1. THE ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES

2. ORIGINS Festival held in Zeus’ honor Part of it included athletics
Sanctuary of Zeus
Father of the Greek gods and goddesses
Held at Olympia
Rural site in the Western Peloponnese

3. THE YEAR WAS… 776 BC Koroibos Won the first Stadion race
According to some, stadion race was the only event in the first 13 Olympics, or until 724 BC
Olympics were held every 4 yrs. for the next 12 centuries

4. THOSE WHO CAME…
The Games attracted participants from all over Classical Greece and Magna Grecia
Those who participated shared common characteristics:
Same religious beliefs
Language
All male citizens of city-states

5. DID YOU KNOW?
The marathon was NOT an event in the ancient Olympic Games
Was first introduced in 1896 in Athens
Race commemorates the run of
Pheidippides
Ancient “day-runner”
He was sent to Sparta to seek help during the Persian War
Said to have run 240 km in 2 days

6. NUDITY AT THE GAMES?
There are 2 stories relating to the question of nudity at the games
By 8th century nudity was common
Orisppos/Orrhippos
In 720 BC was said to first have introduced nudity when he lost his shorts in the stadion
The Spartans
Said to have introduced nudity in the 8th century BC because it was a Spartan tradition

7. PROS…OR AMATEURS? Training was very important to the Greeks
Usually wealthier citizens
Time to indulge and money to pay for trainers
Training manuals, even do-it-yourself booklets were produced
By Roman times, a sort of athletes trade union was set up
Secured privileges for members, such as freedom from taxes and military service
Looked after dependents

8. RELIGION AND ATHLETICS
Combination of religion and athletics may seem odd to us
Was not to the Greeks for 3 reasons:
Funeral games at the burial of hero was tradition
Homer, in the Iliad, describes those for Patroklos

9. RELIGION AND ATHLETICS
Skill and achievement of any kind were offerings to the gods
Gods were thought of as graceful and powerful beings
Appreciate these qualities in man

10. RELIGION AND ATHLETICS
The whole Greek society was marked by compositeness
Part of the reason for its excellence
Religion was associated with most areas of Greek life
Competitiveness should be linked with religion then

11. PRIZES Athletic prizes included Bronze tripods Shields Woolen cloaks
Olive oil
Valuable metals
Oxen
Cauldrons

12. PRIZES
At the Pan-Hellenic Festivals only prizes were wreaths of leaves
Olive at Olympia
Laurel at Delphi
Pine at Isthmia
Parsley at Nemea

13. OLYMPIC ATHLETES 794 Olympic athletes known
We have partial records from 776 BC-393 BC
The victor list has over 1029 Olympic victories
Koroibos of Elis was the first in 776 BC
Zopyrus of Athens was the last in 385 AC
Between the 2 dates there was a total of 291 Olympic Games

14. MAJOR OLYMPIANS Leonidas of Rhodes Herodoros of Magara
12 victories
Stadion, Diaulos, Hoplitodromos
Herodoros of Magara
10 victories
Heralds
Hermogenes of Xanthos
8 victories
Nero Of Rome
6 victories
Heralds, Tragedy, Lyre, Tethrippon, Foals Tethrippon, 10 Horse Chariot

15. WOMEN AT THE OLYMPICS?
Women were there, but were not allowed in the central areas
Women were not even permitted to watch the main games
Woman in disguise
Judges “let her off out of respect for her father and her brothers and her son, all who were Olympic victors”
They had their own minor games
Held in honor of Hera, Zeus’ wife

16. EVENTS AND YEARS INTRODUCED
Stadion 776 BC
Diaulos 724 BC
Dolichos 720 BC
Wrestling/Pentathlon 708 BC
Boxing 688 BC
Pankration/Horse Race 648 BC
Hoplitodromos 520 BC
Chariot Racing 384 BC and 268 BC

17. OLYMPIC SCHEDULE The program at Olympia was:
Day 1: sacrifices, oaths, checking of athletes
Day 2: Morning: equestrian events. Afternoon: the pentathlon
Day 3: Morning: religious observances. Afternoon: boys’ events
Day 4: Morning: track events. Afternoon: wrestling, boxing, pankration race in armor
Day 5: Banquet and sacrifices

18. EVENT CATAGORIES The events were divided into catagories
Men’s track and Field
Boy’s track and field
Equstrian for full grown horses
Equestrian for mules and mares
Equestrian for young male horses
Specialty events
Heralds
Trumpeters

19. BOYS’ EVENTS Boys’ Events Events restricted to ages 12 and 18
200 meter
Wrestling
Boxing
Events restricted to ages 12 and 18
How judges knew boys ages is not clear

20. BOXING According to myth, Apollo invented boxing
All boxers wore himantes
No time limit, no weight limit
A match ended when one held up 1 or 2 fingers
Rest periods
Klimax
Melankomas of Karia

21. CHARIOT RACING King of Kyrene of North Africa Chariot Racing
Most spectacular
Four-horse, two-wheeled chariots covereda distance of 200 m
Cutting in front of a rival was forbidden
Collisions and crashes frequent
King of Kyrene of North Africa
Chariot was sole survivor of 41 starters and therefore won

22. PENTATHLON Jason of the Argonauts 5 events combined Rules
Jumping, running, discus, javelin, and wrestling
Rules
Order of events unknown
Unknown if had to win all 5 or just 3 events to be the victor

23. RUNNING Most significant and ancient sport
Running held an important place in Greek society
Many myths deal with running (ie Herakles)
Runners did not have special equipment
To assure a fair start a hysplex was used

24. OLYMPIC TRUCE Iphitos of Elis Cleosthenes of Pisa Lycurgus of Sparta
A truce was established in the 9th century BC by
Iphitos of Elis
Cleosthenes of Pisa
Lycurgus of Sparta

25. OLYMPIC TRUCE Elis’ reign became a reality As the Games approached
Truce was announced by Spondophori
During the period of the Truce
Athletes, artists, and their families could travel in safety to and from the Games

26. HUH?
Athlete: one who competes for a prize (althos = “contest” athlon = “prize
Stadion: linear distance; 600ft. “the standing place”
Hoplitodromos: a race in armor (hoplite)
Diaulos: foot race equal to 2 lengths of the stadion
Dolichos: a distance race varying from place to place
Pankration: event combining wrestling and boxing; no himantes were used
Altis: grove
Hysplex: starting gate

27. HUH?
Klimax: A voluntary point in a long boxing match when 2 boxers took turns standing still while they hit each other; could not try and block blows
Himantes: boxing gloves
Palaestra: a place of wrestling
Peloponnese: large peninsula which forms the southernmost part of mainland Greece
Pentathlon: 5 events

28. DID YOU KNOW?
Statues were set up in the altis of Olympians who had been caught cheating/bribing at the games
All athletes walked by these to enter the events
Greek Olympians were honored and “marketed”
Odes were composed by poets, statues were made, and coins with their images

29. ODES Pinder Such odes were commissioned by Famous 5th century poet
Wrote an ode for Hiero to celebrate his victory in the horse race in 476 BC
Such odes were commissioned by
Athletes
Athletes families
Rich political leaders

30. THANKS TO… Google Images for the pictures
These Were The Greeks by Amos and Lang
Websites
The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games
The Ancient Olympics
Ancient Greece