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The ancient Olympic Games were a sporting event held once every four years between August 6 and September 19, in honor of the Greek god Zeus. The Greeks believed that sport and athleticism held great religious significance. The ancient Greeks believed that their gods would bestow powers upon the victors, and thus, the Olympics were extremely popular in ancient Greece. Sport, a healthy body and competitive mind, were a large part of Greek education and society. -
The first written records of the ancient Olympic Games in Greece date back to 776 B.C., with only one event - a 192-metre foot race, or "stade". -
Olympic victors were given a laurel wreath and an olive branch from a sacred tree for their success. The trees in Olympia were believed to be planted by Hercules, and were, therefore, significant to the Greek people. Victors were welcomed back to their homes as heroes, with a large procession and banquet held in their honour. They could also be granted tax exemptions. In this way, similar to the current Olympics, there was a significant tie between athletes and their governments. -
To facilitate the movement of spectators and athletes, and respect the religious significance of the games, a sacred truce (ekecheiria) was called across Greece. During a three-month-long pan-Hellenic truce, hundreds of athletes and as many as 40,000 spectators from all of Greece would take part in the Olympiad.
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The term Olympiad was used to describe not only the games themselves, but also the four-year-long cycles in between games. The Olympiad was so significant in Greek society that scholars began to measure time in them. The Greek Olympics were held for 293 consecutive Olympiads, from 776 B.C. to 393 C.E.
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Athletes had to arrive in Olympia one month before the games, and had to guarantee that they had trained for at least 10 months. Non-Greeks, slaves, murderers, and people who had broken the truce were excluded from participating. The Olympic Games were judged by officials from Elis, and at its peak, the games had 12 judges, all responsible for different events.
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After 13 Olympiads (4 year cycles), two new events, the dialos (similar to today's 400-meter race) and the dolichos (comparable to long-distance races such as the 1500-meter or 4000-meter) were introduced. -
The pentathlon, which consisted of a foot race, a long jump, disc and javelin throwing, and wrestling, debuted as an Olympic sport in 708 B.C. Following that, boxing was introduced in 688 B.C., chariot racing in 680 B.C., and in 648 B.C., pankration (similar to boxing and wrestling) was introduced.
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Women were not allowed to participate or attend the events, although young girls would be allowed into the crowd. A famous breach of this men-only rule is the case of Kallipateira. She was her son Peisirodos' trainer, and while celebrating his victory, she revealed her true identity to the crowd. Fortunately, she was not punished, as a result of her family's renowned athleticism, but from then on, both trainers and participants had to be naked in the arena.
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In 420 B.C., Sparta was excluded from the ancient Olympic Games hosted in Olympia for breaking the sacred pan-Hellenic truce. One Spartan who had sneaked into the chariot race was striped of his victory following the revelation of his identity. In this way, the ancient Olympic games, much like the current games and games during both World Wars, were representative of the political climate. -
The games continued throughout the Hellenistic Period, until 393 C.E., when Emperor Theodosius, a Christian, decreed that all "pagan" practices, including the Olympic Games, be banned.
