Ancient Greek Olympic Games

   The ancient Olympic Games, part of a major religious festival honoring Zeus, the chief Greek god, were the biggest event in their world. They were the scene of political quarrels between people from different parts of the Greek world.

Where did the Olympic games come from?

One myth says that the guardians of the infant god Zeus held the first footrace, or that Zeus himself started the Games to celebrate his victory over his father Cronus for control of the world.

The ancient Olympics were rather different from the modern Games. There were fewer events, and only men who spoke Greek could compete, instead of athletes from any country. 

   The games were always held at Olympia instead of moving around to different sites every time.  This is a model of what the site may have looked like. Olympia was one of the oldest religious centers in the ancient Greek world.

Olympia is convenient geographically to reach by ship, which was a major concern for the Greeks. Athletes and spectators traveled from Greek colonies as far away as modern-day Spain, the Black Sea, or Egypt.

The Rules

An international truce among the Greeks was declared for the month before the Olympics to allow the athletes to reach Olympia safely. The judges had the authority to fine whole cities and ban their athletes from competition for breaking the truce. 

The first Olympic event, and the only event for the first 13 Olympiads, was the foot-race.

Olympic Events

Other types of sports followed the single foot race event quickly: Wrestling, boxing, and chariot racing. At one time or another, there were 23 Olympic sports events, although they were never all held at the same festival.

Olympic Prizes

A branch of wild olive was the only official prize for an Olympic winner, but there were also usually some unofficial prizes awarded by his city-state. For example, Athens allowed an Olympic champion to live free of charge in the Pyrtaneum, a special hall set aside for distinguished citizens. Other city-states exempted winners from taxes for an Olympiad, and in some cases citizens contributed to a cash award.

   Anyone who violated the rules was fined by the judges.  The money was used to set up statues of Zeus, the patron god of the Games at Olympia. 

Women and the Olympics

Women were not allowed to watch the games, but that had nothing to do with the nudity of the male athletes. Rather, it was because Olympia was dedicated to Zeus and was therefore a sacred area for men. The chariot races, which were held outside the sacred precinct, were open to women spectators.