The Olympic Games were an event widely celebrated within the ancient world of Greece. They provided a sense of competition and pride for the winners, but they also had a profound impact on the civilization of Greece at the time. It is evident that the Olympics had an effect on Ancient Greece, but historians still argue regarding the extent to which they impacted the country. Religion was a large part of Ancient Greek life and this was showcased within the games. The games themselves were mostly a religious festival, focusing more on rituals then the sporting events themselves. The Greeks also placed a great deal of importance on politics. Many political discussions took place and many decisions were made at the event, influencing countless …show more content…
All of these facets were influenced by the games and helped to shape Ancient Greece.
Religion was an essential part of Ancient Greek society. The Olympic Games were significant in this pursuit, as they “brought the Greek world together in devotion to one deity” (Lisee “Religion has played role”). It is thus easy to see that the Olympic Games were closely connected to religion within Greece, therefore strengthening the ties between society and the Divine. The Olympic Games were originally a religious festival dedicated to Zeus and contained many sacred events. For example, on the fourth day of the festival, one hundred oxen were sacrificed to Zeus as a sign of adoration and respect to the Gods (Sacks “Olympic Games”). This again demonstrates the great link and importance the Greeks placed on religion and showcased the lengths to which they went to please their Gods, thus shaping society
…show more content…
This placed a strain on their society that was attempting to remain strong and powerful. The appearance of the Olympic Games helped lift Greece out of this period, as the games brought the Greeks together into one culture and fully functioning society.(McIntosh “Rebuilding Ancient Greece”) Thus, the economy began to improve, resulting in a more stable and interconnected system. That, however, is not the only impact the Olympics had on the Ancient Greek economy at the time. The games brought with it economic advantages and exchanges (Nelson and Allard-Nelson 169). This provided the leader of Greece and the country itself with opportunities of great wealth that would not be possible without the prestigious games. During the Olympic Games, there was a huge influx of people into Greece, both competitors and spectators. It also attracted the attention of very influential and wealthy people (Sacks “Olympic Games”). This would have increased sales within local shops at Olympia, creating more wealth for the city. This impacted society as more revenue was available for the citizens, thus improving the standard of living. The Games would have helped to revive the trade industry, due to the amount of importing and exporting that would occur during this short period of time. This stimulated the economy and opened new markets to the Ancient Greeks, thus enabling the continued enrichment of their culture and knowledge of the world
Since 776 BCE, the Olympics have been a way for people of different cultures to come together and compete in friendly competition. In 1892 the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, although it had been over a thousand years since the last game it still had brought together an assortment of different religions and ethnic groups together. Many factors shaping the Olympic Games reflect the changes that have taken place in our world since the last game in 393 CE in Greece such changes include woman’s suffrage, global economy, world wars, and proving competency.
Athletic events at this time were also closely related to the religious beliefs and practices of the Greek citizens. Each competition was devoted to a specific pagan god. For example, the patron of the Olympics was Zeus. The Greeks believed that the physical strength and ability of athletes was a direct gift from the gods (http://www.meiaconcerto.com/olympic/olympia/ideal_o.php, September 27, 2004). Therefore, each athlete competed not only in honor of his city-state, but also in honor of the gods.
In ancient times, the Greeks had absolute and undeniable respect for their gods. They demonstrated their admiration by putting in place many rituals and celebrations to reverence the gods that they loved and feared in order to ensure harmony with them. In particular, the focus will be on the religious beliefs of the Greeks, including prayer and sacrifice, as well as on festivals and the arts, such as the ancient Olympic games and theatre. These aspects of their culture made a significant contribution to their quality of life. Moreover, these topics will be examined in relation to the twelve Olympian gods and their associates.
“It is universally accepted that 776 B.C. was the year the festival at Olympia, in honor of Zeus, became known as the Olympics, and the period of four years between celebrations became an Olympiad (Zimmerman 1984).” Yet the precise circumstances surrounding the creation of the ancient Olympics are still shrouded in mystery. Several myths encompassin...
the matter of Odysseus with Zeus, the head god and god of sky (Homer 10). Of
Professor Chris Pelling of UCL wrote The Ancient Olympics. In addition, the author is a member of the UCL Department of Greek and Latin. In this article, the author describe and explain how sports were more than a competition in the ancient Greece. His hypothesis was that sports were a way to get honor and power instead of just competing. It represents more than a simple crown of leaves and olive-branch at the Olympics. It gave power, fame and honor to the athlete and their home city. In addition, they were awarded with many material rewards such as money, and women. For instance, the primary method employed in this research consisted
In the past the Olympic games were used as a way for the Greeks to honor their gods. Today the games are not an honoring but more of a social gathering. What’s great about the games today is that everyone has equal opportunity to compete. No matter your gender, size, ethnicity, or wealth, all you have to do is work hard and
The Cambridge Illustrated History of Ancient Greece explains a variety of ways in which the Greeks were influenced by their religion. The Greeks expressed their respect for their gods through sacred acts, primarily festivals and rituals. The festivals were held to honor certain deities such as the Olympic Games, an event held for athletes meant to honor
time to time the Greeks held ceremonies of Games in honor of their god Zeus.
Modern Day Olympics are a huge tradition that sweeps the screens of televisions across the world. Competitors take the arena with uniforms that dawn their countries colors and designs that are meant to resemble their designated flag. For months the news is centered around the games; the preparation, the athletes, and of course the competition. Countries aren 't obsessed, they are inspired and full of pride seeing athletes from their country compete and show their incredible skill. This tradition dates back to ancient Greece where the games began. Tony Perrottet writes about the traditions of the ancient game in his book The Naked Olympics.
The Ancient Greek Olympics were not only sporting events, it was a celebration to honor the great and powerful Zeus. The Ancient Olympics were held every four years at the famous Olympia, a district of Elis, here all free Greek men were allowed to compete. The first record of the Olympic Games was held in 776 B.C. The main sports were the Pentathlon, the Equestrian Events, Pankration, and Boxing.
The Olympic Games are the leading worldwide sport event that held every 4 years, featuring thousands of international athletes from more than 200 nations participating in a variety of sports competitions. Although the Games are about winning the sports competitions, they also provide a platform for the nations throughout the world to learn different cultures and share uniqueness. The Games are important, and have to be held because they transmit a message of friendship and peaceful between nations.
...eir lives. Not only did the Greek gods and goddesses hold a major impact on the lives of the Greek people, but so did the spreading of the religion through architecture, poets and writings. Greek philosophers also comprised many ideologies that helped shape Greek thinking and the way people throughout ancient Greece would treat each other and their situations in life. All these religious beliefs and ideologies helped form the culture of the Greek people and explain things that wouldn't be able to be explained. The religion brought people together and helped spread tradition throughout the world. In ancient Greece, religion and ideologies were everything. They shaped culture, tradition, lifestyles, behavior, and decisions that people made in their daily lives. The religions helped for Greece to become unified and prosper throught their age of civilization.
The Ancient Olympics were huge in introducing sports and events that we now play. The sports that were played in the Ancient Olympics consisted of boxing, chariot racing, riding, pentathlon, discus, javelin, jump, running, and wrestling. All those sport would have never been played without the Greeks introducing them. These sports have become very popular and a lot of people play them. For example wrestling can be played at very young ages and all the way through high school. Another example is running, jumping, javelin, and discus which are all played in high school and some even in elementary.
Introduction Today, the Olympic Games are the world's largest pageant of athletic skill and competitive spirit. They are also displays of nationalism, commerce and politics. Well-known throughout the world the games have been used to promote understanding and friendship among nations, but have also been a hotbed of political disputes and boycotts. The Olympic games started thousands of years ago and lasted over a millennium.. The symbolic power of the Games lived on after their demise, and came to life again as the modern Olympic Games being revived in the last century. Both the modern and Ancient Olympics have close similarities in there purpose and in there problems.