SUMMARY
- Origins and Religious Significance: The ancient Olympics, starting in 776 BCE, were a major religious festival for Zeus, featuring sacrifices and altars.
- Major Events and Traditions: Events included running, chariot racing, and unique competitions like the Hoplitodromos, where athletes ran in armor. Athletes competed naked, and winners received olive wreaths and other prizes.
- Prizes and Honors: Victors were celebrated with poems, statues, and lifetime benefits like free food. Large feasts and poetry marked their successes.
- Decline and Revival: The Games faded by the late 4th century AD but were revived in 1896 by Pierre de Coubertin, who also created the modern Olympic symbol.
For a thousand years from 776 BC, every four years, people from all over the Greek-speaking world traveled to the site of Olympia to celebrate the ancient Olympic Games. Here athletes representing city-states across Greece and its colonies would compete in sports from boxing to chariot racing. Those who succeeded in this ultimate test of physical prowess would be treated as local heroes for centuries to come.
Perhaps the sharpest divide between the ancient games festival and the modern-day Olympics is the fact that the ancient Greek Olympics were as religious as they were a sporting event. Over 70 different religious altars have been discovered at Olympia and the first two days of the festival were entirely devoted to religious sacrifices. This period culminated in the sacrifice of 100 oxen to the god most closely associated with the Games – Zeus.
1. Olympia Was Home to the Site Most Sacred to Zeus
The Altis grove at Olympia was believed to be the place where Hercules made a clearing in the trees and used the space to hold the first Games in honor of Zeus. Over time, many temples, altars, and statues dedicated to Zeus were set up at Olympia. However, the most awe-inspiring statue of all was the statue of Zeus within his vast temple. According to Herodotus, it is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the statue measured nearly 13 meters high and was made of ivory and gold. The statue was destroyed by a fire in the 5th century AD.
2. The Ancient Olympics Were Originally Funeral Games
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Sign up to our Free Weekly NewsletterHistorians believe that, despite some Greek mythological origin stories, the ancient Olympics developed from funeral games held in honor of deceased local heroes in the Bronze Age. Pelops, in particular, was a hero local to Olympia and his grave is still said to be in the Altis.
3. The Olympic Truce Was Signed Before the Games Began
Each participating city-state had to sign up to the Olympic Truce. This decreed that states at war should temporarily halt hostilities. This, in turn, allowed safe passage across Greece for athletes and spectators traveling to Olympia. Three heralds were sent out to announce the news of the Truce and the dates of the Games to all the states involved.
4. The Ancient Greek Olympics Were Held at the Height of Summer
To hold a physically demanding games festival during the hottest part of the year may seem counter-intuitive. However, this was also the quietest time of the year for agricultural work, the main economy of ancient Greece. This meant that many more people were free to attend and enjoy the Games. It also meant that the festival was rarely disrupted by poor weather conditions.
5. There Was a Hotel at the Ancient Olympics
The famous Leonidaion was a hotel for wealthy visitors and officials. Named after its founder, Leonidas of Naxos, this hotel consisted of guestrooms and even small apartments. Archaeological excavations have revealed that the Leonidaion had formal colonnades surrounding it on each side and a large private courtyard garden on the inside.
6. Greek Colonies Held Treasuries at Olympia
It was considered a position of prestige to have a Treasury building at Olympia. Eleven have been discovered and each took the form of a miniature temple. Numerous items were kept inside the Treasuries, but the most important were valuable objects belonging to the colony and an amount of money to be used in case of an emergency.
7. Victorious Athletes Had Poems Written for Them
Winners at the ancient Greek Olympics often had victory poems or ‘Odes’ written to honor them by the famous poets of the 5th century B.C., Pindar and Bacchylides. These poems would be performed by a chorus when the victor arrived back in his home state and are also excellent sources of literature for our understanding of the ancient Games.
8. Many Modern Elements of the Games Did Not Exist in the Ancient Olympics
Many well-known modern Olympic traditions such as the torch relay, which brings the torch from one host city to another, did not exist in the Ancient Games. The image of the five Olympic rings is also a modern creation. Interestingly, the marathon event, although named after an ancient Greek place and battle, also was not part of the ancient schedule of events.
9. Women Did Not Participate in the Ancient Olympics
Married women were prohibited from attending the games as competitors or spectators. One woman, Pherenike of Rhodes, disguised herself as a male boxing trainer. Her boxer won but during her celebrations, she accidentally revealed herself to be a woman. From that moment onwards, all trainers had to attend the registration process naked!
10. Event Rules Were Enforced With Violence
Competitors who failed to comply with the rules of the ancient Greek Olympics were publicly flogged. This included those who committed the offense of a false start in a running event. There were special officials known as Alytes, who stood ready to whip any competitors who, even accidentally, stole such an advantage in a race.
11. The First-Ever Event Held at the Games Was the 200-Meter
The stadion was one length of the stadium, which was the length of 600 feet of Hercules, equivalent to 200 meters. Over time, two more running events were added – the diaulos (two lengths of the stadium) and the dolichos (20/24 lengths). An athlete who won all three running events was called a triastes – a ‘triple-eventer’. Leonidas of Rhodes was a triastes for four successive Olympiads.
12. Each Event Was Originally Intended As Training for War
There were no professional soldiers in ancient Greece, instead, the adult male citizens of a city-state were expected to always be prepared for battle. Physical fitness was therefore important for military success. The hoplitodromia race at the ancient Olympics is an excellent example of the links between athletics and war. In this race, athletes had to compete wearing a full set of military armor.
13. Athletes Tied Up Their Penises While Competing
We know from depictions of athletes, such as those on Greek vases, that men always competed naked (except the hoplitodromia). A kynodesme, a leather ‘dog tie’, was used to tie up the genitals. Historians are undecided as to why this was, some believe it was for matters of comfort and others believe it was considered dishonorable to reveal the entire penis in public.
14. The Pentathlon Was One of the Oldest Events at the Games
The ancient pentathlon included five different events, just like its modern equivalent. These events were the discus, long jump, javelin, running race and wrestling. Unlike in the modern Games, the discus, long jump, and javelin did not exist as separate events in their own right. Pentathletes were famed for their versatility and even Aristotle praises their endurance and physical appearance in his work, Rhetoric.
15. There Was a Male Beauty Contest With Weapons as Prizes
Many might be surprised to know that the Ancient Greek Olympic games involved a male beauty contest, called Euandria. In ancient Greece, male beauty was valued as a sign of nobility and virtue, with a strong emphasis on physical fitness due to Greece’s frequent warfare. Euandria judged men on their physical appearance, strength, and physique, similar to modern bodybuilding contests. Winners received prestigious prizes such as weapons, myrtle crowns, and even oxen.
16. There Was a Torch Relay Race in Ancient Greek Olympic Festivals
The Panathenaea was a festival in ancient Athens dedicated to the goddess Athena that featured both athletic and religious events. The festival included a broad range of competitions, divided into Olympic events that were open to all Greek athletes and exclusive contests with religious or military significance that were for Athenians only. One of these events was a torch relay race starting at the altar of Prometheus and ending at the Acropolis, where the winner would light the sacrificial fire on Athena’s altar. Later, this tradition evolved into individual competitions and horse races with torches.
17. Discus-Throwing is Thought to Have Originated From a Story in Homer’s Iliad
In the Iliad, to honor the death of Patroclus, Achilles offered an ingot of iron to the man who could throw the ingot the furthest, and the sport of discus-throwing was born. The ingot was circular and curved and therefore was roughly the shape of a discus as we know it today. At the ancient Olympics, three official discuses were kept at the Treasury of the Sikyonians to ensure fairness.
18. The Ancient vs. Modern-Day Long Jump Events are Very Different
The ancient long-jump event began not with a run-up but with a standing start. Also, to propel the athlete forward, weights were held in each hand and swung forward on take-off. Philostratus tells us that pipe-playing also accompanied the long-jump event. One of the only similarities seems to be that both ancient and modern events allowed three attempts to record the longest jump.
19. There Was a Race Where Athletes Ran in Full Armor
Running was essential in ancient Greek warfare and hunting, with early running competitions in Greek art dating back to c. 1300 BCE. The Hoplitodromos was a unique race where athletes competed while wearing full armor including a heavy bronze helmet and a round shield. The race demanded exceptional balance, strength, and agility from competitors, and the attire for the event was later reduced to just a shield due to its difficulty.
20. The Boxing Event Dates Back to the Minoan and Mycenaean Periods
Boxing and wrestling are two of the oldest sports and depictions of them have been found in Minoan and Mycenaean art. One myth tells of how Apollo was beaten by Ares at the very first competition at Olympia, although historians believe that the sport originated in the ancient city of Sparta. The combat event was very popular at the ancient Olympics and contests would often last hours.
21. The Pankration Was the Most Violent Sport at the Ancient Greek Olympics
The Pankration event was a combination of boxing and wrestling which required both skill and strength. Only biting and eye-gouging were forbidden and these rules were strictly enforced by judges. However, the fact that so few moves were forbidden meant that many dangerous forms of attack were permitted such as neck holds, kicking, and strangling.
22. Chariot Racing Was Associated with the Dead Passing into Hades
In Homer’s Iliad, the funeral games for Patroclus feature chariot racing as the most important event. It was believed that the horses and their chariot symbolized the soul being carried into the Underworld. By the 25th Olympiad in 680 B.C., both two-horse and four-horse chariot racing had been introduced into the ancient Olympic Games. The chariot races were the first events in the Olympic program.
23. The Rider Running Alongside His Horse Event
Among the other equestrian events was the unusual Apobates, or the ‘dismounted-event’, race in which the rider ran the whole race alongside his horse. This race likely had military origins. There were also a variety of mounted races at the ancient Olympic Games. Riders rode without saddles or stirrups, critical accidents and even deaths were common.
24. Olive Wreaths Were Awarded to Winners at the Ancient Greek Olympics
The wreaths given to victors at the ancient Olympics were all made from the leaves of a sacred olive tree at Olympia. This tree was called kotinos kallistephanos, meaning ‘the olive beautiful for its crowns’.
25. Victors in the Ancient Olympics Received a Variety of Prizes and Honors
Athletes who won their event while the Olympic festival was still in progress were allowed to wear ribbons of white wool tied around their arms, legs, and heads. In later years, palm branches were also distributed to winners. Those athletes who had sufficient financial means or were supported by someone who did were allowed to erect a statue dedicated to themselves in the sacred Altis grove at Olympia.
26. Some Honors for Ancient Olympic Victors Lasted a Lifetime
Winners at the ancient Olympics were also given free food and a seat in the Prytaneion at Olympia for life. The Prytaneion was an administrative building and the main hub for the organizers of the festival. It was also believed to be where the sacred flame of Hestia was housed. This flame had to be kept burning at all times and was used to light other flames all around Olympia.
27. Great Feasts Were Held for the Olympic Victors
At the end of the ancient Olympic Games, huge feasts were held for the winners. Members of their training team, families, and supporters were all allowed to attend. We know of one particular feast held in honor of the athlete Empedocles of Agrigentum. Empedocles, a follower of Pythagoras and therefore a vegetarian, had a giant ox made out of spiced bread and divided it among the spectators.
28. The Final Ancient Greek Olympics Were Held in the 380s AD
It is believed that by the end of the 4th century AD, the Olympic Games festivals had fallen out of favor. The site at Olympia gradually deteriorated after numerous enemy invasions from the likes of the Vandals and Visigoths. The rise of Christianity was also a factor in the decline of the Games. Pagan festivals, such as those held at Olympia, were no longer culturally and religiously relevant.
29. Baron De Coubertin Revived the Olympic Games in 1896
The site at Olympia was not officially re-discovered until 1875 by a group of German archaeologists. A French aristocrat, Pierre de Fredi, Baron de Coubertin, was inspired by this discovery and believed that the competitive element of the ancient Olympic Games should be revived. After gaining the permission of King George I of Greece, the first modern Olympic Games were launched in Athens on 6th April 1896.
30. The Baron Created the Logo of the Olympic Games Still Used Today
The Olympic Games symbol of five interlocking rings we still use today, known as the ‘Olympic Rings’, was a creation of Baron de Coubertin. Created in 1913 to represent the five continents of the world, it was first used in the Summer Olympics of 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium.
Originally published: April 8, 2020. Last update: July 31, 2024 by Elizabeth Berry
