Greek Peace Keeping

The Ancient Olympic Games took place during a time of prosperity for the nation of Greece. In fact, they contributed to the success of the Greek Empire. The Olympic Games reinforced the power of ancient rulers, brought peace with the surrounding nations, and created a reliable way to track time. These ancient games have had such an influence, that they are still continued in our modern society.

The Persian War had a great impact on Greek society, particularly allowing them to become united during and after the Persian War. The Greek city-states that used to fight amongst themselves had now became united under one common threat allowing ideas to flow more freely than they had before. This unification lasted long after the Persian threat had subsided but the impact that unification had, was undeniable allowing advances in government, philosophy, art, theater, and architecture. In fact, the advances the Ancient Greeks made during the Classical period still impact lives today.

In 776 B.C a new era began for athletes. The first olympic games were held in Olympia, Greece. “The ancient games were not only an expression and definition of common cultural values, but also an arena for intense competition between Greeks.” (Gold, silver, and bronze) The olympics were an important part of Ancient Greece culture because, it brought their civilization together, kept the greeks fit and ready for war, and the games were used to satisfy their gods.

matter, but it was also to celebrate the strongest athletes. The Olympics have carried the torch every

The olympics were shaped due to social reasons. Document 1’s author, Pierre de Coubertin, who is the founder of the modern Olympics, is a reliable asset to pursuing ideal peace with many other countries. The reason why he wants peace is because he wants to have the “disappearance of war” to be “utopians” which shows that he believes that the olympics one of the best answers to his goal. Similarly, in document 6, the Soviet Union’s Olympic organizing Committee also want to take part with “peace, democracy, and social progress.” This shows how more and more countries, even those with bad ties with others,

War has affected the lives of humans for hundreds of years now and is a major result and contributing factor to the absence of peace. The greek god Ares, who established his power through war, was a major contributor to the physical and emotional toll on the ancient Greeks . His control over wars made impact to the outcome of the wars. It also determined the level of peace during his time. Without Ares, ancient Greece would not have been filled with hatred and would have been more peaceful.

The Olympics is one of the few activities that brings the world together. The Olympics first started in the ancient times, dating back to 776 BC. They were first dedicated to Olympian gods, but modern games are to give athletes an opportunity to show their skill, and for others to enjoy watching them (“History”). The first modern world wide olympics was held in Athens, Greece in 1896, having 14 countries participate, with over 200 total athletes.

warfare, to the styles of art and government. In Ancient Greece, every four years rival city-states would set aside their differences and participate in what we call today The Olympic Games. Even though in present time we don't use the original traditions of Ancient Greece, the very idea of The Olympics Games came from Ancient Greece. The impact of The Olympic Games has made on American history is tremendous. An ancient Greek poet once wrote, “As in the daytime there is no star in the sky warmer and brighter than the sun, likewise there is no competition greater than the Olympic Games.” What the poet is believed to be trying to say is that The Olympic Games is very important for the city-states and always resorts in a positive outcome. Just as present day Olympics, it's a time where countries come together to compete in friendly sports like soccer, basketball, swimming, etc. It's a time of fun and competition between countries. If

The olympics have been around for ages and almost a thousand years in ancient times. According to many people the olympic of ancient times can be traced back to 776 b.c and goes all the way to 393 A.D. The records state that the games were played in the island of pelops. The Games were dominated by the cult followers of zeus. Religion and the games were also stated to be very close in relation.

The purpose of the ancient Greek Olympic Games was not to boost the status of your country like it is today, but to honor the Greek Gods. More specifically to honor the God Zeus, who was also known as “Father of Gods and men. The son of Cronus and Rhea was a wise and fair God who ruled both Heaven and Earth. His official title was King of Mount Olympus which is also the home of the Greek Gods. People worshiped Zeus due to his high authority, and because he controlled lightening and thunder which he used as weapons. Zeus held many titles such as patron of hospitality, keeper of oaths, and God of crops and harvest. The Greeks wanted to insure that they would have good fortune. To do so they went to Greek temples and prayed. Greek Gods were a

The Greek games become incredibly important to the city-states because they brought the Greek world together and Greece became one and not the separate city sates. In trade the Olympics games become a mecca of Greek society every four years where hundreds of Greeks would travel thousands of miles to watch these games.1Having a colossal Olympic event in your biggest and most important city makes Athena’s the unofficial capital of these city-states. The Olympics economically greatly improved the standing of all Greek city-states.

Although the original ancient Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 B.C, Homer’s Iliad indicates they may have existed as early as the twelfth century BC. The Games were then continued for twelve centuries and were devoted to Olympian deities. Olympia turned into the site of these memorable ancient Olympic games that scattered the seeds for the largest global sporting events of current times, the Modern Olympics. The location of the Ancient Olympics is situated in the western part of Peloponnese. The Ancient Olympic Games continued until 393 A.D when Emperor Theodosius I of Rome discontinued them. There were not any more Olympic games for fifteen hundred years before they were resurrected in 1896 in the city of Athens. The man in charge of the recreation of the Olympic games was a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who introduced the thought in 1894. He proposed to stage the games in Paris in 1900 but representatives, from thirty-four nations were so captivated with the idea that they persuaded him to move the Games up to 1896 and have Athens serve as the host.

"The Olympics are a wonderful metaphor for world cooperation, the kind of international competition that's wholesome and healthy, an interplay between countries that represents the best in all of us,” said John Williams, the composer for theme music for the Olympics (8). The Olympic Games are international sports festivals that began in ancient Greece. The first ancient Olympics can be traced back to 776 BC when people held this religious festival to honour Zeus, the father of all the Greek gods and goddesses. The participants were male citizens from Greece, and these athletes participated in only one event — foot race. Unfortunately, this ancient Olympics did not last forever. The first olympic in 776 BC in Olympia was an significant event

While there are clear contrasts between the ancient and the modern Olympics there is still the respect for the athlete striving to perform at the highest level. Today, the Olympic Games are the world's largest carnival of athletic skill and competitive spirit. They are displays of nationalism, commerce, and politics. These important elements of the Olympics are not a modern invention, as the first Olympics was in 776 BC in Ancient Greece. After 1503 years, in 1896 the Olympic Games were recreated as what we know today. The Ancient Games were once dedicated to the Olympian God, Zeus Olympios and were staged on the ancient plains of Olympia, which is also how the word ‘Olympics’ originated from. The modern Olympics is the largest international sporting event, which feature both summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of respectable athletes from over 200 different nations compete against one another. There are clear contrast between the modern and ancient forms of the Olympic Games regarding uniforms, participants, religion, events, politics and the concept of amateurism. However both the Ancient Greeks and the people in the modern world still respect and admire the athletics achievements of the participants making the Olympics the most highly regarded contest in sport.

At first thought, it may be difficult to understand any possible connection between sports and politics. The New International Webster's Dictionary of the English Language defines politics as 'the science of government', and sports as 'a particular game or physical activity pursued for diversion'. On the surface the two concepts have very little in common, yet their connection can be traced to antiquity and the first organized sporting events. The first Olympic games took place in Greece in the ninth century, b.c.e. to worship the gods, win personal glory, and, most importantly, unite the Greek city-states. At that time, Greece was made up of many small, isolated communities which, as they flourished, sought to dominate the others.