What Is Ancient Olympics?

The Olympic games began in 776 B.C, as a ceremonial series of events to honor the Greek King of the gods, Zeus. It included sports such as wrestling, chariot races, discus throwing, and javelin. The Olympics in these ancient times, were regarded as extremely important and anyone who had lost had to face severe repercussions from their own countrymen when they went back. However, victors were held in high esteem and were honored greatly when they returned home.

“Although the ancient Games were staged … from 776 BC through 393 AD, it took 1503 years for the Olympics to return” (The Games). The Olympic Games were very important to the Greeks just like the Games are a huge spectacle for the world now. The Games were always important to the Greeks because the Olympics tied into their religion. The Greeks used the Olympics to worship their gods by showing their strength and gifts that the gods had given them. Once the Greeks lost their empire, the Olympics died off. Modern day people did not warm up to the idea of the Olympics until the 1900s. Once they warmed up to the idea of the Olympics, they took off with it, and it is now a global spectacle. The Olympics has a rich history, significant purpose,

The first of those occasions was the funeral games, which purpose was to honor a fallen hero of war (56). Today it would seem out of place to announce an athletic competition right after a funeral service was held for a fallen soldier. Homer’s heroes had to be fatigued from battle, but yet the funeral games commence. Grief has overtaken Achilles, but he still prepared the funeral feast for Patroclus, proving his honor and devotion to Patroclus (Homer, Iliad 23. 8-13). This is an example of the ideology that Homer’s characters lived by in the epic poems. Homer’s characters upheld “an agonistic heroic ethos, a moral order stressing honor and piety and a hierarchical social order based on elite display and nonelite difference” (Kyle 55). The second occasion for athletic contests was for recreation (53). This is a sporting event that today’s world can understand. Whether its little league or high school sports, everyone enjoys these athletic events. The games in Phaeacia in Odyssey 8 were about entertainment, and the king was seeking to impress their guest Odysseus (63). The king wanted to show off the athletic capabilities of the Phaeacians (63). He wanted Odysseus to return to his home, and tell everyone how great the Phaeacians were at “boxing, wrestling, jumping and footraces” (Homer, Odyssey 8. 110-114). The Phaeacians are not Greek, and war was not a factor for them (Kyle 64). King

Third, Greece valued competition and because of their desire for the perfect body and their intense passion for competition, they founded the Olympic Games. Modern day society continues to celebrate the Olympic Games, and the games still bring nations together, to converse and share ideas. Additionally, three things remain constant from the original Greek Olympic Games; they are held every four years; they have opening and closing ceremonies, and the winning athletes are still treated with abundant importance. (“The Ancient Olympics.”)

The olympics were one of the greece favorite things they were celebrating it in honor of there gods like in todays olympics it took place every four years in olympia the first olympics was said to be held in 700 B.C. in honor of zeus and women could not watch the games on only greeks could participate. In 472 B.C. the games went from a one day festival to a five days with many

Athletic festivals like the Olympics were held in Greece to offer athletes the chance to compete in events to obtain glory and acclaim. Competitors would often size up the competition before they competed and sometimes this led to athletes withdrawing themselves from the competition all together before it even began. This seems ridiculous as these athletes would train year round for these festivals and one would assume they would compete at all costs. However, in ancient Greece, some athletes would rather withdraw and not compete at all than suffer the blow to their ego that comes with losing to another athlete (Scanlon 80). In their minds, the chance of public humiliation should be avoided at all costs.

"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.

One exceptionally significant custom of the Greeks still observed today is the Olympics. These ancient games incorporated a concept of free athletic competition without bloodshed. If the Greeks

These athletes were admired upon. I found quite a lot of similarities between ancient olympics and modern day sports. First, the ancient Olympics were the first competitive sports competed and largely publicized. Second, the athletes are held up to a pedestal. Third, they are admired and honored for anything positive they do.

There has always been different ways humans have shown their joy and pride through the cultures they live in. The Olympic Games that were held in ancient Greece were forms of celebration and entertainment for Greeks. These ancient games have ranged from a variety of sports such as boxing and wrestling. The energy and pleasure that these ancient games have had have also influenced the way philosophers and women saw them. In addition, these traditional games have been going on for thousands of years and they have drastically been through numerous changes. However in the end, these games have became a major aspect of the overall Greek culture people know today.

In the ancient Greek Olympics the athletes would compete to be known as the best competitor in their city

The Olympics feature the best athletes in the world competing in a variety of sports. Many of these sports are common, like swimming, running, and gymnastics. But the Olympics games have also included some uncommon sports. Some of these sports can even be considered strange, odd, and even weird.

However, because the game was linked to religious beliefs in honoring the Greek God Zeus. Everyone near and far attended the games and during that time a special truce was created between cite states to ensure safe travel from cite- state to cite-state. For many part-taking in the Olympic was their way of bringing honor the their community, a lifelong dream or serving their gods proudly. The athletes of the Olympic game were put through vigorous training and exercise. Attendants of the games were to arrive four weeks in advance, and undergo a full month of training. Most competitors of the game had to however prove that they were morally, spiritually

The Olympics is a cultural event still going on today. The Olympics in Greek Mythology was honored all to Zeus. It represents the true warriors, athletes, and men of the country. It first started when Zeus, God of the sky, defeated Kronos in a battle for king and royalty. The event happened every four years for the Olympics. The Nemean games happened every other year at the shrine of Zeus. Again to honor him, in a city called Nemea, a place in Peloponnesus. Those were the two of the four games. The others were Isthmian Games and the Pythian games. The competition had athletic and musical contests. The first ever games held were in 573 BC. Greeks enjoyed lots of sports and competitions. Archeologists have found lots of artifacts from these times and noticed that the athletes worked hard to earn the right to be known as, “the great one,” or the ablest. Gymnasiums were discovered by archaeologist all over the cities and were used for training like jumping, running, wrestling, boxing, javelin throwing, and conditioning. Their trainers were called paidotribes because they helped them get stronger and have lots of stamina. If the rules were not followed they would get whipped. These games and events