The Ancient Olympics began in 776 B.C.E. and last until they were outlawed for being non-Christian in 394 C.E. Throughout the Olympics the events and the athletes were changing as well as Ancient Olympia itself. The Ancient Olympics began as just a footrace and expanded to eventually include a variety of sports that challenge athletes in different ways. Some interesting additions to the events were the armored run, and the pankration, which was essentially an all-out brawl. As the events expanded and the amount of visitors increased, Ancient Olympia expanded with new buildings and temples. The Ancient Olympics included more than just sports, it was a giant festival to honor Zeus. And as time went on the Athletes changed as well. At the beginning it was about pure brawn and athleticism, but as the events grew old, new strategies were invented and tactics became important. Zeus commanded great respect, so only the best events, the best facilities, and the best athletes were allowed to honor him in the Ancient Olympics.
The following picture is from http://www.fightleague.org/
Pankration
Cathedral Tour Pictures (Analysis Under Discussion)
National Cathedral
Wellington Cathedral
Ancient Olympia 3-D Model
These were the examples that I based my model off of:
The information that I used for the buildings was from http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics
Description: My construction for my topic of the Ancient Olympics was a 3D model of Ancient Olympia. The model includes most of the important buildings in Ancient Olympia. Starting with the upper left is the gymnasium and below it is the palaestra. Both buildings were used to train athletes. The small building below the palaestra was the workshop for the famous sculptor Pheidias who made many sculptures around Olympia. Below that is the hotel for the athletes, called the Leonidaion. The temple with the pillars at the top of the model is the Temple of Hera, which was used for both Hera and Zeus until Zeus got his own temple. Directly below that are the megaron of Oinomaos, the tumulus of Pelops, and the altar of Zeus. The large temple to the south is the famous Temple of Zeus. At the far north is the row of treasuries that were owned by the city-states. And finally to the far East is the stadium which was placed on a hill, and there were only a few seats for the judges.
White Tagboard, Mapping it Out
Starting to Build
More Buildings
Final Product
The Ancient Olympiad
Chapter 8 of Pausanias's "Description of Greece" 160 C.E. (Primary Document)
Later on there came （they say） from Crete Clymenus, the son of Cardys, about fifty years after the flood came upon the Greeks in the time of Deucalion. He was descended from Heracles of Ida; he held the games at Olympia and set up an altar in honor of Heracles, his ancestor, and the other Curetes, giving to Heracles the surname of Parastates （Assistant）. And Endymion, the son of Aethlius, deposed Clymenus, and set his sons a race in Olympia with the kingdom as the prize.
[2] And about a generation later than Endymion, Pelops held the games in honor of Olympian Zeus in a more splendid manner than any of his predecessors. When the sons of Pelops were scattered from Elis over all the rest of Peloponnesus, Amythaon, the son of Cretheus, and cousin of Endymion on his father's side （for they say that Aethlius too was the son of Aeolus, though supposed to be a son of Zeus）, held the Olympian games, and after him Pelias and Neleus in common.
[3] Augeas too held them, and likewise Heracles, the son of Amphitryon, after the conquest of Elis. The victors crowned by Heracles include Iolaus, who won with the mares of Heracles. So of old a competitor was permitted to compete with mares which were not his own. Homer,1 at any rate, in the games held in honor of Patroclus, has told how Menelaus drove a pair of which one was Aetha, a mare of Agamemnon, while the other was his own horse.
[4] Moreover, Iolaus used to be charioteer to Heracles. So Iolaus won the chariot-race, and Iasius, an Arcadian, the horse-race; while of the sons of Tyndareus one won the foot-race and Polydeuces the boxing-match. Of Heracles himself it is said that he won victories at wrestling and the pancratium.
[5] After the reign of Oxylus, who also celebrated the games, the Olympic festival was discontinued until the reign of Iphitus. When Iphitus, as I have already related,2 renewed the games, men had by this time forgotten the ancient tradition, the memory of which revived bit by bit, and as it revived they made additions to the games.
[6] This I can prove; for when the unbroken tradition of the Olympiads began there was first the foot-race, and Coroebus an Elean was victor. There is no statue of Coroebus at Olympia, but his grave is on the borders of Elis. Afterwards, at the fourteenth Festival,3 the double foot-race was added: Hypenus of Pisa won the prize of wild olive in the double race, and at the next Festival Acanthus of Lacedaemon won in the long course.
[7] At the eighteenth Festival they remembered the pentathlum and wrestling. Lampis won the first and Eurybatus the second, these also being Lacedaemonians. At the twenty-third Festival they restored the prizes for boxing, and the victor was Onomastus of Smyrna, which already was a part of Ionia. At the twenty-fifth they recognized the race of full-grown horses, and Pagondas of Thebes was proclaimed “victor in the chariot-race.”
[8] At the eighth Festival after this they admitted the pancratium for men and the horse-race. The horse-race was won by Crauxidas of Crannon, and Lygdamis of Syracuse overcame all who entered for the pancratium. Lygdamis has his tomb near the quarries at Syracuse, and according to the Syracusans he was as big as Heracles of Thebes, though I cannot vouch for the statement.
[9] The contests for boys have no authority in old tradition, but were established by the Eleans themselves because they approved of them. The prizes for running and wrestling open to boys were instituted at the thirty-seventh Festival; Hipposthenes of Lacedaemon won the prize for wrestling, and that for running was won by Polyneices of Elis. At the forty-first Festival they introduced boxing for boys, and the winner out of those who entered for it was Philytas of Sybaris.
[10] The race for men in armour was approved at the sixty-fifth Festival, to provide, I suppose, military training; the first winner of the race with shields was Damaretus of Heraea. The race for two full-grown horses, called synoris （chariot and pair）, was instituted at the ninety-third Festival, and the winner was Evagoras of Elis. At the ninety-ninth Festival they resolved to hold contests for chariots drawn by foals, and Sybariades of Lacedaemon won the garland with his chariot and foals.
[11] Afterwards they added races for chariots and pairs of foals, and for single foals with rider. It is said that the victors proclaimed were: for the chariot and pair, Belistiche, a woman from the seaboard of Macedonia; for the ridden race, Tlepolemus of Lycia. Tlepolemus, they say, won at the hundred and thirty-first Festival, and Belistiche at the third before this. At the hundred and forty-fifth Festival prizes were offered for boys in the pancratium, the victory falling to Phaedimus, an Aeolian from the city Troas. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Paus.+5.8&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160
Synopsis: This passage is chapter 8 of "Description of Greece" written by Pausanias in 160 C.E. The passage talks about the beginning of the Olympics and all of the traditions that were set up. Pausanias talks about all of the different events in the Ancient Olympics such as the running races, the chariot races, the boxing and the wrestling. There was a lot of emphasis placed on who was crowning the victors and who they were honoring with their victories.
Analysis: One interesting note is the progression of the new events added throughout the Olympic times. When the Olympics were re-discovered after a short break they first brought back the foot race. They then improved on that by adding the double foot race and a long course foot race. Next came the pentahlum and the wrestling. At the 23rd Festival boxing was reinstated and at the 25th they brought back the chariot races. At the 37th festival they started including competitions for boys. This is an interesting addition because it shows that when they put more value on the athletics they started to train the athletes at a younger age. Another interesting addition was the race of men in armour at the 65th festival. They instated this race to improve the military training in Greece. Further additions included more horse races and more contests for boys.
The follwing vase is from the The Univeristy of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology:
Abstract
The Ancient Olympics began in 776 B.C.E. and last until they were outlawed for being non-Christian in 394 C.E. Throughout the Olympics the events and the athletes were changing as well as Ancient Olympia itself. The Ancient Olympics began as just a footrace and expanded to eventually include a variety of sports that challenge athletes in different ways. Some interesting additions to the events were the armored run, and the pankration, which was essentially an all-out brawl. As the events expanded and the amount of visitors increased, Ancient Olympia expanded with new buildings and temples. The Ancient Olympics included more than just sports, it was a giant festival to honor Zeus. And as time went on the Athletes changed as well. At the beginning it was about pure brawn and athleticism, but as the events grew old, new strategies were invented and tactics became important. Zeus commanded great respect, so only the best events, the best facilities, and the best athletes were allowed to honor him in the Ancient Olympics.The following picture is from http://www.fightleague.org/
Cathedral Tour Pictures (Analysis Under Discussion)
Ancient Olympia 3-D Model
These were the examples that I based my model off of:The information that I used for the buildings was from http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics
Description:
My construction for my topic of the Ancient Olympics was a 3D model of Ancient Olympia. The model includes most of the important buildings in Ancient Olympia. Starting with the upper left is the gymnasium and below it is the palaestra. Both buildings were used to train athletes. The small building below the palaestra was the workshop for the famous sculptor Pheidias who made many sculptures around Olympia. Below that is the hotel for the athletes, called the Leonidaion. The temple with the pillars at the top of the model is the Temple of Hera, which was used for both Hera and Zeus until Zeus got his own temple. Directly below that are the megaron of Oinomaos, the tumulus of Pelops, and the altar of Zeus. The large temple to the south is the famous Temple of Zeus. At the far north is the row of treasuries that were owned by the city-states. And finally to the far East is the stadium which was placed on a hill, and there were only a few seats for the judges.
The Ancient Olympiad
Chapter 8 of Pausanias's "Description of Greece" 160 C.E. (Primary Document)Later on there came （they say） from Crete Clymenus, the son of Cardys, about fifty years after the flood came upon the Greeks in the time of Deucalion. He was descended from Heracles of Ida; he held the games at Olympia and set up an altar in honor of Heracles, his ancestor, and the other Curetes, giving to Heracles the surname of Parastates （Assistant）. And Endymion, the son of Aethlius, deposed Clymenus, and set his sons a race in Olympia with the kingdom as the prize.
[2] And about a generation later than Endymion, Pelops held the games in honor of Olympian Zeus in a more splendid manner than any of his predecessors. When the sons of Pelops were scattered from Elis over all the rest of Peloponnesus, Amythaon, the son of Cretheus, and cousin of Endymion on his father's side （for they say that Aethlius too was the son of Aeolus, though supposed to be a son of Zeus）, held the Olympian games, and after him Pelias and Neleus in common.
[3] Augeas too held them, and likewise Heracles, the son of Amphitryon, after the conquest of Elis. The victors crowned by Heracles include Iolaus, who won with the mares of Heracles. So of old a competitor was permitted to compete with mares which were not his own. Homer,1 at any rate, in the games held in honor of Patroclus, has told how Menelaus drove a pair of which one was Aetha, a mare of Agamemnon, while the other was his own horse.
[4] Moreover, Iolaus used to be charioteer to Heracles. So Iolaus won the chariot-race, and Iasius, an Arcadian, the horse-race; while of the sons of Tyndareus one won the foot-race and Polydeuces the boxing-match. Of Heracles himself it is said that he won victories at wrestling and the pancratium.
[5] After the reign of Oxylus, who also celebrated the games, the Olympic festival was discontinued until the reign of Iphitus. When Iphitus, as I have already related,2 renewed the games, men had by this time forgotten the ancient tradition, the memory of which revived bit by bit, and as it revived they made additions to the games.
[6] This I can prove; for when the unbroken tradition of the Olympiads began there was first the foot-race, and Coroebus an Elean was victor. There is no statue of Coroebus at Olympia, but his grave is on the borders of Elis. Afterwards, at the fourteenth Festival,3 the double foot-race was added: Hypenus of Pisa won the prize of wild olive in the double race, and at the next Festival Acanthus of Lacedaemon won in the long course.
[7] At the eighteenth Festival they remembered the pentathlum and wrestling. Lampis won the first and Eurybatus the second, these also being Lacedaemonians. At the twenty-third Festival they restored the prizes for boxing, and the victor was Onomastus of Smyrna, which already was a part of Ionia. At the twenty-fifth they recognized the race of full-grown horses, and Pagondas of Thebes was proclaimed “victor in the chariot-race.”
[8] At the eighth Festival after this they admitted the pancratium for men and the horse-race. The horse-race was won by Crauxidas of Crannon, and Lygdamis of Syracuse overcame all who entered for the pancratium. Lygdamis has his tomb near the quarries at Syracuse, and according to the Syracusans he was as big as Heracles of Thebes, though I cannot vouch for the statement.
[9] The contests for boys have no authority in old tradition, but were established by the Eleans themselves because they approved of them. The prizes for running and wrestling open to boys were instituted at the thirty-seventh Festival; Hipposthenes of Lacedaemon won the prize for wrestling, and that for running was won by Polyneices of Elis. At the forty-first Festival they introduced boxing for boys, and the winner out of those who entered for it was Philytas of Sybaris.
[10] The race for men in armour was approved at the sixty-fifth Festival, to provide, I suppose, military training; the first winner of the race with shields was Damaretus of Heraea. The race for two full-grown horses, called synoris （chariot and pair）, was instituted at the ninety-third Festival, and the winner was Evagoras of Elis. At the ninety-ninth Festival they resolved to hold contests for chariots drawn by foals, and Sybariades of Lacedaemon won the garland with his chariot and foals.
[11] Afterwards they added races for chariots and pairs of foals, and for single foals with rider. It is said that the victors proclaimed were: for the chariot and pair, Belistiche, a woman from the seaboard of Macedonia; for the ridden race, Tlepolemus of Lycia. Tlepolemus, they say, won at the hundred and thirty-first Festival, and Belistiche at the third before this. At the hundred and forty-fifth Festival prizes were offered for boys in the pancratium, the victory falling to Phaedimus, an Aeolian from the city Troas.
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=Paus.+5.8&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160
Synopsis: This passage is chapter 8 of "Description of Greece" written by Pausanias in 160 C.E. The passage talks about the beginning of the Olympics and all of the traditions that were set up. Pausanias talks about all of the different events in the Ancient Olympics such as the running races, the chariot races, the boxing and the wrestling. There was a lot of emphasis placed on who was crowning the victors and who they were honoring with their victories.
Analysis: One interesting note is the progression of the new events added throughout the Olympic times. When the Olympics were re-discovered after a short break they first brought back the foot race. They then improved on that by adding the double foot race and a long course foot race. Next came the pentahlum and the wrestling. At the 23rd Festival boxing was reinstated and at the 25th they brought back the chariot races. At the 37th festival they started including competitions for boys. This is an interesting addition because it shows that when they put more value on the athletics they started to train the athletes at a younger age. Another interesting addition was the race of men in armour at the 65th festival. They instated this race to improve the military training in Greece. Further additions included more horse races and more contests for boys.
The follwing vase is from the The Univeristy of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology:
Bibliography
Krattenmaker, Kathleen. "Perseus Vase Catalog." Perseus. Tufts University. 12 Nov. 2008 <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=perseus:text:1999.04.0043:entry=philadelphia%20ms2444>.
Pausanias's "Description of Greece" 160 C.E. quoted in:
"Pausanias, Description of Greece." Perseus. Tufts University. 12 Nov. 2008 <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text.jsp?doc=paus.+5.8&fromdoc=perseus%3atext%3a1999.01.0160>.