The Olympic Games weren’t always as majestic as they are today. In our modern times, every four years the eager anticipation of once again witnessing the talent of nationally recognized athletes competing overshadows any other occurring events; that’s exactly how it was in ancient Greece. However, the purpose for the games has shifted over time. The first Olympic games made its mark in history in 776 B.C.E. Competition within ancient Greece was intended to demonstrate power and wealth to the Greek world. The human body was treasured for its physical capacity. As a result, competitive games often tested the endurance of the body. Festivals honoring the Greek gods were also a popular setting for hosting competitions. Although they were not yet named Olympic games, these competitions attracted crowds interested in moments of exhilaration in their otherwise ordinary lives. At that time, the games were a uniting hallmark of Greek culture and religion, a recognition of athleticism, as well as an indicator of Greek wealth and prowess that contributed to Greek self-identity.1
Religious festivals were celebrations honoring the Greeks’ gods and goddesses. The Greeks praised the gods; a way of doing so was by partaking in the funeral games, such as the one that Homer tells us about in his epic poem Iliad, where the hero Achilles holds such games in honor of his dead friend Patroclus.2 Today we attend funerals that are full of sorrow and sympathy, but the services the Greeks would host were filled with enjoyment and competition. They saw this as a way to honor and worship the gods, by acting in competitive games. Many of the athletic events eventually evolved into the Olympics. Chariot races of dashing horses, wrestling and boxing matches that were barbarous, foot races, discus throwing, archery, and spear throwing were the activities everyone put their time into at this festival.3
The Greeks believed that Zeus would favor some athletes and deny victory to others, so the athletes who were not denied saw this as empowering. The Greeks loved to be seen as worthy by the gods, so when Zeus would favor certain athletes, those competitors became evermore interested in the outcome of the games. The Nemean Games honoring Zeus was a huge festival the Greeks attended. One of the myths describing the origins of these games claims that they began as funeral games for prince Opheltes, who died as a baby in Nemea. During this festival, athletic and equestrian events were held. The Greek gods contributed to the start of the games. They were divinities that the people looked up to in a literal sense, since their home was thought to be at the top of Mount Olympus, “home of the gods and goddesses.” However, who was allowed into the games? Well, it turns out that if one weren’t Greek or if one spoke a different language, one was forbidden from entering or participating. Only free men were initially allowed to participate in games. Women were prohibited from engaging in or watching the games because the games tended to get severely brutal, and such brutality would scar the eyes of the women.4
In Homer’s portrayal of the funeral games for Patroclus, the hero Diomedes was the first to win the chariot race. He was rewarded with a slave woman and a cauldron. Prizes in the Olympics weren’t always like the ones Diomedes received, but they were ones that would make a Greek famous and rich.5 The winning athletes were presented with a wreath of olive leaves. Also, the city-state or polis for which they were representing gave the competitor a monetary award.6 But for equestrian events, the rider was never given the prize; it was given to the owner of the horse. The games in the Olympics were not quite the same ones we have today. The games in ancient Greece evolved into more challenging events. For example, the chariot races then had competitors racing while wearing armor; today, we no longer have this game. A popular competitive event today is volleyball, but it did not exist in the ancient Greek events. This is an example as to the changes that have been made over time.
Preparation for their exercises during training was a big deal to the instructors and to the athletes. The Anointer played a role in their training. He was the one who would smear oil on the athletes’ bodies in a certain circular technique; he kept the athletes’ bodies relaxed by doing this. Greeks would have to train for at least ten months before they would partake in their specific duels.7 One of the famous wrestlers, Milo, is an example as to how the athletes would train. Milo carried a calf over his shoulder every day, so the heavier the calf, the faster and stronger his body became. His training led him to win thirty-two wrestling competitions; to show that he was capable of doing this he had carried an ox on his shoulders through the Olympia stadium.8
One of the most important outcomes from the start of the Greek Olympic games was that every time they hosted them, all conflicts were put on hold between all Greek poleis or city-states. The competitions were a chance for the Greeks from different poleis to intermingle. The leaders from the different poleis went to support their athletes, but also to negotiate political disputes with the other leaders. This was called the Olympic truce, meaning that there was an agreement on making sure that there would be no warfare occurring during the games. This truce was made to maintain the focus on the games. The Greek religion was mainly about worshiping the mythological gods and goddesses, so the Olympics became a practice for the people in honoring their gods. Those who participated in the games were held at a high standard because they were representing their polis. In ancient Greece, the games gave the city-states the opportunity to come together and work out their conflicts face-to-face without warfare. In the modern era, we too strive for the same thing, for the Olympics to be a bridge between peoples and a place where political differences are set aside. But there have been many situations in the past that causes it to be troubling in this era.
- Salem Press Encyclopedia, January 2016, s.v. “Religion and Mythology in Ancient Greece,” by Judy Johnson. ↵
- Homer, Iliad (Boston: Houghton Mifflin & Company, 1881), 240-252. ↵
- Salem Press Encyclopedia, January 2015, s.v. “Olympic Games in the Ancient World,” by Thomas J. Sienkewicz. ↵
- Salem Press Encyclopedia, September 2016, s.v. “Sports and Entertainment in the Ancient World,” by Patrick Adcock. ↵
- Homer, Iliad (Boston: Houghton Mifflin & Company, 1881), 240-252. ↵
- Barbara Maussier, “The New Ethical Dimension of Sports Events: a Reflection on the Evolution from the Ancient Greek Olympic Sports Festival to Postmodern Sports Events,”Cultura, Ciencia y Deporte 12, no. 34 (January 2017): 21. ↵
- Salem Press Encyclopedia, September 2016, s.v. “Sports and Entertainment in the Ancient World,” by Patrick Adcock. ↵
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, June 2017, s.v. “Milo of Croton.” ↵
73 comments
Joshua Castro
I love watching the Olympic Games and was very interested in finding out about the history through this article. I did not know that only those who were from Greece and only spoke Greek were allowed to compete in the games. I was also unaware that women were not allowed to even watch the games. This article was very interesting and provided an abundant amount of information giving the origin of the Olympic Games.
Julian Aguero
The origin of the olympic games is truly a great one. I never knew a lot of facts concerning the start of the games and this article was very helpful. I couldn’t imagine seeing these men during the first olympic games. It must have been so brutal to watch chariot races and gladiator type events. I also wonder if some men really felt that they were loved more by the Gods and that led to other participants to not even try. I couldn’t imagine seeing a man like Milo carry an ox across the games and then try to wrestle that man. I also did not know about the Olympic truce. I wonder how high the tensions were during the games since people from different poleis had to now keep truce during a religious ceremony. Ancient Greek is always fascinating and still boggles my mind to this day.
Tyler Sleeter
Very informative article. It is interesting to me how the Olympics have changed so much over time. It seems strange to me that dying during the competitions was seen as normal and acceptable when today, that sort of thing would never be allowed. I did not know the Olympics began as a way to honor the Gods and Goddesses of Greece, but it did not surprise me since many of the rituals and celebrations of Greek life were for religious reasons. It fascinated me that the games also doubled as funerals, an interesting mix of celebrations.
Mario Sosa
Reading this article made me realize that there are a lot of things that I never knew about the original Olympic games. It is hard to imagine the ancient Greek city-states putting their conflicts aside to host the Olympics, as that would have been like all of Europe putting World War II on hold just to play in the 1940 Summer Olympics. Nicely done article, outstanding job!
Erik Shannon
This is a very interesting article. I never heard the history of the Olympics until I read this article. I did not know that this was competition celebrated as festivities to show who was the most worthy. The Olympics is a big event to this day across the world that everyone looks forward to every four years. This was a very well written article.
Alexandria Martinez
It is interesting to see how the old Greek traditions have affected the world today. With the Olympics being so big in the world it is nice to see how it started off. The Olympics have come a long way it would seem, from the time of the old Greek games. It has grown into an even bigger event with more and more things that people can compete in. This article was good background on where the Olympic games came from.
Blanca Martinez
This is really cool article, I did not think or know that the Olympics today overshadowed the Olympics back then. Though I have to say that Milo and others who followed his way of training, are pretty impressive and committed, makes it very awesome to compete in their Olympics, even if back then they weren’t called the Olympics. So yeah, the sports back then were awesome, meaning that I would totally love for chariot racing to become incorporated by the Olympics done today, though I might see why they also shouldn’t be incorporated into the Olympics. All in all, this is a really cool article, thanks for writing it.
Andrea Chavez
A very good article! It’s surprising how the human being could accomplish so much. In this particular case it seems to me a bit odd how the Greeks could be so extremely competitive. But Im glad that it was so, because if not then this would have been a totally different thing. It is also very surprising to how a creation of the Olympic games started and even more that they are still used in day to day life.
Benjamin Voy
What a great article. Everyone has some knowledge of the Olympic games however I don’t know an awful lot. Its so amazing to hear the true background of the games and how they were used to worship the Greek Gods. It blows my mind that only men were allowed to perform but i suppose that was just the norm for back then. Fantastically written article that is exciting and informative.
Eduardo Foster
It is a very interesting article! It is amazing that with going of the years new disciplines have been added and how the celebrations also have change. Now in days the celebration is to see great athletes and support your country. Back in the days was more motivational to compete defending a God or goddess. Great article and keep it up with the good work!