Paul Christesen  
Associate Professor of Classics, Dartmouth College
Gymnazein: The Origin and Dissemination of Athletic Nudity in Ancient Greece

Christesen's scholarship insists that the roots of mass sport in ancient Greece and the modern-day West provide invaluable insight into the basic societal conditions and values that define our identity and history, making Greek athletics an ideal place to explore the intersections between classical and modern worlds. Focusing on athletic nudity in particular, his new project investigates the variety of functions that nudity served in its practice by men and women of different social statuses and in diverse social contexts. He is the author of Olympic Victor Lists and Ancient Greek History  (Cambridge UP, 2007).  Dr. Christesen will teach a course in the Classical Studies Department on “Mass Sport in Ancient Greece and the Modern World.”