Athletic Contributions of Ancient Greece

Ancient Olympic Race images/Admin/BkFill/Default_image_group/2012/6/21/ /Ancient-Greece-race-illus-008.jpg

The Ancient Greek Olympics Origins- ○ most of our knowledge from the early games is from the greek historians Strabo(64 BC - 24 AD) and Pausanias( AD) ○ dedicated to the gods ■specifically to Zeus ■there were many rituals and times of sacrifice during the games ■ the dominant competitors gained possession of the sanctuary which was a political asset ○ Accounts of the first games ■took place in Olympia in 776 BC ■was thought that a breed of human like creatures raced in order to entertain Zeus ●Zeus awarded them metals based on their performance

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The Ancient Greek Olympics Origins Continued - ■ other sources claim that the dactyls never raced but instead a cook from Elis named Koroibos was the first champion of the games ○it is assumed that many greeks put this event in higher regard than other religious ones ■The other main festival being the Eleusinian Mysteries ○ the games settle disputes between city-states ○ games demonstrated a balance between spirituality and physical strength ○ the ancient olympic games slowly died out due to the influence of Roman culture and religion

The Ancient Greek Olympics Main Events- ●the stadion was the main event until 724 BC - it was a race that lasted for the length of a stadium (192 m) - typically lasted for around a day ●Chariot racing(Equestrian) was first introduced in 680 BC - the games were extended by a day to accommodate for the duration of the new event - a chariot team was said to have cost 5 talents ●Eventually other events such as Javelin, discus and wrestling were officially added

Equestrian

The Ancient Greek Olympics Impact on Modern Society- ●The first modern Olympics was held in 1896 in Athens, Greece ●Many attributes of the new games differ from the original ○ religion is less emphasized ○many new games were added ○ the games now focus on humanity and our collective achievements rather than the earlier competition

The Greek Gymnasium Origins- ●The Greek Gymnasium was a place that young men came to study many things. ●It was a training facility. ●Inside the Gymnasium the young men were usually naked while wrestling. ●Most important cities in Greece had one. ●Olympians would usually travel in xystos. ●At the gym the boys trained and the men relaxed. ●The competitions that occurred were usually for a person like the gods.

The Greek Gymnasium Impact on the world- ●They didn’t become popular. ●In the middle ages a revival of sorts came by again. ●The gym is no longer for one purpose. ●Several cultures did eventually use it. ●It started in the US around the 1820s. ●Around 1900 the gyms became the modern day ones we know now.

Famous Greek Athletes ●Astylos of Croton from southern Italy. - 6 victory olive wreaths in 3 Olympiad. -In his first 2 he took part as a member of Syracuse. -The people of Croton did not like this. ●Milon of Croton. -6 time olympic champ. -Wrestler -He was the best wrestler until his 7th try. ●Kyniska of Sparta -Daughter of King Archidamus. -First woman in the Olympics. -She participated in the chariot races and equestrian events.

Bibliography- Andronicos, Manolis. "The Games Of The Gods." Humanities 17.3 (1996): ERIC. Web. 25 Aug Shelden, Miriam F. Greek Athletics In The Writings Of The Greek Historians. n.p.: ERIC. Web. 25 Aug Gribble, David. "Gold, Silver And Bronze." History Today 62.8 (2012): 18. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 29 Aug Baker, Rosalie F. "5 Days At Olympia." Calliope 18.2 (2007): 10. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 29 Aug Yalouris, Nicolaos. "A Brief History." Humanities 17.3 (1996): 30. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 29 Aug

Picture Ciations Tomkin, Dave, Mr. Pompei Gymnasium. N.d. Photograph. Grecce. Flickr.com. Dave Tomkin. Web. 25 Aug Planet Fitness Opens 500th Location. N.d. Photograph. Illinois. Clubsolutionsmagazine. Web. 25 Aug N.d. Photograph. Hubpages. Hubpages Inc(R), Web. 25 Aug Greek Chariot Race. N.d. Photograph. School Work Helper. Web. 28 Aug Ancient Greek Race. N.d. Photograph. Static Guim. Web. 28 Aug