Monday, October 18, 2010

Ancient Olympics



Today, the Olympics are one of the most popular sporting events in the world with hundreds of millions of viewers. When the Olympics first started back in 776 BCE, many things were different. To start, the games were held every four years only in Olympia, Greece whereas today they are held every four years in cities all around the world. Also, the ancient Olympics didn’t have winter games and there were only ten total events. In today’s games, there are about 380 total events in the summer and winter Olympics. In ancient times, the events were very different. Boxing for example, didn’t have gloves and there weren’t weight classes. Wrestling was also very different. There were two separate types, one played from the ground and one played from standing upright. The objective was to get the opponent to touch the ground. If the opponent’s shoulders or hips touch the ground, they lost. There were also some events played in Olympia that are not played today. These include chariot racing, pankration, and the pentathlon. Another huge difference was the competitors and viewers. Only men were allowed to compete and watch. If a woman was caught watching the Olympics she was killed. One way officials made sure women weren’t getting into the Olympics and viewing the games was by making everyone walk in to the stadium in the nude. Although the first Olympics were a training ground for Greek warriors, modern Olympic Games are a showcase for talented athletes from all around the world.
Hayden C. Period 7

5 comments:

Unknown said...

This is so intriguing! To think that the Olympics had so little events at one point shows how it much it has grown over the years. It is also very interesting how they had people walk in nude so they could ensure that only men could watch and participate.

Nathan Wentz said...

I found this post to be very interesting. It's surprising to think that what is now one of the most-viewed events of our time, started from such a small event in the beginning. The amount of games held has increased significantly, and of course the games themselves have changed too. It was also interesting to read about how women were not allowed to watch, and the consequence if they were caught doing so.

Anonymous said...

It is amazing how much the Olymics have evolved overtime. I had always thought that the ancient Olympics consisted of more track and field like games. I like how to today, we still withold the four year tradition. I love how it had evolved to encompass more athletic events. I wonder why they were so opposed to women participation that they would go as far as attending the event nude. The entire history of the Olympics is something that I would find interesting because the simple athletic celebration brings the world together even if it is just for a little while. Its impact on the world today would be something worth looking into.

Unknown said...

I love hearing about the Olympics and sports, so this article caught my interest instantly. Although I find it unfair for the women to not be able to play or even watch for that matter, it shows how seriously they took that matter.

livielovesdisney said...

This article is great! This just goes to show that sports and other physical competitions have always been deeply embedded in peoples lives. It seems to me that the Ancient Olympics were significant to the people because of their rigid rules and regulations regarding the entrance of women. Now, rules are rigid but in a different way. The Olympics brings people together from all over the world and breaks barriers down between warring countries for a small sliver peaceful competition.