Professor Tobias Philip's Take on Ancient Classics.
Tobias Philip joined Rutgers in 2020 after earning his High Honors B.A. in Greek and Latin from Swarthmore College. He enjoys courses on Plato and ancient athletics, along with intensive Greek and Latin courses. His dissertation, "Tertullian and the Philosophical Tradition of Anti-Spectacle Thought,” explores Christian critiques of Roman spectacles within ancient philosophical contexts. Philip has presented at conferences on various topics and will be a Fulbright Study-Research Fellow in Heidelberg, Germany, for the 2024–2025 academic year.
Professor Tobias Philip shared his expertise on ancient athletics in a recent interview. His insights reveal fascinating connections between the past and present, shedding light on how ancient practices continue to influence modern sports. With a deep understanding of the cultural significance of athletics, Professor Philip provides a unique perspective that enriches our appreciation of both history and contemporary athleticism.
Question #1
In your opinion, which aspects of the Ancient Olympics still hold relevance today? How do they manifest in modern-day media? Of course, people have intentionally linked modern sports and athletics to the ancient Olympics for centuries, but beyond the conscious affiliations with ancient Greece that we see in the modern Olympics, there are definitely certain themes from ancient athletics that reappear in the modern world. I think the concept of fairness was an important notion in the ancient Olympics that's still very important. To take one example, the Greeks came up with quite complicated machines that drew from the most state-of-the-art technology of that time just to make sure runners started on time. The punishments for cheating were very harsh. Today, even people who might have disengaged from other forms of public life have a very strongly held belief that sports really need to be fair. Another ongoing theme we see both in the ancient Olympics and in many professional athletic competitions today is internationalism: both then and now people came from different regions and countries to compete on (at least theoretically) equal terms, while spectators cheered on the athletes from their city and the local governments gave considerable honors to the victors. The ancient Olympics were limited to Greek peoples, but even that extended to areas throughout the Mediterranean.
Question #2
In what ways can the ideals of the Ancient Olympics enhance modern volunteer initiatives in areas like youth sports, physical fitness, or community wellness? In the ancient Greek world as today, athletic training did not begin and end on the days of competition. In many Greek city states, people would regularly attend the gymnasion (the place of training and origin of the term "gym") whether or not they went on to compete at major athletic competitions. The gymnasion was especially important for young Greeks preparing to be recognized as citizens, an honor they only earned after a certain age. It's no coincidence that thegymnasion was the same location where people took lessons in music, literature, and other preparatory subjects for becoming citizens: athletic training was one key part of civic participation. In America today, where many people lack access to the means of exercise and wellness, we could do well to learn from a society where physical training was a key part of being a citizen. It's easy to see volunteer initiatives involving sports and athletics as putting into practice the ancient Greek ideal wherein athletic training was not only done for its own sake but was part of being a good citizen.