Looking for a broader perspective on the 2004 Olympics Games in Athens, Greece? Log on to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology's website: http://www.museum.upenn.edu for a day-by-day perspective on what's new--and what's not.

David Gilman Romano, an internationally renowned expert on the ancient Olympic games, is senior research scientist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and author of the Museum's award-winning website, "The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games."  After completing his excavation field season in Arcadia, Greece, at Mt Lykaion, just 17 miles from Olympia, he heads off with his family to the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece-and he's agreed to share his ancient Games/modern Games perspective with a running web journal on Penn Museum's website!

The 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece begin with the opening ceremony August 13 and run through August 29.  Dr. Romano will begin his web journal, reachable from the Museum's homepage, with some pre-Game musings on August 11.  Every other day, he'll share his perspective from Greece.  If a new scandal arises, he'll let us know how "new" it is-or isn't.  Great feats of athleticism, food and feasting, transportation and accommodations at the Games, hero-worship, politics in action, the crowd's response-he'll be looking at it all through the lens of an anthropologist who has spent much of his career researching the ancient Olympics.

Here are some web links to get you ready for the Games, then and now!

Security Concerns, Plus Cheating and Scandals, are Nothing New at the Olympics.  Dr. Romano offers a pre-2004 games perspective.

http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/news/fullrelease.php?which=115

"The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games" Penn Museum's award-winning website, updated for the 2004 Games, is written by Dr. Romano.

http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/olympics/olympicintro.shtml

Dr. Romano's current excavation work is in the ancient Greek region of Arcadia: the Mt. Lykaion Excavation and Survey Project, a Penn Museum/University of Arizona/Fifth Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, Sparta joint effort.  Renowned as a sanctuary of the Greek god Zeus, the site features an ancient stadium and hippodrome in which athletic games for the Lykaion festival were held.  The Sanctuary of Zeus at Mt. Lykaion is only 17 miles from its more famous neighbor, the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia. http://corinth.sas.upenn.edu/lykaion/lykaion.html

The 2004 Summer Olympics at Athens, Greece official website:

http://www.athens2004.com