THE OLYMPICS

OLYMPIC GAMES

• Every fourth year for a thousand years ,from 776 BC to AD 395,the pageantry of the Olympic festival attracted citizens from all over the Greek world.
• The Games were held in honor of the god Zeus,the supreme god of Greek mythology,and a visit to Olympia was also pilgrimage to his most sacred place,the grove known as the Altis.

OLYMPIC GAMES

• During the Olympic games,the entire Greek world agreed too a three -month truce called the ekecheiria.
• In order to spread the news of the Truce before the beginning of the Olympic festival,three heralds decks with olive wreaths and carrying staffs were sent out from Elis to every greek state.

THE SITE

• Olympia was rediscovered in 1766 by Richard Chandler,an English antiquarian carrying out an exploratory mission on behalf of the Society of Dilettanti,it is likely that the Olympic Games as we know them might never have excisted.
• Largely due to Boron de Coubertin efforts the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896.

THE SITE

• The Great Altar of Zeus is believed to have existed as early as the tenth century BC. According to legend it marked the spot struck by a thunderbolt which zeus hurled from his throne on Mount Olympos.
• The Temple of Zeus took ten years to build and was completed in 456 BC. The architect named Libin, who came from Elis.

THE GAMES

• We have no manual of greek athletics;it is evident that in antiquity trainers could refer to text books containing exercises for physical prowess,but unfortunately only a few fragmentary passages on scraps of papyrus have survived.

THE GAMES

• Contemporary Greek literature contains a number of incidental references to the games.
• The word gymnasium comes from the latin word gymnos which translates to naked.

PREPERATIONS

• Athletics were a key part of education in ancient Greece.
• Many Greeks believed that developing the body was equally important as improving the mind for overall health.
• Therefore Greek youth worked out in the wrestling­school (palaestra) whether they were serious Olympic contenders or not

PREPERATIONS

• Young men worked with athletic trainers who used long sticks to point out incorrect body positions and other faults.
• Trainers paid close attention to balancing the types of physical exercise and the athlete's diet.
• The Greeks also thought that harmonious movement was very important, so athletes often exercised to flute music.

PROGRAMME

• Day 1: Olympic oath of the athletes before the statue of Zeus in the council house.
• Day 2: horse races and pentathlon.
• Day 3: rites for the hero Pelops, procession of all participants, the ambassadors of the different cities and a sacrifice of a hundred cows to Zeus.

PROGRAMME

• Day 4: running and combat sports.
• Day 5: banquet for the victors in the house of magistrates.

RULES

• Like the modern Olympics, strict rules and regulations governed the ancient Olympics. Consequently, the ekecheiria, or truce, was the most important rule. During the truce, participants from warring city­states could presumably pass through the territory of their enemy without jeopardy.
• Any Greek could participate in the Olympics. The geographic range of participants stretched from Sicily to the Black Sea.
• Slaves and barbaroi, non­Greeks, could not compete at the games. In addition, any man who had committed a crime or stolen from a temple was barred from participation.

RULES

• Married women could not enter the Olympic stadium or attend the games, although young girls (virgins) were welcome.
• Every athlete participating in the games had to arrive in Elis at least one month prior to the start of the games and remain in Elis to train under the watchful eye of the Elean judges until the games began. Once admitted, athletes could not withdraw from competition.

EVENTS

• The ancient Olympic Games were initially a one­day event until 684 BC, when they were extended to three days. In the 5th century B.C., the Games were extended again to cover five days.

EVENTS

• The ancient Games included running, long jump, shot put, wrestling, javelin, boxing, pankration and equestrian events.

PRIZEGIVING

• For each sacred festival, the prize was a wreath made from the branches of the sacred plant of the patron god. This crown was a symbolic and sacred honor and was believed to transfer mystical powers to the athlete.
• Immediately after an athlete won his event, the herald would announce his name, father's name, and city of origin to the crowd.

PRIZEGIVING

• The most prestigious of all honors afforded an Olympic victor was the privilege of erecting a statue at Olympia.
• It was a common practice to commission one of the popular poets of the day to compose a victory ode written especially for the triumphant athlete.
• Even the little "perks," such as free meals, free shaves, free theater tickets, etc. for life are bestowed on the Olympian Victors "Olympionikai" of ancient times.

CELEBRATIONS

• Day five was a day to celebrate the accomplishments of the victors. Spectators, trainers and athletes made their way, procession style, to Temple of Zeus for the final time, with the winners leading the way.
• The rest of the day and evening was spent feasting. There was a big public banquet as well as many private parties. The parties often lasted late into the night.

CELEBRATIONS

• Before the festival a boy was chosen to cut a leafy branch from the ancient wild olive tree sacred to Zeus. The leaves were then woven into wreaths. When the procession reached the front of the temple, the winners would come forward and the Hellanodikai placed a wreath on the head of each winner.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Swaddling,judith ,Trustees of the British Museum,1980
• "The real story of the ancient Olympics games." Www.penn.museum,3260 south street.Philadelphia,PA.
• "Ancient Greece, Olympics." www.ancientgreece.com. University press.2003-2012.
• "Ancient Olympic Events." Www.perseus.tufts.edu,Perseus project.
• "Ancient Civilization, the olympic games."www.ushistory.org,Independence hall association ,1942. Philadelphia.