The Games, what they tell us about Antiquity

But let's make no mistake: to talk about games, whether playful, sporting, childish or sacred, is to talk about ourselves; in other words, to talk about what makes up the very foundations of human society.

A subject long sidelined by historical research, the study of games is now proving, in its material and immaterial aspects, to be fertile ground for understanding the codes, expectations and components of a civilization and its time. However, it must not be reduced to a quest for understanding everyday life, and requires a broad spectrum of approach, going beyond the identification of the individual and his materiality (sex, age, body, social place and role, to apprehend the collective, the spiritual, the intangible).

From the founding Olympic games to the fantasized circus games, from childhood games combining freedom and training to the ubiquitous but decried games of skill and chance, everything leads us to a better understanding of the richness of Greek and Roman societies.
Thanks to this theme and the exceptional diversity of the collections of the Musée Lapidaire, owned by the Institut Calvet, you are invited on a fascinating journey through Antiquity.

Free admission.

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