Why Were The Olympic Games Important To The Greeks

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.

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.

This Greek play expressed the values of family and respect. Greek dramas have been contributions because they were the building blocks of movies, more plays and other forms of entertainment. Over time, they have become more creative with more actors and more colorful costumes. In classical Greece, there were only three actors with masks to show different characters. The Olympics have also made a huge impact. The Olympics was a huge event where specifically males participated in various competitive events. Discus throwing was a popular event in which people competed to see who could throw a large stone disc the farthest. The Olympics have been a contribution because it is a much more popular and larger event today. In today’s era, the Olympics are played every four years. A wide range of competitions and sports have been added to the Olympics and it is participated in world wide.

The Olympics helped the Greeks civilization by providing entertainment to the people. it gave people jobs and opportunities to win big prizes if you win. it also brought in lots of money to greek to watch the Olympics. the Olympics also brought in more people in their land which was good for them because some of the people who come to watch the Olympics might want to stay and see some of their tourist attractions. this would help make the population of the Greek people bigger than it is. which would bring in more money to Greece and it would make Greece a more popular country.

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 Greeks set up athletic events in honor of Zeus for which the Olympics was made.

My third and final reason for the Olympic Games being important is, the Olympic Games have long been used as a political tool, especially as a tool of global publicity and to give a good political image. Historically, in 393, Theodosius the Great, banned the games because there was too much bribery and corruption going on and the games did not return until 1896. More recently, the 1936 games in berlin were choreographed by the Nazi party as a form of propaganda showing German superiority.

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 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.

When you think of the Olympics, you most likely think of gymnastics, soccer, swimming, hockey and many more events. However, very few of the sports that are competed in now existed when the Olympics first began. They have evolved considerably over the last 3,000 years. First of all, there were very few events compared to how many there are now. Also, the Olympics went from only being known in Greece to being “the world’s preeminent sporting competition.” (History.com)

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 have been a great tradition since they began long ago in Greece. They have continued throughout the years and have evolved into what they are today. There are many similarities and differences between the modern Olympics of today and the ancient Olympics that were held long ago.

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.