Meanings from History Chapter 1 Are there clues to contemporary meanings of leisure in our history Competitions Leisure activities based on one s social class Ancient Egypt Music drama dance flourished orchestras gave elaborate performances Drinking and gambling were popular activities Bullfights and gymnastics Slaves played a big role in entertainment in leisure Juggling tumbling dancing Chess checkers and backgammon originated during this period Feasts were common o Would use a feather to make themselves throw up so they could eat and drink more Ancient Greece Meant being occupied in something desirable for its own sake music poetry debate inquiry Term for leisure was schole meaning to use free time wisely for oneself Ideal Leisure pursuit of scholarship reading thinking debating discussing and studying physical activity Greeks viewed leisure as the ultimate purpose of life there was no loftier pursuit Work was defined as the state of being unleisurely Slave class supported leisure class o About 1 3 of the population o Society divided between those who were free and those who were slaves o Slaves did the work to support the leisure class women were considered lesser beings and the poor were occupied with survival Most leisure opportunities were reserved for rich free men only a small minority enjoyed ideal leisure Leisure is free time to govern and prepare to govern Leisure is time free from the necessity of work it s the highest human activity Said leisure was the freedom for the engagement with the culture These qualities were what was needed for political leadership 1st 13 Olympics involved a foot race of about 180 meters Later added horse races lifting weights boxing javelin discus wrestling long jump Plato Aristotle A leisure class should be supported by the underclass in order to assure wise just government Olympics Not usually team sports mostly individual No games were held for over 1000 years Only men allowed competitors and spectators Only woman was Princess of Demeter Ancient Rome Romans adopted many of the activities of Ancient Greece But civilizations were very different In the beginning there was little free time but later wealth and free time increased more leisure opportunities In 393 AD the Emperor ordered the games ended because of decline in interest and quality Used a slave class to tend to their personal pleasures self indulgencies and hedonistic ways Normal practices was to be entertained to exercise bathe eat and drink Body fixation physical activity and fitness were very important Over 800 public baths in Rome hot rooms cold rooms swimming baths tracks ball courts The working day towards the end of the empire began at day break and ended by noon libraries also parks sports arenas play fields Always a concern for mass political uprising Mass leisure used to quiet nonproductive masses uprisings Bread and Circuses o Holidays prevalent 175 by the year 354 AD o Leisure used as a form of social control o The circus included chariot races was most glamorous o Large arenas one holding 385 000 people o Sea Battles stages outside of Rome in a lake Included battle of 30 40 ships Recorded that 19 000 boarded ships and 1000 died in one day Life was difficult war disease and famine kept the population small Prostitution and gambling licensed by the state Catholic Church eventually became the main civilizing force Christians condemned hedonistic ways of life Salvation was through self deprivation Drugs and alcohol were a big problem Middle Ages Average lifespan 30 years Many forms of pleasure were seen as evil Many aspects of Roman life were forbidden Dignity of labor was stressed Idleness is the great enemy of the soul Emergence of the work ethic People did play despite the church s power and rules Leisure depended on one s class Leisure for Noblemen Stadiums amphitheaters and baths were destroyed Passive spectatorship of bloody sports was viewed unfavorably o Riding and hunting o Hunting preserves established for the wealthy o Games popular o Entertained in their castles minstrels acrobats jugglers storytellers o Social drinking and gambling Leisure for Vassals o Less free time o Dancing singing partying o Village feasts and sports throwing weights cockfighting bull baiting o Ball game and wrestling matches Bubonic Plague o Also called the Black Death o Spread most rapidly in cities o Many wealthy people left o Led to economic depression o After it ended population swelled o Desire for larger more luxurious lifestyle began Transition between medieval life and modern age Power of the Catholic church declines and shifts to Kings and Noblemen Renaissance Period Renaissance rebirth revived interest in scholarship philosophy and arts of ancient Greece Scientific discovery and explanations o Development of printing allowed for the distribution of plays and poetry Expansion of travel in Europe tourism o Travel seen as part of education study abroad Opera houses theaters and ballet companies opened and flourished Humans were valued because of what they were and what they could do humanism Therapeutic value of nature recognized o Elaborate gardens to large preserves Colonial America New world offered opportunities for wealth power religious freedom and adventure Rugged wilderness survival was the focus No abundance of food shelter or free time Ordinances against many leisure pursuits Drinking gambling and dancing were discouraged Survival was meager and precarious o Several towns banned dice cards and gambling o No public displays of affection o Wasting time in public smoking tobacco o Sabbath laws enforced But it didn t last long o Meeting houses and taverns built Utilitarian Role Courting couples were to take no pleasure in each others company on Sundays o Leisure was often utilitarian working groups for barn building or quilting o Considered lawful recreation as compared to unlawful recreation or idleness Eventually life became easier o Groups of entertainers and magicians toured the country performing in small towns o Barnum and Bailey o Increasing respectability of sports o Previously associated with gambling drunkenness and violence gradually gained Sports legitimacy Industrial Revolution o Enormous increase in production of goods mass production o Took work out of the rural home and farm and put it into the urban factory o This resulted in a number of life changes Social reforms were needed to reduce working hours 1840 federal employees limited to 10 working hours