The Ancient Olympics
The Ancient Olympics
Today, the Olympic games are known world wide, but it did not always used to be this way. Early Olympic games were much different than they are today. The games played and those who attended them were some of the biggest differences. Today’s Olympics have competitors from around the world. There are now hundreds of events in the modern athletic competition. This is a significant difference compared to the amount of events in the ancient Olympic games. The modern Olympics change their location every quadrennial. The early Olympics may have a lot of differences, but the anticipation and competitive atmosphere are the same. The Olympic games started in the year 776 BC. They continued until the year 393 AD, when Roman Emperor Theodosius banned them for being a “pagan cult”.1 These games are linked to religious festivals for Zeus. The temple of Zeus, located in Olympia, is 40 feet tall and made of ivory and gold. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. A disagreement between the Eleans and the Pisatans started the tradition of these world-changing games. They disagreed over the sacred olive grove dedicated to Zeus that is located in Olympia. The agreement stated that anyone could use the grove if they came to worship it unarmed. They also agreed that athletic events were to take place. Theses games were to be held every four years, just like the modern Olympic games. Originally the Olympics lasted for 1 day, until they added more games. The winner of the first stade, the first Olympic game, was a cook named Coroibus of Elis. This was now the foundation for centuries of exciting games and a great historical time in human history. As the games became more popular, the competitors were becoming professionals. According to David Gilman Romano, a professor of breek archaeology at the University of Arizona, "The idea was that you were training to please Zeus. But part of the festival would be to visit the temple, visit the
Today, the Olympic games are known world wide, but it did not always used to be this way. Early Olympic games were much different than they are today. The games played and those who attended them were some of the biggest differences. Today’s Olympics have competitors from around the world. There are now hundreds of events in the modern athletic competition. This is a significant difference compared to the amount of events in the ancient Olympic games. The modern Olympics change their location every quadrennial. The early Olympics may have a lot of differences, but the anticipation and competitive atmosphere are the same. The Olympic games started in the year 776 BC. They continued until the year 393 AD, when Roman Emperor Theodosius banned them for being a “pagan cult”.1 These games are linked to religious festivals for Zeus. The temple of Zeus, located in Olympia, is 40 feet tall and made of ivory and gold. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. A disagreement between the Eleans and the Pisatans started the tradition of these world-changing games. They disagreed over the sacred olive grove dedicated to Zeus that is located in Olympia. The agreement stated that anyone could use the grove if they came to worship it unarmed. They also agreed that athletic events were to take place. Theses games were to be held every four years, just like the modern Olympic games. Originally the Olympics lasted for 1 day, until they added more games. The winner of the first stade, the first Olympic game, was a cook named Coroibus of Elis. This was now the foundation for centuries of exciting games and a great historical time in human history. As the games became more popular, the competitors were becoming professionals. According to David Gilman Romano, a professor of breek archaeology at the University of Arizona, "The idea was that you were training to please Zeus. But part of the festival would be to visit the temple, visit the