Birth of the Olympic Games Vase painting showing an Olympic horse race Commissioned by the Pan-Macedonian Association, Inc. (USA) Developed by Dr. Evangeline D. Harris Stefanakis, Lauren Rachel Margolis, Laurette Hartigan, and Kevin Staszowskiat The Evelyn G. Pitcher Curriculum Laboratory Tufts University, Spring 2004 Dear visitor to the Athens 2004 Olympics, The Pan-Macedonian Association, Inc. (USA) proudly welcomes all of you to the birthplace of the Olympic Games, Hellas (Greece). We commissioned this booklet to present you with a short, easy- to-read, historical perspective of the birth of the Olympic Games in antiquity. It includes the rules of participating in the Games, the Olympic Spirit of noble competition that expects all athletes to reach the edge and, possibly, even go beyond the edge of their physical abilities, and last the Olympic Truce, the observance of which was mandatory for all Greek City-States, whose athletes were the only ones allowed to compete in the Games. Finally, we have compiled characteristic, yet incomplete, tables that show the names of some Olympic winners of the Ancient Games, listed by event and by place of origin. We sincerely hope that the Olympic Spirit and the Olympic Truce will once again embrace all participating nations before, during and after Athens 2004. To be sure, this will make us all winners! We are most appreciative for your presence here in Greece as we are appreciative of the many individuals and organizations that helped us offer this commemorative booklet to you. Let it be a lasting reminder that our ultimate goal for all of us, is to bring universal peace to the family of man through noble competition. The Supreme Executive Council and members, Entrance to the Stadium in Olympia. Pan-Macedonian Association, Inc. (USA) 1 Introduction: Origin of the Ancient The Ancient Games lasted until 394 A.D. when Byzantine Olympics Emperor Theodosius discontinued them because he considered them a pagan tradition. In the valley of Olympia, the very first recorded Ancient Olympic contests were held in 776 B.C. Olympia lay within the city-state of The modern Olympic Games were started in 1896 and were Elis, in a region of Ancient Greece known as Peloponnesus. open to all nations. They still include some of the original athletic competitions, celebrations and ceremonies. More importantly, Although the actual beginning of the Olympic Games is not they still include the basic ideals of noble competition and peace. precisely known, it was certainly connected with contests between gods and heroes. According to ancient tradition, the gods and heroes were the first to compete in Olympia, and they served as models for human beings, who later continued these athletic games. For this reason, athletics were an important part of Greek life and a way for Greeks to preserve and celebrate their rich cultural history and mythology. Legend has it that in 776 B.C., King Iphitos of Elis was told by the oracle at Delphi that he could save Greece from the plague of warring city-states if he started the Olympic Games. In ancient times, Greece was not a single country but a collection of city- states that were often fierce rivals. Some of the regions of the Ancient Greek world, as we know them today, included Pelopon- nesus, Thessaly, Ionia (Asia Minor), Macedonia, the Black Sea, Crete, Lower Italy and Sicily (Magna Grecia) and Cyprus. In 776 B.C., King Iphitos established a temporary Olympic Truce and invited all the city-states to come together to compete in peace at Site of Ancient Olympia. Olympic Games When the Olympic Games began, they lasted for only one day and consisted of one contest –the stade or stadium -a running race. New competitions, celebrations and ceremonies were gradually added in the following years and eventually the Olympics took place over a period of five days. 1 Map of Ancient Greek City-States 2 3 Map of Greece and Aegean Sea Site of Ancient Olympic Games 2 Map of Greece and the Aegean Sea 4 5 Ancient Olympics and the Gods A Brief History Olympia was a sacred, religious Held every four years for almost 1,200 years, the Games became the site even before King Iphitos greatest festival of Ancient Greece. The event was so important that started the Olympic Games in time was measured by the four-year interval between the Games, 776 B.C. There are several a period called an “Ol y m p i a d ”. different tales in Greek mythology which suggest why Olympia These religious-athletic festivals were originally celebrated in the belief eventually became the official site that the spirits of the dead were gratified by such spectacles, and they of the Games. According to ancient were held in honor of the gods. The Olympian Festival was sacred to mythology, Mount Olympus was a the mighty god Zeus. place where the gods gathered to engage in sporting events. During the first 13 Ancient Olympic Games, competition consisted of a 3 Zeus and Kronos depicted in stone. single foot race, approximately the length of a stadium. Subsequently, According to one legend recorded in ancient Greek poetry, the other major events were added as follows: Greek hero Hercules was responsible for the foundation of the 776 B.C. Single foot race (running) Games. It is said that upon completion of one of his twelve tasks 724 B.C Second foot race (known as the “Twelve Labors of Hercules”), he celebrated by 720 B.C Endurance race of 4.5 kilometers making a clearing in the sacred olive grove at Olympia and setting 708 B.C. Pe n t a t h l o n up the Games there to honor his father, Zeus. 699 B.C. Bo x i n g 680 B.C Four-horse chariot race Another popular story from Greek mythology describes how 648 B.C. Pa n k r a t i o n Zeus and his father Kronos, the mightiest of gods, had a fight. 580 B.C. Race in armor They battled on the mountains above the Altis in order to Winners of the Games were honored in poems and recognized as determine who would rule the world. Zeus won and became the heroes for life. The earliest prize for the winners was a crown made of king of the gods. Olympia’s religious celebrations and Games olive branches, a symbol of peace. In the fifth century B.C. cities began honor Zeus’ triumph. to accept money from opponents in exchange for conceding victory, and the Games moved away from their historic and religious origin. From these stories, we see why Olympia was such an important site for the Ancient Greeks. The Olympic Games became a In 146 B.C., Rome conquered Greece and took control of the Olympic means to celebrate and remember the Greek gods and also to Games. In 394 A.D. Byzantine Emperor Theodosius ended the An c i e n t maintain a strong sense of cultural pride in future generations. Olympic Games. 6 7 Overview of the First Ancient Olympics Overview of the First Ancient Olympics 776 B.C. 394 A.D. Who é Only men and boys were allowed to compete Who é Only men were allowed to compete. é No criminals, no warring states could compete. é With expansion of Hellenistic Region under Alexander the Great, citizens of non-ancient Greek é Although women did not participate in the Ancient regions, such as Egypt, Afghanistan, and India Olympic Games, they did compete in their own were allowed to compete. athletic competitions known as the Heraia. é Athletes became professionals, paid money for é Only wealthy competitors could afford the time and their wins. pay for coaches/training What é Three running events é The Ancient Games were exclusively for Greeks. é Boxing é Athletes, spectators, peddlers, gamblers, singers, dancers, orators, and performers attended the é Horse chariot race Ancient Games é Pentathlon What é Single foot race (running) é Pankration (boxing/wrestling) When é Ancient Olympic Games began in 776 B.C. é Race in armor (chariot or foot) é Took place at intervals of 4 years, an “Olympiad‘ When é Ancient Olympic Games ended in 394 A. D . Where é Olympia, Western Peloponnesus in Greece Where é Ancient Games moved from Greece to Rome in 146 A. D . Why é King Iphitos started the Games upon advice from the Oracle of Delphi. Why é Byzantine Emperor Theodosius ends Olympics because the games are linked to the worship é To break cycle of discord and war among Greek of Zeus and pagan gods, instead of Christianity. City States é Athletes began competing for the sake of money é To celebrate and honor Greek gods in spirit of and goods which moved away from the peaceful peaceful competition origins and spirit of the games. 8 9 The Panhellenic Spirit of the Olympic Who Could Participate in the Games Expressed by Ancient Au t h o r s Ancient Olympics? “The title ‘Hellenes’ is applied rather to those who share our Not everyone in Ancient Greece was eligible to compete in the culture than to those who share a common blood.” Olympics. Only Greek men and boys, who were free citizens, not ~Isokrates, Ancient Greek philosopher. criminals, and whose city-states agreed to participate in the Olympic Truce of the Games, were allowed to compete. In ancient times, Greece was not a nation but a collection of city- states. The people in these city-states spoke the same language and The Truce was written on a bronze discus kept in the Temple of shared a common culture and religion.