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impact of ancient Greece on modern sports ll
Gender inequalities in ancient society
ancient greece olympics
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The Olympic Games, hosted in Olympia, Greece, reflected and represented many of Greece 's traditional values in their culture, politics, and social institutions. With the Olympics being the biggest event in Greece at the time, the occasion brought many new ideas and showed what the traditions and customs of Greece were really about. Through this big spectacle people learned about their own culture and went through many experiences ranging from listening to poets and praying at the Temple of Zeus to spectating the sport of “Pankration”, a combination of boxing and wrestling. They would even compete in the nude as a time-honored tradition. “...the practice [competing in the nude] also symbolically stripped away social rank, an extraordinary gesture toward a democratic sporting ideal in the status-obsessed ancient world.”(pg. 7) The Olympics …show more content…
Only men and unmarried women were allowed to attend the Olympic events and only men were actually allowed to compete in them. Married women had to stay at home and were not allowed to come to the Olympics at all. If a Married women did come by and someone found out they were to be flung to their death off of a nearby cliff, even though this penalty never had to be carried out. The only loophole in this rule is to own a chariot in the chariot races because they are not directly in the race. Other than that the only time women were to compete was in the Hera games and sometimes they would race with the boys before the games in the cities of Corinth and Delphi. They were still shamed for running naked or wearing short clothes while running and there was only one place where they actually received physical education which was Sparta. The whole system of male superiority in the Olympics also reflects to normal Greek life where males would work and women would stay at home or constantly looking for a good
Dr. Donald Kyle, in his book Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient world, makes the argument that ancient Greek athletic participation was technically open to all male Greek citizens, but not all male Greeks could or did participate. Dr. Kyle asserts that because all male Greeks had access to athletics from youth that sport in ancient Greece was democratic. But, when it comes to spectacle or what would more modernly be seen as professional sport, it was often aristocratic athletes performing in front of a crowd of lower-class people. The way lower-class people would have perceived sport is much different than how an aristocratic athlete would have viewed sport. Sport in ancient Greece was not democratic; every male Greek citizen had the opportunity
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.
Athletics were an expression of the philosophical, religious and civic values that were at the very heart of Greek culture. In the world of the ancient Greeks, well-educated individuals were expected to be balanced mentally, spiritually, and physically (http://www.mediaconcero.com/olympic/olympia/ideal_o.php, September 27, 2004). It was felt that athletics aided in the creation of such an individual. Athletic events during this period were not simply displays of physical prowess, but an integration of the facets of Greek culture.
The Penn Museum site on the Olympic Games in Greece presents a well-organized home page that entices the viewer in. It compares, in the first few sentences you see, the similarities between the ancient Olympics and today’s Olympics. As a reader, I am already enticed to learn more because of the comparisons made, it feels relatable and relevant to me. It is organized into five sections, the games, the athletes, the women, the politics, and the commercialism. Bentley and Ziegler present information on the Olympic Games very differently. The information is a small paragraph within the books chapter on Greece; it does not go into any real detail but rather offers an idea of what the Olympic Games were. The paragraph simply states that the Olympics started in 776 BCE as a part of the PanHellenic festivals; it gives a short list of some events, and says that winners were heroes and it happened every four years. In contrast, the website has many details and small interesting tidbits of information that make the viewer want to read more. The first section, the games, focuses on where the games took place and some common misconceptions about the Olympics in regards to the marathon, nudity, and the Olympic flame. The next section, the athletes, discusses the athletes and amateur vs. professionals and prizes, and rewards. I learned that in anc...
Pericles’ statement, “A woman’s reputation is highest when men say little about her, whether it be good or evil,” reflects a common attitude towards women’s activities in ancient Greek society. Ancient Greece fostered a demeaning role for women restricting their level of education, choice in marriage, and enforcing strict social norms. However, persuading shreds of evidence suggest that some Greek females did participate in athletic competitions alongside men, primarily at religious ceremonies as they advanced toward maturity. Women’s participation in sports is a somewhat recent social phenomenon, and acceptance of that participation by cultures worldwide is an even more recent phenomenon.
Early Greek Olympics were not immune to the political virus. They used the Olympics to show off their prominent cities and to gain support from their communities. Durin...
In Ancient Greece they formed the Greek Olympics in the year 776 B.C in which participants participate to honor the gods and demonstrate their physical abilities. What was amazing was that those who participated were only participating in honor and not prizes. Something that they would win was the olive wreath which was basically winning the honor and recognition of the people and the gods. Comparing to the ancient time and now is that there are now commercialized, endorsements, and sponsorships for athletes to represent companies in the Olympics. However, the Olympics still hold true to the idea that it is still a place for participants compete with the best in the world for the honor (gold,silver, and bronze medal). Also, if we look at the sculpture of the Diskobolos made by Myron of Eleutherae it represented the general athlete in motion and would symbolize the ancient times athlete. But something that is different about now and the Greek ...
The games according to Baker the Olympics games became a major part on how the Greeks honored their gods. Competitors participated in games that were extremely violent, from chariot races that usually one person finished in tacked to extreme versions of wrestling that cause 's great bodily harm. Kagen says that team sports were not a part of the ancient games. The Olympics even allowed for participants to be deified. Athlete became heroes and celebrities even when the games were not in session. The first professional athletes came from the ancient Greek Olympics. According to Kagan these athlete earned much high wages than an average worker. Baker says that for the ancient Greeks sports and physical activity is strongly connected to the mental and physical well being of all humans. Plato thought that the ideal body a harmonized mind and body. The Classical Greeks are credited for creating another form of popular entertainment. According to Kagan the theater was popular part of Greek culture. From tragedies to comedies, plays were a large part of Greek life. Most of the tragedies were performed in a venue that could hold 30,000
Durkheim’s theoretical approach of rituals, presents a unique perspective that describes the important social rituals that take place in today’s society such as churches, funerals, weddings, and sporting events. Throughout his theory, Durkheim describes different social groups and explains how these beliefs and practices are directly related to the rituals and actions that are associated with them. Durkheim presents a relationship between the behaviors of ritual and devotion to social order. Many rituals often have sacred items that provide individuals with a significant meaning or set of specific beliefs, which connect them to a particular group. Sporting events are popular in today’s culture, however, many have not looked at this event from a different theoretical prospective. Sacred items such as team logos, sporting gear, and use of team colors are all symbols that relate one person to the next. The rituals presented in a sporting event can also be understood by Durkheim’s theoretical philosophies.
In Michael Poliokoff’s book Combat Sports in the Ancient World: Competition, Violence, and Culture, the author argues against the commonly held belief that the classical Greek agon, or athletic competition was primarily used a means of training soldiers and preparing them for battle. In making this argument, much of his evidence comes form the Homeric epics. While Poliokoff uses these sources to make an entirely valid argument about the function of the agon, he often presents these sources without the level of context and analysis that could have significantly strengthened his argument. Furthermore, Poliokoff occasionally make claims about the nature of sport in ancient Greece without providing sufficient evidence, leaving the reader to doubt
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.
Other sports played in the Panathenæa games were a type of foot race where the competitor had to try to run with the armor they would usually trip and fall into each other, the winner of Panathenæa games would usually get crowded with wreaths of laurel leaves and were given pots filled with olive oil this made people want to participate in the games because they get honor no matter if they are poor or rich the people of Athens would recognize that person has a person with power and someone that is strong.
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.
Ancient Olympics The ancient Olympics had some differences from the modern Games. There were fewer events, and only free men who spoke Greek could compete, instead of athletes from any country. Women where not allowed to even watch the games on penalty of death let alone play in them.. Also, the games were always held at Olympia in Greece instead of being moved around to different sites every time. But also they had some similarities to our modern Olympics, winning athletes were heroes who put their home towns on the map, and became financially sound for life. The conflict between the Olympic's ideals of sportsmanship and unity and the commercialism and political acts which accompany the Games where also present in ancient times. "Sotades at the ninety-ninth Festival was victorious in the long race and proclaimed a Cretan, as in fact he was. But at the next Festival he made himself an Ephesian, being bribed to do so by the Ephesian people. For this act he was banished by the Cretans."
The Olympic Games were a vital part of Greek culture which was heavily influenced by athletics. Today, the Olympic Games are the world's largest presentation of athletic skill and competitive spirit. Thousands of athletes and spectators participate in this universal event. Revived in 1896, the Olympic Games had their beginnings in ancient Greece, and since then the event is very much comparable to modern Olympic events.