Olympic Games of Ancient Greece

The Olympic Games of Ancient Greece began in the summer of 776 BC at Olympia (Peloponnese peninsula of southern Greece) and were revived in the late 19th century to become the world’s pre-eminent sporting competition.
They were one of the two central rituals in ancient Greece - the ancient Olympics were a religious festival as well as an athletic event.
The other religious festival of the Eleusinian Mysteries (Greek: Ἐλευσίνια Μυστήρια) was held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at the Panhellenic Sanctuary of Eleusis.
Sculptors, poets, painters and other artisans would come to the games to display their works in an artistic competition.
Poets would be commissioned to write poems in praise of the Olympic victors and victory songs were passed on from generation to generation.
The Olympic Games of Ancient Greece were part of a cycle known as the Panhellenic Games, which included the:
Pythian Games
The Pythian Games had various athletic and chariot races as well as musical competitions every four years at Delphi in honor of the god Apollo.
They flourished alongside the Olympics from around 582 BC until they were discontinued in 394 AD.
Nemean Games
The Nemean Games (Greek: Νέμεια) established in 573 BC in the northern Peloponnese were athletic and musical competitions held in honor of Zeus, in July, at the great Temple of Zeus at Nemea, in Argolis (the foremost seat of power of the Mycenaeans).
They occurred in the same years as the Isthmian Games - in the second and fourth years of each Olympiad.
Isthmian Games
The Isthmian Games were a festival of athletic and musical competitions in honor of the sea god Poseidon, held in the spring of the second and fourth years of each Olympiad at the sanctuary of Poseidon on the Isthmus of Corinth.
On the highest peak of the nearby mountains, stood the temple of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty.

Olympic Games of Ancient Greece-Olympia

Olympic Games of Ancient Greece
Olympia (Greek: Ολυμπία), a small town in Elis on the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece was a major Panhellenic religious sanctuary of ancient Greece, where the ancient Olympic Games were held throughout Classical Antiquity, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD
The Olympic Games of ancient Greece were always held every four years at the "sacred" sanctuary of Olympia (Mount Olympus was home of the Greek gods), between August 6 and September 19 during a religious festival to honor their most famous god, Zeus, king of the Greek gods.
Divided into independent city-states, the ancient Greeks were often at war with each other.
However, in times of war, they would declare a truce so their athletes could take part in the Olympics and religious pilgrims could travel from their cities to the games in safety.
The ancient Olympics became famous throughout all the Greek city-states - their influence was so great that ancient historians began to measure time by the four-year
increments in between Olympic Games, which were known as Olympiads.
The ancient Olympics Games featured competitions such as the pentathlon (five events - the jump, discus, foot race, javelin and wrestling) and the pankration (a combination of wrestling and boxing) - horse races, and chariot races were held in the hippodrome south of the stadium.
Athletes from all Greek city-states and kingdoms were allowed to participate as long as they were free Greek males - farmhands, royal heirs and soldiers became Olympians.
Athletes who specialized in certain events, worked intensively with professional trainers.
Athletes had to swear a solemn oath to the god, Zeus that they would not sin against the Olympic Games - so too, did their fathers, brothers, trainers and judges.
Victors at the Olympics made gifts of animals, produce or small cakes, to thank the god Zeus for their successes.
Their feats were honored and immortalised in poems and statues - they were also chronicled for future generations.
Olive Wreath
Olympic Games of Ancient Greece
The olive wreath, (also known as kotinos - Greek: κότινος) was the prize for the winner at the ancient Olympics Games made from the branches of the sacred wild-olive tree (Kallistefanos Elea that grew at Olympia) near the temple of Zeus.
These branches were cut by a pais amphithales (Greek: παῖς ἀμφιθαλής, a boy whose parents were both alive) with a pair of golden scissors and then taken to the temple of Hera to be placed on a gold-ivory table.
From there, the Hellanodikai (judges of the Olympic Games) would take these branches of the wild olive tree to make intertwined wreaths to form a circle or a horse-shoe that crowned the winners of the Games.
Victors became famous wealthy through subsidies from their home city-states and from wealthy sponsors.
Women Athletes
Women could only compete in chariot racing if they owned horses but were raced by males.
Unmarried females had their own athletic contests through the Herean Festival held every four years in honor of Hera (wife of Zeus) at Olympia.
Generally, while most women in ancient Greece were kept in seclusion regarding athletic activities, Spartan women of the elite spartiate class were trained to excel in sports.
Sparta encouraged female athleticism because they believed that strong women produced strong children who ultimately would become strong soldiers for the powerful Spartan army.
Ban of the Ancient Greek Olympics
After the Roman Empire conquered Greece in 146 BC, the Games continued, but their standard and quality declined.
In 86 BC the Roman general Sulla robbed Olympia and Epidaurus of Greek treasuries to finance a war.
The Romans eventually banned the Olympics in 393 AD.

Famous Ancient Greek Athletes

Coroebus of Elis
Coroebus of Elis (Greek: Κόροιβος Ἠλεῖος), a Greek cook, baker and athlete is remembered as the first Olympic champion of the first recorded Olympics in 776 BC at Olympia.
He was the victor of the footrace known as the stade or stadion (origin of the modern “stadium” - also ancient Greek unit of length - 600 Greek feet, 630.8 English feet, 192.27 m) long.
For winning the race, Coroebus received an olive wreath and was revered by the people of Elis (Greek: Ἦλις - southern Greece on the Peloponnese).
Leonidas of Rhodes
One of the greatest Olympians of all-time, ancient or modern, Leonidas of Rhodes (Greek: Λεωνίδας ὁ Ῥόδιος - born 188 BC) won four consecutive Olympiads - the prestigious sprints, the stadion, the diaulos and the race in armour from 164BC - 152BC.
He was 36 years old when he won his 12th Olympic wreath and was hailed with the title "Triastes" (tripler).
Diagoras of Rhodes
Diagoras of Rhodes (Greek: Διαγόρας ὁ Ῥόδιος) was an Ancient Greek boxer from the 5th century BC, who was celebrated for his victories as well as the victories of his sons and grandsons who also became Olympic champions.
Diagoras was victor in boxing twice in the Olympic games, four times in the Isthmian, twice in the Nemean, and once in the Pythian Games.
The fame of Diagoras and his descendants was celebrated by Pindar (Olympian Odes VII).
"Diagoras F.C.", a local soccer club and "Diagoras" International Airport in Rhodes Island, Greece are named after him.
Milon of Croton
Olympic Games of Ancient Greece
Milo or Milon of Croton (late 6th century BC) was a famous ancient Greek athlete from the Greek colony of Croton ((now Crotone, Calabria), an Achaean Greek colony in southern Italy (Magna Graecia).
His name is a proverbial symbol for extraordinary strength and the pursuit of excellence since antiquity.
Milo was the most renowned wrestler in antiquity - a six-time Olympic victor; once for boys wrestling in 540 BC at the 60th Olympics, and five-time wrestling champion at the 62nd through 66th Olympiads - he also competed in many of the Pythian Games.
Milo would train in the off years by carrying a newborn calf on his back every day until the Olympics took place so that by the time of the Games were to begin, he was carrying a four-year-old cow on his back.
All the great historians of his time referenced him, including both Herodotus and Aristotle.
Astylos of Croton (Magna Graecia)
Astylos of Croton (Greek: Ἄστυλος ὁ Κροτωνιάτης) won six titles at three successive Olympic Games - in 488 and 484 BC he won the stadion and diaulos (Greek: Δίαυλος) a double-stadion race of 400 metres (1,300 feet).
In 480 BC he won the stadion, diaulos, and hoplitodromos (Greek: ὁπλιτόδρομος, English translation: "race of the hoplites" - heavily armed foot soldier), an ancient foot race where competitors wore a helmet, shield and greaves (armor that protects the leg) that was part of the Olympic Games and the other Panhellenic Games.
Phaylos of Croton (Magna Graecia)
Phayllos of Croton (Greek: Φάϋλλος) was an ancient Greek athlete and a naval commander from Croton in southern Italy, who outfitted and commanded a ship at the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC - he received praise for his exploits by Herodotus, the Father of History.
Phayllos won three victories in the Pythian Games, two of them in the pentathlon and once in the stadion.
For these achievements he was honoured with a statue at Delphi.
Alexander the Great sent treasures he had seized in Persia to Croton out of admiration for the military prowess of this athlete.
Melankomas of Caria (Asia Minor)
Melankomas (Greek: Μελανκόμας or Μελαγκόμας) was an Ancient Greek boxing champion from Caria (Greek: Καρία, a region of western Anatolia in Asia Minor) and victor in the 207th Olympiad (49 AD).
Because of his unmatched condition and endurance, he developed a unique fighting technique by blocking and avoiding the punches of the other boxer without throwing any himself until his opponent eventually became exhausted and submitted.
Phillip of Macedon
Olympic Games of Ancient Greece
Philip II of Macedon (Greek: Φίλιππος Philippos; 382 BC – October 336 BC) was the king of Macedonia from 359 BC until 336 BC - he was the father of Alexander the Great.
Phillip of Macedon owned horses and stables that won titles at the 356, 352 and 348 BC Olympic Games.
Cynisca
Cynisca (Greek: Κυνίσκα; born 442 BC) was a wealthy Spartan princess who became famous for being the first woman to win at the Olympic Games with her horse teams she had trained and competed in the four-horse chariot race (tethrippon Greek: τέθριππον) driven by male charioteers in 396 BC.
In 392 BC, she entered her horses in the Olympics for a second time and was awarded another victory.
To commemorate her Olympic achievements, Cynisca dedicated a set of bronze statues which depicted herself, her charioteer, her chariot and her horses at the Temple of Zeus in Olympia - an inscription, declared that she was the only woman to win the chariot events at the Olympic Games.
Cynisca also dedicated another monument with the same inscription in Sparta.

First Modern Olympic Games

Olympic Games of Ancient Greece
The first modern Olympic Games took place in 1896 in Athens, and featured 280 participants from 12 nations, competing in 43 events and featured the first Olympic marathon, which followed the 25-mile route run by the Greek soldier, Pheidippides, who had run to announce the Athenian victory over the Persians in the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC.
The 1896 Summer Olympics (Greek: Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 1896), officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad (Greek: Αγώνες της 1ης Ολυμπιάδας) was the first international Olympic Games held in modern history that was organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which had been created by French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin in 1894 who wanted to fully imitate the ancient Greek Olympics in every way.
Athens was unanimously chosen to stage the inaugural modern Games in Paris on 23 June 1894 because Greece was the birthplace of the Ancient Olympic Games.
Fourteen nations and 241 male athletes took part in the games.
All were European or living in Europe - the only exception was the United States team.
65% of the competing athletes were Greek.
Winners were given a silver medal, while runners-up received a copper medal.
The IOC eventually converted these to gold, silver and bronze medals.
German wrestler and gymnast Carl Schuhmann was the most successful competitor winning four events.
The United States won the most gold medals - 11.
Greece won the most medals overall - 47.
Highlight for the Greeks was the marathon victory by their compatriot Spyridon Louis (Greek: Σπυρίδων Λούης - 12 January 1873 – 26 March 1940) a former soldier who was encouraged to try out for the Olympics by his former commanding officer.
He crossed the finishing line first at the 1896 Olympic Games and was celebrated as a national hero in Greece.
The official symbol of the modern Olympic Games today, is five interlocking colored rings, representing the continents of North and South America, Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia - the Olympic flag, featuring this symbol on a white background, flew for the first time at the Antwerp Games in 1920.

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