Games of the Ancient Olympics

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Games of the Ancient Olympics The Olympics began in ancient Olympia Greece, which lies 10km east of Pirgos, in a valley between Mt. Kronos, the Alfios river, and the Kladeos. This area was inhabited by the Pisans, whose King was Oinomaus. His daughter Hippodameia had married Pelops, and it has been said that the first games were held in their honor around 1000 B.C. Through the years the games began to attract interest in nearby towns. In 776 B.C. , the leader of the Eleians, Iphitos, rededicated the games to the honor of Zeus, (the most important god in the ancient Greek pantheon). As a result of the religious nature of the games, all wars would cease during the contests. The original games only consisted of one race, one day with a cook, Coroibus of Elis, being the first winner. Later in time the powerful Spartans influenced the games by adding roughly ten new events to the agenda (Carlos 1). In contrast to modern olympics, there were fewer events, women were barred rights of participation, and the games were always held at Olympia instead of moving to different sites. The winners would be rewarded with a simple olive tree branch, which was cut with a gold-handled knife, from a wild olive tree, as well as being known as heroes for putting their hometown on the map (Library Advanced Org. [LAO], 1). While the exact amount of spectators that attended the Olympics is unknown, the tiers of the Olympic stadium were built to accommodate around forty-five to fifty thousand. As the games grew, royalty began to compete for personal gain, mainly in the chariot events. Humans and gods were glorified as well as many winners erecting statues around the arena to deify themselves (Carlos 1,2). The pentathlon was added in 70... ... middle of paper ... ...tto of Citius Altius-Fortius, words that translate from latin to, “Faster-Higher-Stronger” (Kristy 12). Bibliography: Anderson, Dave. The Story of the Olympics. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1996. Australian Sports Commission. Olympic Facts: History of the Ancient Olympics. Homepage. 14 March 1999. *http://.ausport.gov.au/anc.html*. Carlos, John. History: The Ancient Olympics. Homepage. 14 March 1999. *http://www.johncarlos.com/ancient.html*. FHW. Welcome to the Foundation of the Hellenic World. Home Page. 4 Dec. 1998. *http://www.fhw.gr/projects/olympics/classical games.html*. Kristy, Davida. Coubertein’s Olympics: How the Games Began. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications company, 1995. LAO. The Ancient Olympics. Home Page. 3 March 1999. *http://library.advanced.org/17709/sports/olympics.htm*.

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