research and excavation reconstructs the site of ancient Olympia, where alongside religious and civic buildings there grew an elaborate sports complex with a stadium for 40,000 spectators, indoor and outdoor training facilities, hot and cold baths, a swimming pool and a race-course. New chapters cover the diet and medical treatment of athletes, sponsorship, patronage and propaganda and revivals of the Games."--Jacket.