Donald Kyle discusses the origins, setting, operation, and events of the games and includes recent developments in the archeology and interpretation of athletics at Olympia, as the summer of 2004 marks the return of the Olympics to Greece and the opening of the MFA exhibition "The Greek Athlete: Games for the Gods."
Dr. Donald G. Kyle is a Professor of History at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is an internationally recognized expert on ancient sport and spectacles who has delivered numerous invited lectures, been interviewed by the media, and consulted and appeared on History Channel shows on Roman gladiators and on the Ancient Olympics. He has also served on the editorial boards of three journals of sport history. Dr. Kyle's book publications include \_Athletics in Ancient Athens\_ (1993), \_Spectacles of Death in Ancient Rome\_ (1998), and \_Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World\_ (2007, second ed. 2015). He has additionally co-edited volumes such as \_Essays on Sport History and Sport Mythology\_ (1990) and \_A Companion to Ancient Sport and Spectacle\_ (2014) and written articles and book chapters on his topics of expertise.