Greece is a country full of the juxtaposition between the classic and the new. In Athens, cars, busses and motorcycles fill the winding streets lined with statues of antiquity. Modern museums full of ancient artifacts rest under the Acropolis. The Parthenon, as ancient as it is, is under construction, with large cranes and scaffolding surrounding it. While there is a conflict between the classic and modern, the new often looks to the ancient for inspiration, which can easily be seen when comparing the ancient Olympic Games to the modern Olympic Games, as well as when looking at the history of the Panathenaic Stadium.
The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896. Athletes from 14 countries competed in 43 events. Of these events,
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In fact, the ancient games have very less in common with the modern Games than one may think. For example, many literary traditions say that there was only one event for the first 13 Olympic Games, the Stadion Race, a foot race of only 600 feet. The winner of the first Olympic Stadion was Koroibos, a cook from the nearby city of Elis. Athletes also competed naked, although it is not sure if it was that way from the beginning, or nudity was introduced by the Spartans later on. All that is known for certain is that by the late 8th century, nudity during the games was commonplace (“The Games”). Another difference was the lack of women in the ancient Olympics, in competition and as audience members, although young girls were allowed (Cartwright, …show more content…
One myth on the origins of the Games state that Zeus stated the Olympics to commemorate his defeat of Kronos. In actuality first Games were held during a festival to honor Zeus (Cartwright, 2013). The revival of the Olympics in 1896 can be seen as a way to honor ancient Greece and ancient Greek traditions. Both times the Games were motivated by giving honor to what was important, in one case, a god, in the other, ancient tradition. Another similarity between the ancient and the modern Games is the reason for competing. In both cases, winning the games means bringing glory and fame to oneself, as well as one’s home, in ancient times, one’s city, modern, one’s country. Another striking similarity is the presence of opening ceremonies. During the modern Games, the host country puts on the opening ceremony which according to Olympic protocol includes a cultural show and ends with a procession of all competing athletes by country, and the lighting of the Olympic Torch. During the procession of athletes, according to tradition the Greek team is always first, followed by the rest in alphabetical order according to the host country’s language, while the host country’s team is last. The opening ceremonies of the ancient Games involved a procession from Elis to Olympia, led by the judges, and upon arrival, all involved parties swore an oath to follow all rules and compete with honor and respect (Cartwright,
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.
In the article “Organized Greek Games “, William J. Baker’s goal is to educate readers on the differences between the ancient Greek Olympic Games, and today’s modern Olympic Games. William Baker not only explains the physical aspects of the games , but the relationship between the Greek religion and the Olympic games as well. William Baker’s article follows his thesis well; which was, “Virtually everyone knows that the modern Olympics are patterned on the Olympic Games of ancient Greece, yet few people have more than a hazy understanding of the original Olympics”.(article,pp58) William Baker wrote the “Organized Greek Games” in chronological order. An example of Baker writing the article chronologically, is when William Baker describes the Greek game 's schedule, and the events that were planned for each day in order. “the duration of the festival was set at five days, with only two and a half days devoted to the games themselves. the first day was given to religious ceremonies.”(article,pp61) In the “Organized Greek Games” William Baker quotes Socrates,“the body must bear its part in whatever man; and in all the services required from the body, it is of the utmost importance to have it in the best possible condition.”(pp.65) Baker got the information from primary sources. Some other primary sources used in the article other than Socrates, are from Milo Crotan, Ancient Philosophers, and Plato. (article,pp.65,66)
These example show how while the Panhellenic Games did create some unintentional unity amongst the Greeks, the unity was in no way finite or stable as many athletes and spectators retained their sense of city-state patriotism and superiority. The Panhellenic Games even seems to have encouraged these de-unifying
Miller’s purpose for writing the book Ancient Greek Athletics is to teach the audience about ancient Greek Games and how this important subject can teach us more about our own world. He accomplishes this goal by using the artifacts he has studied along with the history itself to guide the audience in their journey toward appreciating Greek heritage. In this book, Miller addresses the Olympic Games that began more than twenty-five hundred years ago. I learned many different things throughout this book including: the participants, all the different athletic
The first accounts of the Ancient Olympic games trace back to the year 776 BC. Held at Olympia, the games were thought to have been dedicated to the ‘Olympian gods’, Hera, Athena, Apollo and most prodimately, Zeus, the god of the sky and the ruler of the Olympian gods. Ancient myths associated with the beginning games stated that Zeus, the father of humanity, have fought and defeated Cronus in a battle for the throne of the gods. Others predicted demigod Herakles staged the games in Zeus’s honour, as he had assisted him in conquering Elis. Olympia, the site in which the games were held, was located in the Western part of the Peloponnese. The sacred area held numerous temples and sporting facilities, as the site was used for both the Ancient Olympic games
The Greeks set up athletic events in honor of Zeus for which the Olympics was made.
The events were held in Athens, Greece. One big difference between the two were that the Ancient Greek Olympics were always held in Olympia. Now every four years the location changes. America was one of the 13 nations to compete in the modern olympics of 1896. America won 20 medals, 11 gold, 7 silver, and 2 bronze.
Ancient Olympics originated in a religious way and influenced modern Olympics greatly in many forms. The Olympics were a very important part of Greek culture because it honored their god, Zeus. Gods played an important role in the ancient Olympics but slowly started focusing more on competition. Like today, participating in the Olympics was a great honor and the winners were well rewarded and respected. The Olympics have brought people together for several years to compete and have fun, at least for the viewers. The Olympics started off from naked Greek men, to all genders and ethnicities competing.
The first time that we know of the Olympics were held was way back in 776 BCE in Olympia. The Olympic's weren’t only used as entertainment but as practice for war. For example, the soldiers running in full body armor was practice for a sneak attack against the enemies. Another
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 Olympic games were firstly introduced in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece, as a religious celebration to honor Zeus, a god in Ancient Greek mythology. It was a series of athletic competitions where representatives from each city-state and then compete to become a winner. Nowadays, the modern Olympic games have become one of the most prestigious events in the world. There are thousands of participants and athletes come from hundreds of countries all over the world to compete in more than 50 sports. The first modern Games was held in Athens, Greece, in 1896 and then followed by the winter games that were started in 1924. Each game is held quadrennial with a two-year difference between summer and winter games. The Olympic games are managed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and there is also a representative committee in several countries around the world which is called National Olympic Games Committee (NOC).
The Ancient Greeks were the first people to invent the olympic games. The events can be traced back as far as 776 B.C. That's about 1,970 years before the first modern olympic games! The ancient games were always held in Olympia, the reason is that it was a major religious center at that time. No one really knows who started the ancient games, but there have been many myths about the story behind them.. One myth is about a challenger of King Oinomaos, “One tale says King Oinomaos of Pisa would only allow a man who could beat him in a chariot race marry his daughter Hippodamia, but if the challenger lost, he would be beheaded. Prince Pelops wished to marry Hippodamia and crafted a plan to beat Oinomaos. Pelops won
"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
First of all, the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. The man responsible for its rebirth was a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin. Today, the Olympic Games are the world's largest pageant of athletic skill and competitive spirit.
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.