Q&A with Steven Pressfield discussion

My interests in the ancient Olympics has been increased since the Olympics are currently underway. Thinking back to the contents of your book, Tides Of War, I don't recall a reference to the Olympic games during the Peloponnesian War. Did you consider including a reference to the Olympics in the novel? (Or did you, and I don't remember it?) I know that Alcibiades was known as a champion Olympic charioteer. It's my understanding that the schedule for the games continued uninterrupted during times of war. The Iliad includes an example of the importance of athletic games to the ancient Greeks when they took time out during the siege of Troy of hold games in honor of the death of a Patroclus. That section of the Iliad always struck me as a strange way to wage war.

Clif, if you're interested in the ancient Olympics, I can recommend a couple of books, if you haven't read them yet. One is Tony Perottet's "The Naked Olympics," which is factual history; the other is Eugene Kraay's brand-new "The Olympian," which is historical fiction. As for "Tides of War," I just didn't touch on the Olympics, I'm not even sure why, to tell you the truth!

Thanks Steven for the suggested sources. I'll have to check them out.

One thing I recently learned about Alcibiades is that at one of the ancient Olympic games he entered seven chariot teams and three of them came in first, second and third. The tradition then was to award the prizes to the owner of the chariot teams, not the drivers who risked their lives.
(Edit Correction: According to Thucydides in his The History of the Peloponnesian War, chariots owned by Alcibiades came in first, second and fourth. I remembered the above post and decided I'd better make a correction.--Clif)

Cynisca of Sparta became the first female winner of the ancient Olympic Games by winning in the chariot race. A man was the jockey but she was named the victor.