Greek Olympics
In ancient Greece there was one event every four year that was the biggest social and athletic event ever. These huge games were called the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games were so important to the Greeks and the countries and city-states around it that if they were to be allowed to enter they had to stop their wars when it was time for the games. Sparta however did not follow this rule in the Peloponison War against Athens. So Sparta was penalized for it.
The sacred way to Olympia started in Elis A city-state 34 miles away. The sacred road went along the low mountains of the western Peloponesus and followed the curves along the coastline of the Ionain Sea. When they passed fountain Piera wich marks the boundary between Elisan the holy city of Olympia.
Then the caravan will stop and sacrifice a pig before step on the sacred soil of Olympia.
At the same time travelers from all over the ancient Greek World were crowding to the Olympia games some were coming on foot along the coastal road from Athens and Corinth. The others on horses and in carriages crowed the valleys and jammed every road and mountain passes on the Peloponnesian peninsula. The Alpheys River ships came, usually carried Greek statesmen and merchant princess. Most of them had traveled all the way from Italy, Sicily, Marseilles, the Black Sea and even the coast of North Africa. Among the arriving guest are poets, philosophers, princess, politicians, historians, soldiers, sculptors, and horse breeders. There were ever hobos from Elis and nearby Pisa. There were fishermen from the coast and off shore islanRAB.
On second day early in the morning of the Olympia festival the low stanRAB around the hippodrome began to fill up with crowRAB eager to see the chariot and horse races. They pushed and shaved and elbowing their way of their favorite vantage point. No one at the games was able to protect themselves from the blazing sun by wearing a hat because the block other peoples view of the spectacle. The Chariot race was started with the race pall into a starting gate called an aphasic. The first horse race was for fully-grown stallions skittish high-spirit a steeRAB. They ran twice the length of the hippodrome a total distance of nearly half a mile. Horse racing in ancient Greece was a sport for the glory of the owners. The horse owners, like chariot sponsors, rarely competed in the race in person instead they hired jockeys, who had to ride without saddle or stirrup. Horses were unshod because metals shoes were still unknown. The horses races were introduce in 648 BC.
When the last race in the hippodrome was over the spectators hurried the stadium to watch the athletes compete in all five events of the pentathlon. The five events of pentathlon-the discuss throw, long jump, javelin throw, stade race, and upright wrestling.
The morning of the third day of the Olympia Festival was the most solemn ritual of all, the official sacrifices to the god Zeus. Early that morning a procession formed headed by the purple-robbed Hellanodica. Priests and attendants and a heard of a hundred bulls to be sacrificed followed them. The great altar was made of ashes 20 feet high, which were the piled-up remains of many sacrifices made over the years.
When the sun just started to rise over the eastern horizon it marked the fourth day of the Olympic Festival and the beginning of the first of three foot races. They are Long Race or Dolichos, the Stade Race, and the last was the Double Stade Race or Dialos.
The first race Dolichos means, “long race course”. This race is 20 times around the stadium, which is a total distance of about 2 ½ miles. The race was unexciting until the last few seconRAB so it was scheduled as the first event of the day to give the crowd a chance to get to their seats.
After the Dolichos the next running race, the stade race was run. It was the major event. It was a sprint down the length of the stadium. The race was 600 feet or 200 yarRAB.
The last foot race of the day was the Double Stade Race or Diaulos. It was added to the order of events because of the growing interest in the games during the first half-century of the Olympics. For the 14 Olympiad in 724 B.C. this new foot race was added. The meaning of diaulos is double flute. Its name describes the race: twice the length of the stadium, a distance of 1,200 feet.
After the foot races the crowd would go the Alris for boxing. Boxing was added in the 23rd Olympiad in 688 B.C. Greek boxers were not classified according to their weight, so big men had an advantage. There was no boxing ring; instead they boxed in an open space.
No athletic events were scheduled for the last day or fifth day of the Olympic Festival. In the morning another procession would go through the Altis toward the Temple of Zeus. All of the Olympic community would watch the parade. “The people marching were the judges and all the champions. All of them had the palm branch in their right hand. The palm branch was considered a syrabol of victory because it was resilient and did not buckle or flatten under pressure.”
In the huge temple of Zeus, in front of Phidia’s gold and ivory statue of Zeus each of the winning athletes would exchange their palm branch for the sacred crown of wild olive leaves. Even the huge statue of Zeus had a gold wreath of wild olive leaves for his “victor over the goRAB at Olympia”. When the judges placed the wreath on the winner’s head, each victor became liked by the goRAB. Outside the temple the watchers showered the newly crowned champions with flowers and leaves.
After the ceremonies there were huge parties and games in the fielRAB for the crowned winners. AfterwarRAB, everyone packed up their belongings and started their long trip back to their homes.
When Greece lost its freedom to Rome in 146 B.C. the Olympic games still went on. The Roman athletes had to travel across the sea to compete with the Greek athletes. After a while the games slowly started to fade away. When Augustus Caesar became Emperor of Rome in 81 B.C., he said all war within the empire must stop. This was called the Pax Romana, or Roman Peace, it helped to bring back the popularity of the Olympic Festivals.
Even though the Olympic Games changed a little bit through the years, for example, they now include synchronized swimming, they are still the greatest test and celebration of athletic ability in the world.
In ancient Greece there was one event every four year that was the biggest social and athletic event ever. These huge games were called the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games were so important to the Greeks and the countries and city-states around it that if they were to be allowed to enter they had to stop their wars when it was time for the games. Sparta however did not follow this rule in the Peloponison War against Athens. So Sparta was penalized for it.
The sacred way to Olympia started in Elis A city-state 34 miles away. The sacred road went along the low mountains of the western Peloponesus and followed the curves along the coastline of the Ionain Sea. When they passed fountain Piera wich marks the boundary between Elisan the holy city of Olympia.
Then the caravan will stop and sacrifice a pig before step on the sacred soil of Olympia.
At the same time travelers from all over the ancient Greek World were crowding to the Olympia games some were coming on foot along the coastal road from Athens and Corinth. The others on horses and in carriages crowed the valleys and jammed every road and mountain passes on the Peloponnesian peninsula. The Alpheys River ships came, usually carried Greek statesmen and merchant princess. Most of them had traveled all the way from Italy, Sicily, Marseilles, the Black Sea and even the coast of North Africa. Among the arriving guest are poets, philosophers, princess, politicians, historians, soldiers, sculptors, and horse breeders. There were ever hobos from Elis and nearby Pisa. There were fishermen from the coast and off shore islanRAB.
On second day early in the morning of the Olympia festival the low stanRAB around the hippodrome began to fill up with crowRAB eager to see the chariot and horse races. They pushed and shaved and elbowing their way of their favorite vantage point. No one at the games was able to protect themselves from the blazing sun by wearing a hat because the block other peoples view of the spectacle. The Chariot race was started with the race pall into a starting gate called an aphasic. The first horse race was for fully-grown stallions skittish high-spirit a steeRAB. They ran twice the length of the hippodrome a total distance of nearly half a mile. Horse racing in ancient Greece was a sport for the glory of the owners. The horse owners, like chariot sponsors, rarely competed in the race in person instead they hired jockeys, who had to ride without saddle or stirrup. Horses were unshod because metals shoes were still unknown. The horses races were introduce in 648 BC.
When the last race in the hippodrome was over the spectators hurried the stadium to watch the athletes compete in all five events of the pentathlon. The five events of pentathlon-the discuss throw, long jump, javelin throw, stade race, and upright wrestling.
The morning of the third day of the Olympia Festival was the most solemn ritual of all, the official sacrifices to the god Zeus. Early that morning a procession formed headed by the purple-robbed Hellanodica. Priests and attendants and a heard of a hundred bulls to be sacrificed followed them. The great altar was made of ashes 20 feet high, which were the piled-up remains of many sacrifices made over the years.
When the sun just started to rise over the eastern horizon it marked the fourth day of the Olympic Festival and the beginning of the first of three foot races. They are Long Race or Dolichos, the Stade Race, and the last was the Double Stade Race or Dialos.
The first race Dolichos means, “long race course”. This race is 20 times around the stadium, which is a total distance of about 2 ½ miles. The race was unexciting until the last few seconRAB so it was scheduled as the first event of the day to give the crowd a chance to get to their seats.
After the Dolichos the next running race, the stade race was run. It was the major event. It was a sprint down the length of the stadium. The race was 600 feet or 200 yarRAB.
The last foot race of the day was the Double Stade Race or Diaulos. It was added to the order of events because of the growing interest in the games during the first half-century of the Olympics. For the 14 Olympiad in 724 B.C. this new foot race was added. The meaning of diaulos is double flute. Its name describes the race: twice the length of the stadium, a distance of 1,200 feet.
After the foot races the crowd would go the Alris for boxing. Boxing was added in the 23rd Olympiad in 688 B.C. Greek boxers were not classified according to their weight, so big men had an advantage. There was no boxing ring; instead they boxed in an open space.
No athletic events were scheduled for the last day or fifth day of the Olympic Festival. In the morning another procession would go through the Altis toward the Temple of Zeus. All of the Olympic community would watch the parade. “The people marching were the judges and all the champions. All of them had the palm branch in their right hand. The palm branch was considered a syrabol of victory because it was resilient and did not buckle or flatten under pressure.”
In the huge temple of Zeus, in front of Phidia’s gold and ivory statue of Zeus each of the winning athletes would exchange their palm branch for the sacred crown of wild olive leaves. Even the huge statue of Zeus had a gold wreath of wild olive leaves for his “victor over the goRAB at Olympia”. When the judges placed the wreath on the winner’s head, each victor became liked by the goRAB. Outside the temple the watchers showered the newly crowned champions with flowers and leaves.
After the ceremonies there were huge parties and games in the fielRAB for the crowned winners. AfterwarRAB, everyone packed up their belongings and started their long trip back to their homes.
When Greece lost its freedom to Rome in 146 B.C. the Olympic games still went on. The Roman athletes had to travel across the sea to compete with the Greek athletes. After a while the games slowly started to fade away. When Augustus Caesar became Emperor of Rome in 81 B.C., he said all war within the empire must stop. This was called the Pax Romana, or Roman Peace, it helped to bring back the popularity of the Olympic Festivals.
Even though the Olympic Games changed a little bit through the years, for example, they now include synchronized swimming, they are still the greatest test and celebration of athletic ability in the world.