Ancient Olympics
The first Olympic Games can be traced as far back as 776 BC. The original games were held by ancient Greeks at the city of Olympia, as a celebration for the god Zeus and the other Olympian gods. The games were held every four years in grand stadiums. It started out as a one-day event with a few athletic and wrestling events, and expanded to many events over the course of five days in 472 BC. All free male citizens could participate regardless of social status. Women were banned from participation, and only unmarried women could spectate.
The main events of the games were the foot races. These included the stadion (192 meters), a two-stade race (284 meters), and a long-distance race with a range of seven to twenty-four stades (1,344 m to 4,608 m). Other events included wrestling, boxing, and the pancratium, a mixture of the two. Wrestling matches were decided when an opponent was thrown onto the ground three times. In boxing, fighters wrapped straps of leather around their fists to protect them, but overtime matches became more brutal as they used harder leather and sometimes even pieces of metal to gain an advantage on their opponents. The pancratium was the toughest of the three events, with the two competitors fighting until one of them gave up.
In the Ancient Greek Olympic Games, there were also equestrian events of horseracing and chariot racing. Horseracing, which was similar to the modern-day sport of thoroughbred horseracing, was confined to the upper class, due to the cost of training and caring for horses. The race would consist of six laps around a track. The chariot races included both two-horse and four-horse races, as well as ones using foals and mules.
The final event of the Olympics was the pentathlon. It included sprinting, long jumping, discus throwing, javelin throwing, and wrestling. It was the most grueling event of the games, with the only the premier athletes having a shot at glory. Winners of the event received high praise and became celebrities.
The Ancient Greek Olympic Games lasted around twelve centuries, until they ended in 393 AD. Emperor Theodosius banned the games, citing them as a pagan practice.
The main events of the games were the foot races. These included the stadion (192 meters), a two-stade race (284 meters), and a long-distance race with a range of seven to twenty-four stades (1,344 m to 4,608 m). Other events included wrestling, boxing, and the pancratium, a mixture of the two. Wrestling matches were decided when an opponent was thrown onto the ground three times. In boxing, fighters wrapped straps of leather around their fists to protect them, but overtime matches became more brutal as they used harder leather and sometimes even pieces of metal to gain an advantage on their opponents. The pancratium was the toughest of the three events, with the two competitors fighting until one of them gave up.
In the Ancient Greek Olympic Games, there were also equestrian events of horseracing and chariot racing. Horseracing, which was similar to the modern-day sport of thoroughbred horseracing, was confined to the upper class, due to the cost of training and caring for horses. The race would consist of six laps around a track. The chariot races included both two-horse and four-horse races, as well as ones using foals and mules.
The final event of the Olympics was the pentathlon. It included sprinting, long jumping, discus throwing, javelin throwing, and wrestling. It was the most grueling event of the games, with the only the premier athletes having a shot at glory. Winners of the event received high praise and became celebrities.
The Ancient Greek Olympic Games lasted around twelve centuries, until they ended in 393 AD. Emperor Theodosius banned the games, citing them as a pagan practice.