CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE THE ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES \\ AS POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Theatre by Jay Ross Waddill _-· June, 1980 The Thesis of Jay Ross Waddill is approved: Albert R. Baca Heinrich R. Falk, Chairman California State University, California ii I would like to thank Dr. Heinrich R. Falk for his invaluable advice and assistance throughout the preparation of the thesis and also his supportive enthusiasm and pa­ tience. iii ,.. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ABSTRACT vi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER II ATHLETICS AND GREEK SOCIETY 6 Greek Ideal 6 The Polis and Panhellenism 8 Athletics and Everyday Life 13 CHAPTER III ATHLETICS AND RELIGION 22 Athletics and Funeral Ritual 24 Festivals 26 The Rustic Dionysia 30 The Greater Dionysia 31 The Greater Panathenaia 32 CHAPTER IV THE OLYMPIC GAMES 38 Origin of the Olympic Festival 39 History ~nd Description of the Olympic Festival 46 CHAPTER V POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT AND THE OLYMPIC GAM.ES 58 Popular Entertainment 58 iv PAGE 'l'he Athlete/Performer 61 ·~pectators/Audience_ 70 · Events/Perfo:rmance 77 CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION 88 NOTES 96 BIBLIOGRAPHY 108 v ABSTRACT 'I'HE ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAl-lES AS POPULAR EN'rERTAINMENT by Jay Ross Waddill Master of Arts in Theatre Many aspects of ancient Greek culture have influenced the development of Western civilization. None of these was more important to the ancient Greeks than t.he Olympic Games. Historians have suggested that the Olympic festi­ val may possibly have had its origins in a religious ritual, the funerary commemoration of a local hero, a new year's celebration, or an expression of military prowess and readiness. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the Olympic Games as a form of popular entertainment. This analysis does not preclude the possibility that other purposes may also have been served by the games. In order to analyze this festival from the perspective vi of popular entertainment it is necessary to begin with a discussion of athletics in general, and specifically the Olympic Games as they functioned within the social context of their times. The philosophical ideal of bal­ ance between intellectual and physical powers made ath­ letic training popular in Greek society and it made up a major portion of the Greek's educational and recreation­ al efforts. Athletics were also important to each of the individual city-states as competitions bet•,veen them con­ firmed their individuality and autonomy while at the same time expressing the unity among all of the Greeks. The relationship of athletic competitions to Greek religion is then discussed. This includes funeral cere- monies and several athletic and non-athletic festivals which were representative of some Greek religious prac­ tices. These festivals were the Rustic Dionysia, the Greater Dionysia, and the Panathenaia. The various mytho­ logical and historical explanations of the festival's origins and original functions are summarized. A brief history of the Olympic Games, their evolution, and a description of the events that occurred there are also provided. The final phase of the thesis is the analysis of the Olympic Games as a form of popular entertainment. The festival is studied from the perspective of its three vii primary elements--the spectators/audience, the athletes/ performers, and the athletic events/performance--each of which is then subjected to a detailed analysis in order to discover and describe the ways in which each element functioned as entertainment. Finally, the theatrical and dramatic possibilities inherent in athletics and athletic competitions are discussed. viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION In ancient Greece a festival consisting primarily of athletic competitions occurred every four years and was known as the Olympic Games. This festival was held regu­ larly for nearly twelve hundred years--·the dates that are given for its period of existence are 776 B.C. to 394 A.D. 1 when the festival was banned by the Romans. 776 B.C. is the year in which the first recorded victory occurred, but historians believe that the festival was probably in exis­ tence for several centuries before this time. 2 Western civilization owes much of its form and char- acter to the influence of ancient Greek culture. In many areas--sculpture, painting, poetry, drama 1 architecture and philosophy, and the fields of science, medicine, mathe­ matics, and politics--the works of the ancient Greeks have been taken as examples and models upon which to base new thought and learning. All of Greek culture has been seen as_worthy of intense study, but to the ancient Greek himself there was little in his culture that was of greater importance than the Olympic Games. Festivals of all sorts were extremely important to the Greek people, and their calendar was filled with them and even defined by them. The athletic festival at Olympia was probably the most important and popular festival of them all. Alexander the 1 2 3 Great considered Olympia the "capitol of the Greek world." This festival was either directly mentioned or alluded to by almost every ancient poet, philosopher, or hlstorian. Homer described athletic competitions very much like the ones at Olympia, suggesting that such games may have exist- ed as early as the lOth century B.C. 4 Pindar dedicated an entire volume of odes to the celebration of Olympic 5 victors. An abundance of potshards decorated with scenes depicting the exploits of Olympic athletes have been un- covered, and Olympic victors were not only seen. as models for countless sculptures and of the Greek concept of a physical ideal, but were often nearly mythologized and were made the subjects of cult worship. There were several factors that each added to the festival's importance and popularity. In addition to the £estival's geographical position--the central location of Olympia provided easy access for the entire Greek world-- "its ancient sanctity, the athletic vigour of the pre- Dorian Greeks, the discipline and training of the Spartans, the enthusiastic patriotism of the colonies, the ambition of tyrants," as well as the "new spirit of democracy" have been listed as significant to the Olympic Games. 6 The festival drew spectators and participants from all over the Greek world. Although there are no extant records that reveal exactly how many spectators were actually in atten- dance, architectural evidence suggests that seating or 3 standing room was provided to accomodate between 45,000 7 and 50,000 spectators. The Olympic Games, and the other festivals that were modeled after them, are sometimes cred- ited as being the only things that were ever capable of unifying Greece, if only for short periods of time. Dur- ing the month in which the Olympic Games took place, even in wartime, a truce was enacted throughout Greece, ~nd 1 any man of pure Greek birth whether he was a participant or merely a spectator, was guaranteed a safe passage to and from the Games. A violation of this sacred truce was considered more than just a breach of the law, it was a sacrl.Lege.·~ 8 Modern historians have suggested several possible explanations of the Olympic Games' original purposes and functions. These explanations vary greatly stating that this festival was perhaps a purely religious ceremony, 9 or 10 a funerary commemoration of a local hero, a celebration 11 o f the new year, or poss1. bl y an express1on. o~+= m1• 1"1tary training and the exhibition of military prowess and readi­ ness.12 All of these explanations concerning the festi- val's religious and civic functions have undergone inten- sive study, gained acceptance by many scholars, and, as the Olmpic festival was a complex event, are probably true to some extent. But in addition to these, there also existed another aspect that helped to ensure the festival's long continuing appeal and importance. In view of the vast numbers of spectators that attended the festival throughout its long history, it can be assumed the ancient Olympic Games were also an important form of popular entertainment. It is the purpose of this thesis to analyze this festival as a form of popular entertainment. The three major elements of this festival will be examined: the athletes, the spectators, and the sporting events. The analysis of these three elements follows methodology that will be explained in more detail in chapter V. After analyzing these three elements, an assess1nent will be made to determine how these elements functioned to make the Olympic Games a form of popular entertainment. It is necessary to understand how the Olympic Games and Greek athletics in general functioned within the con­ text of ancient Greek Society in order to analyze them as a form of popular entertainment. Thus, the first portion of this thesis is a historical study of those aspects of ancient Greek social and religious life that may have had some influence upon, or may possibly have been influenced by, the Olympic Games. Athletics, competitions, and athlet.ic festivals were such an integral and important part of the everyday life of the ancient Greeks that the Olympic Games must be examined in this broader social context. The Olympic festival was the synthesis of many aspects of Greek thought, and a study of these will provide the objective data upon which the analysis of the Olympic Games as a form of popular entertainment can be based. CHAP'l'ER II ATHLETICS AND GREEK SOCIETY The role that athletics played in the everyday life and thought of the Greek people was an important one and was reflected in many aspects of that society. The word "a-thletics" is derived from the Greek word athlonJ meaning 1 a prize given in a contest or the contest itself.