Adp H&pe 2nd Semester Ancient Olympics

ADP H&PE 2ND SEMESTER
Composed by Tehzin Aslam Khan Lecturer in Physical Education GACW

JANDANWALA
ANCIENT OLYMPICS
The first ancient Olympic Games took place almost 2,800 years ago in the town of
Olympia. They were the oldest, and largest, of the four PanHellenic Games - four
separate sports festivals held in ancient Greece.The Olympics became an integral part
of ancient Greek society. Every four years from 776 BC to 393 AD, thousands of
people from all over the Greek world congregated for the competition. The event was
so popular, that when the Persians invaded in the summer of 480 BC,the allied Greek
city states had to delay military preparations as so many men were at the Olympics!
But unlike the modern Olympics, there was no torch relay, no female competitors, and
events would often become brutal.
Below, we take a look at interesting Ancient Olympics facts:
1 - The ancient Olympic stadium
The Olympics were named after Mount Olympus, but they were actually held in the rural
sanctuary of Olympia, in Greece’s western Peloponnese region. It was a hugely sacred area,
featuring picturesque olive tree plantations and a giant statue of the god Zeus.
By the second century BC,the main stadium held approximately 45,000 people, who stayed in
tents around the building.
2: Origin of the Olympic Games
There is some historical dispute over the reason behind the ancient Olympics.
One theory is that it was a festival in honour of Zeus. This would help explain why it was
named after Mount Olympus - where the Greek gods were said to have lived.
However, some historians believe that the ancient Olympics were actually funeral games held
in honour of deceased local heroes.
During the festival, a vast number of oxen were sacrificed in honour of Zeus.After a small
part of each animal was burned for the god,the rest of the meat was consumed by the people
at a grand banquet.
3 - An Olympic Truce between Greek city states

Prior To the Games, messengers called ‘spondophoroi’ were sent out across the Greek world
to announce the Olympic Truce or Ekecheiria’.
Each participating city-state had to sign up to the truce, which meant that no war was
permitted and no arms could be carried into Olympia.
This in turn facilitated the safe passage of athletes and spectators travelling to the festival.
Initially,the truce was for one month but it was later extended to three.
4 - Who could take part?
All free male Greek citizens were entitled to participate in the ancient Olympic Games,
regardless of their social status. Several emperors even took part.
Women were not allowed to compete, but unmarried women could attend, with exceptions
like Kyniska, who won in equestrian events as a horse owner and the priestess of
Demeter, goddess of fertility, was given a privileged position next to the Stadium
altar.
Anyone was allowed to own a horse and Kyniska, daughter of King Archidamos of Sparta,
subsequently became the first female Olympic victor in Antiquity. Her four horses won in the
396BC and 392BC Olympiads.
A separate festival called the Heraean Games, dedicated to the goddess and wife of Zeus,
Hera, was created for women.
These Games were also held in Olympia, and featured young girls competing in a footrace on
a track one sixth shorter than the men’s equivalent.
5: Olympics Events
For The first 12 ancient Olympics,the only event was a short footrace of about 190m - or one
length of the stadium - called a ‘stade’.
Eventually,the Games expanded from one day to five, as a total of 18 events were added to
the programme.
The earliest additions were running events of different lengths, as well as wrestling,
pentathlon, boxing and for the wealthiest competitors, chariot racing.
Like it’s modern equivalent,the ancient pentathlon included five different events.These were
the discus, long jump (using weights from a standing jump), javelin, running, and wrestling.
Among the various horse races was the ‘kalpe’ where the rider would jump off their mare
and run alongside them for the last lap.
Each event was intended to train men for war, which was perhaps best personified by the
‘hoplitodromos’ race, where athletes had to complete between two and four lengths of the
stadium wearing a full set of hoplite armour.
The most brutal sport was ‘pankration’.This event was a combination of wrestling and
boxing, where neck holds and strangling were permitted, and only biting and eye-gouging
were forbidden.Athletes could resign through waving a finger in the contact sports, but death
was still commonplace.
The Michael Phelps of the ancient Olympics was undoubtedly Leonidas of Rhodes. The
runner won a total of 12 titles across four-consecutive Olympiads (164-152 B.C.) and was
hailed as a hero among men.
6 - Physical punishment for breaking the rules
The ancient Greeks didn’t rely on good will to ensure fair competition during this often brutal
period in history.
Athletes who broke rules during the Olympics were publicly whipped. Whether it was a foul
move in wrestling, or a false start in running, officials called ‘alytes’ had the power to punish
any competitor they felt was trying to gain an unfair advantage.A lack of courage was also
highly frowned upon, and there was even an athlete that was fined for cowardice after
backing out of a competition.
7 - Athletes competed naked
There are thought to be several reasons from this, ranging from a tribute to Zeus - whom
they wanted to show their physical power- to drawing a distinction between themselves and
their barbarian enemies, who were afraid to show their bodies.
Whichever it was, nudity was a fundamental part of ancient Greek culture, and the athletes
would show off their physiques during parades in the stadium.
In addition, wrestlers also covered their bodies in oil to keep sand out of their pores, before
dusting themselves with a fine powder to ensure they could be gripped.
Men would also work out in the buff, and the word ‘gymnasium’ actually comes from the
Greek word ‘gymnos’, meaning naked.
8: The winners
There were no gold, silver, and bronze medals on offer at the ancient Games.
In fact, prizes were awarded only to the winners, which began with a wreath made from the
leaves of the sacred olive trees at Olympia.
Victors were also allowed to erect a statue of themselves in the sacred Altis grove - the
sanctuary of the Gods - at Olympia.
‘Odes’ were dedicated to the first-place finishers by famous poets, which would be performed
when the athlete arrived back in his home state.
Downfall of Ancient Olympics
1: The ancient Olympic Games officially came to an end around 394 AD, when Roman
emperor Theodosius I outlawed pagan celebrations to promote Christianity.
2: The Olympic games continued for many years with much enthusiasm and zeal, and people
in large numbers used to participate in them. But when people from outside Greece began to
take part, the people forgot the spirit of the amateur and turned professionals. These people
then made the victory in the games their sole motive.
3: One of the reasons for the decline of these games was the Roman victory over Greece. The
decline started because the Romans were not very enthusiastic about these games.
4: Many evils cropped up in the games. People began to bribe the judges in order to win.
Then some such events came to be included in the Olympics that caused the death of one or
the other player everyday. In games like boxing players began to hold iron pieces in their
hands which would prove very injurious or fatal, thereby discouraging the honest people from
taking part in such games.
5: In 394 A.D. These games were banned on the orders of the Roman Emperor Theodosius.
The contribution of the Greeks in the sports field was, thus, put to an end. The stadiums and
temples where life buzzed with activity turned into ruins, and revealed the decline of the
Olympic games.
The first modern Olympic Games took place 1503 years later, at Athens in 1896.

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ADP H&PE 2ND SEMESTER

Composed by Tehzin Aslam Khan Lecturer in Physical Education GACW

3 - An Olympic Truce between Greek city states

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