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July/August 2004 · Historically Speaking39 in the field (Plutarch, Moralia, 348f-349a). In the classical Uterature ofmiUtarycommand , a number ofdistinguished generals are heard to echo or rephrase the implicit critique voiced by Alexander at Miletus—that good athletes do not necessarily make good soldiers. The sentiment is especially savored in Latin sources, laced with Roman disdain for supposed Greek "effeminacy." Typically, Julius Caesar, addressing his troops before battle in the course ofcivil war with archrival Pompey, allows himselfthe gibe that Pompey 's armyhas in its ranks Greeks "recruited from the gymnasia—spiritless students of wrestling, scarcely able to carry their weapons" (Lucan, Pharsalia, 7. 270-72). Two observations need to be made here. The first is thatwith the rise oflarge professional armies—as developed by Alexander and his father Philip ? ofMacedón during the 4th century B.C.—naturally the rationale ofkeeping citizens fit for miUtary service became weakened. Second, and more important , the Unking of athletics and war as reasoned by the Athenian philosophers was never intended as some necessary or binding equation. The Greekpalaistra or wrestling school was not supposed to be a factory of human killing machines. There were no gladiatorial shows in classical Greece or even any mock combat event in the program at Olympia. FundamentaUy, athletics served to commute, channel, and contain violence. In this respect, Greek athletics may be claimed to share the ultimately cathartic or purging purpose ofGreek tragic drama. Once again we can turn to Socrates. The philosopher so full of questions appears, for our purposes, to have aU the answers. Socrates could even vouch for the miUtary usefulness of plays and Dionysiac dithyrambs. "Those who honor the gods best with choruses," he is reported as saying, "are the best in wzr"(aristoi en polemo: Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae , 628e). How so? This, surely, is psychological insight; a recognition of how much hopUte fighting relied upon collective self-confidence, group morale, and faith in divine support. Socrates might have also cited the legend about the appearance in battle of classical antiquity's most celebrated athlete, Milo (or Milon) of Croton. During the late 6th century B.C., the citizens ofthe Greek colony of Croton in South Italywere obUged to muster an army against Sybaris, another Greek colony nearby. The encounter was to settle a dispute between the two cities; and the Sybarites expected to win, fielding a phalanx that outnumbered the men ofCroton by no less than three to one. The Sybarites counted withoutMilo, six times victor in the wrestling at Olympia. Milo went at the head of Croton 's forces, in the frontUne (promachos). Milo was famed as a phenomenal strongman, physically gigantic. But the tale ofhis rout ofthe enemydoes not so much turn onMilo's show ofstrength, as his extraordinary, talismanic battledress. He salUed forth wearing all ofhis six Olympic victory wreaths and the garb of every wrestler's divine hero, Herakles. How the accoutrements ofa Uon's pelt and a knotty club fitted with hopUte gear we are not told. The very sight ofMilo apparently caused panic in the Sybarite ranks, and delivered a miraculousvictoryto Croton (Diodorus Siculus , 12.9). And for all we know, the contest ended there and then—without blood shed by anyone: war minus the shooting. NigelSpivey teachesclassicalartandarchaeology at the University ofCambridge, where he isafellow ofEmmanuel College. Hepresented the television series "Kings and Queens" and "Heroes ofWorld WarII. "As an undergraduate, he wasa three-times victorat the Oxford-Cambridge athletics match—-firststaged in 1864—and he remainsan active member oftheAchilles Club, which hassupplied numerous medal winners at the modern Olympics. His most recent book is The Ancient Olympics: A History (Oxford University Press, 2004). Mentors: A Personal Note Jeremy Black Having recently attended a memorial service for a good man and a distinguished historian whom I admired (that forJohn Roberts held on October 11, 2003), I am particularly interested at this moment in the question ofhow ideas, influences , and practices are transmitted, and what makes a good mentor. During my career so far I have been surprised by the variety that I have encountered. It is a particular pleasure to take up mypen and follow the words ofthe memorial service in praising great men, not least because...

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