Greek Sports Vs Roman Games

Gladiatorial events were a token of the Roman civilization. A brutal form of sacrifice adapted from the earlier civilization of Etruscans, who believed when a person dies, his spirit relies on a blood sacrifice to survive in the afterlife. The first event to take place in Rome was in 264 BC, when Decimus Brutus held a sacrifice to honor his dead father (Roman Gladiator). Soon after these events became an undeniable part of the Romans lives, used for political power and general entertainment.

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.

Early gladiator fights took place in funerals of wealthy Romans, but their main purpose was to give the people a good show. As the gladiator games grew in popularity, the funeral ritual tradition was eventually dropped and the games were staged for what they were—a display of wealth and entertainment for the masses. By approximately 90 B.C., gladiator games began taking place in circuses and forums. Circuses were elongated arenas with a spine down the middle, designed for chariot racing. In a circus, the audience had good seats but a poor view of the event. Since circuses were built for chariot races, their long and narrow shape made it difficult for someone sitting on one end to see an event going on at the other end. A good example of a circus is the Circus Maximus. This structure was the first and largest circus built by the Romans and it could hold up to 250,000 people. Forums were open gathering places in the center of a town, often with a monument in the middle. Audiences watching a gladiator event in a forum still experienced problems because the ground was flat, so only the people in the first few rows could see anything. Over the years, the gladiator games became even more elaborate to the point where some fights included fights with wild animals. So the Romans now had a problem on their hands: how to fit a large number of people in a way that let them see everything that was

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.

The gladiator fights didn’t start off with two men fighting in an arena surrounded by people it actually originated as mandatory offerings or munera owed to important men at their funerals. Munera or duty was another name for gladiator fights because it was look at as more of a duties paid to dead ancestors. The men that were being honored had generally been public figures and the munera were intended to show their prestige and of that to their family to the people of Rome. Many historians believe that the games may have come from the Etruscans who were people that occupied ancient Italy. Paintings from tombs of Estruscan show their custom of celebrating the dead with funeral games which seemed to consist of different types of contest including combat. Others have suspected the gladiatorial games have been influenced from the area of Campania where Rome had fought three wars resulting in the exchange of customs. The original purpose of these combats that took place at funerals may be looked at as human sacrifice which meant that the blood spilled by these fighters benefited the spirit of the deceased. It wasn’t

The Olympic games were an athletic competition help in Greece around every four years from 776 B.C.E. In 776 B.C.E, the first olympics were held in Athens where many competitors clashed during the sporting events. The olympics then stopped in 393 C.E. due to Theodosius I’s orders on stopping the olympic events. Later during 1896, the modern olympics began to take place. The olympics were different from the ancient olympics in that the competition was shaped due to social, political, and economic reasons.

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.

The first games were for a man named Junius Brutus in 264 BCE in Rome, Italy. Emperor Augustus saw how popular the games were getting, and he had the Colosseum built. Most of the gladiators were prisoners and sent to the arena as punishment, but in the later years, many people willingly became gladiators because of all the fame they got, and the prize if they survived, which was usually gold. Also,in the early years, when the Roman Empire would take over an area, they would take the people of that country and see if they were worthy enough to become gladiators. If the person was too weak, he would be slaughtered, but if they were worthy, they would be sent to gladiator school. The Romans would put the men into categories based on the armies the men were in. For example, the Samnite gladiator consisted of the men from Samnium. The At first, the games were for funerals, but they grew much bigger due to all the attention it got and became a much more popular game, which would be called the gladiator games. The first games were for a man named Junius Brutus in 264 BCE in Rome, Italy. Emperor Augustus saw how popular the games were getting, and he had the Colosseum built. Most of the gladiators were prisoners and sent to the arena as punishment, but in the later years, many people willingly became

The Roman gladiator games were contests between a man and an animals before spectators and it was literally a fight for one's life, but not always. The Gladiator games are one of the most common and most popular information most people know about Ancient Rome. Romans let the animals starve to make them angry so they would fight better against the humans. The Roman Gladiators were usually men, although women fought too, it wasn't as common. They were often slaves, criminals, or prisoners of war.

The Roman Gladiator were games of fighting, the word gladiator derives from the latin word gladiatores in which to their principle. Most times gladiators came from slaves and criminal of bank but not always. Most gladiators were professional fighters. The winner of the gladiator would receive a prize such as a crown, silver dish, or a dish with prize money, and after years of victories you could even win freedom. The loser would drop his weapons and raise his finger and the emperor would decide if the loser would be killed.

Stephen G. Miller, an expert Yale professor in the field of Ancient Greek athletics states that the Olympics were held “in honor of Zeus in the city of Olympia” (Miller). “The element of religion is evident in this historical event. Many people have heard of the concepts of the Greek Gods, but this level of religious involvement is interesting. These games were held “for four days every fourth summer”, a tradition that partially continues to this day (Miller). “Many festivals in ancient Greece were dedicated to the Gods” (Miller). In addition to the Olympic Games, there were also other athletic festivals which included the Pythian Games at Delphi, the Isthmian at Corinth, and the Nemean at Argos (Miller). However, the Olympics at Olympia were “the oldest and most prestigious of the four great ancient Greek athletic festivals.

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.

I suppose the Gladiatorial fights were somewhat a trademark of the Roman Empire and indeed Roman Civilisation. I expect that this has something to do with the fact that Rome was built upon bloody conquest, and the Gladiatorial fights amplify both bloody conquest and indeed a noble luxurious life. There was also an aim for all Gladiators, that turned savage blood lust entertainment into an acceptable "tournament" of the highest calibre; gladiators could be given the wooden sword, symbolising freedom; the fact that the Gladiators are working for a goal, rather than just killing each

Sports have been around for centuries, dating back to 776 BC with the first Olympic Games. Ancient civilizations like the Egyptian, Greeks and Mayans all had a sport they enjoyed taking part in. They were created to bring people together and help them settle disputes or conflicts in an organized manner. Great leaders of the ancient world saw a fascination in sports and made it part of their reign to promote the human’s natural competitiveness. Since then, new sports have emerged and also new reasons for one to play. New sports evolve every day all over the world. Everywhere in social media and magazines you will find images of famous athletes and their achievements. Not much history has been left behind by these famous civilizations except for some cave paintings and stories passed down through generations. However, these sports have helped new ones all over the world flourish and the competitive aspect has been kept intact with some modifications to minimize some of its historical brutality.

The emperors and the rich homeowners of Rome would choose their best slave to become a gladiator and fight in the arena. The masters of these slaves would train the gladiators to become better fighters, thus better representing the strength of their household. (Augustus) In the Capitol, if someone liked a contestant better than another, they would buy gifts to send in aid of the contestant. These people were called sponsors. The people of the Capitol would also place bets on the contestant they wanted to win. (Collins) Ancient Rome’s gladiatorial games shape how Collins wrote about the contestants and the role they played in the arena throughout her novel.