The Olympic Games: The First Thousand Years

pan-Hellenic

"all Greek". The games were only participated in by Greeks. (At least those who thought of themselves as proper Greeks.) pg. 7

Define and explain nomographoi

"law-codifiers". special commission acting under the authority of Elis's govt. (the rule book) pg.60

What was the "first only" rule and the exceptions?

'Always be the first and to surpass the others'. The exception being chariot races. If a man enters more than one horse, he can be proud of being second or fourth, but only if he won first too. pg. 22

Name 2 different ancient athletic professional associations

1. Association of Dionysiac Artists 2. Association of athletes?

What was the socio-economic background of the athletes? Be specific in answering w/ examples.

1. Equestrian games, only the higher class and wealthy competed due to costs and having many horses and trainers, etc. pg. 71-72 2. Most other games it is impossible to tell what the range of social backgrounds were (classless). pg. 73

List the games of the "Circuit", the god they honored, frequency & prizes

1. Olympia games (Zeus) every 4 years. Olive tree wreath 2. Pythian at Delpi (Apollo) every 4 years. Laurel Wreaths 3. Nemean at Nemea (Zeus) every 2 years. Wild Celery crown 4. Isthmian at Corinth (Poseidon) every 2 years. Pine branches

What types of sources do we have for the ancient Games?

1. Pottery 2. Ancient writings (secondary sources) 3. Oral Stories & odes/poetry

5 distinctions between ancient and modern games

1. The Ancient games had a slow period of growth to being stable and restricted (pg. 6) 2. Ancient games never moved from Olympia (pg. 6) 3. Ancient games were held every 4 years despite wars or other things. Uninterrupted. (pg. 6) 4. Modern olympics = secular. Ancient was strictly religious. 5. Ancient Olympics only honored the winner

Describe the differences between wrestling, boxing and pankration

1. Wrestling: score 3 falls; touching ground with knees 2. Boxing: punch each other until one knocked out or the other gives up 3. Pankration: anything goes, mix of wrestling/boxing until someone surrendered

What types of decisions did the judges of olympia have to make?

1. appeals for arriving late to the games 2. umpiring; fouls & such 3. Penalizing players

When did Olympia become sacred to Zeus?

1000 BC

How long did the olympic games persist before trainers & gymnasia were in existence?

150-200 years

Describe the site, events and date of the first modern Olympics

1896 at Athens. All men athletes, 285 of them. 42 events in ten different sports & 50k seats for viewing.

What events were there for "boys" or "juniors"? What qualified one as a junior?

200 metre race, wrestling & boxing. anyone between the ages of 12 and 18.

How many days did the games last? What happened on each day?

5 days: 1. Festivals & oath-taking and preliminary things; sightseeing and practicing & worship of the gods 2. Athletic contests start 3. religious ceremony; sacrifice of 100 oxen on altar of Zeus 4. Contests? 5. Banquet at magistrates house for victors & more sacrifices pg. 15

What was the year of the first Ancient Olympics?

776 BC

How were the Olympian games different from other religious festivals in honor of the gods?

? pg. 17.

What were the differences in sacred and prize games?

??

Egalitarian

All people are equal with equal rights and everything.

Describe the association of athletes. When was such a group formed? What was its organization?

Around AD. 150. it was open to every qualified athlete and helped with different costs associated with participating and preparing for the games. They had a patron deity, namely heracles, and they tried to get emperors to exempt them from taxes as well.

What sport was considered to be the bloodiest?

Boxing

Pierre, baron de Coubertin

Brought the Olympics to modern times

How were athletes rewarded(long & short term) for their victories? By their home polis?

Celebrations, processions, cash and goods. Also free dinners & pensions. Pg. 77-78

List the events of the Olympics in the order they occurred

Chariot Race was first. No record of the actual sequence of events though. Pg. 27 horse race 2nd, then pentathlon, junior events, running events...

Richard Chandler

Discovered ancient Olympic Games location in 1766 on a mission in Greece.

Elis

District of ancient Greece (Hellas) where Olympia was located

What was the closest polis?

Elis

Theogenes

Entered boxing and pankration events, dropped out of pankration and was heavily fined for "intention to spite the champion boxer". He also won 22 times in boxing.

Competitiveness

Essential to Greek life. Winning brings honor and rewards, losing brings eternal shame.

how did the popularity of the games and its religious connotations help protect the games?

Everything regarding the olympic games was under the patronage of Zeus, violating them in any way was sacrilegious.

Athens

First modern olympics held here.

Lycee

French education program of sorts?

Polis

Greek city state. "autonomous state, consisting of the city proper and it's rural hinterland". Pg. 9

Agon

Greek word for contest or struggle. Root of Agony

How did the conquests of Alexander affect the ancient games?

He helped Hellenize more civilizations and make them a part of Greece, thereby allowing them to participate in the games. Also founded more cities and furthered Greek culture. More game participants! :D

Who made the first lists of the victors of the Games? Do we still have those lists?

Heppias of Elis (philosopher & Rhetorician) & later revised by Aristotle. We do not have the original lists, but have many authors who made use of them as sources.

Definite idiotes in the context of the games

Idiotes (root of idiot) which meant non-professional. In the games this meant amateur, one who wasn't trained and devoted to an activity.

Were the athletes at the ancient Olympics truly amateurs?

It became more and more specialized/professional over the centuries. so no.

Hippodrome

Large open space near the Greek Stadium at Olympia. Where the Chariot race took place.

Phidippides

Marathon race legend who dropped dead after running to Marathon then to Athens.

What were "heroes" in the Greek religion?

Mortals who gained deification. I.e. Hercules (heracles). pg. 16

Battle of Sedan

Napoleon III declared War on Prussia, 8 days later France was defeated at Sedan.

Alcibiades

Noble who didn't like the increasing number of lower-class athletes participating in the games. pg. 45 Also known for chariot races & gaining a lot of political power

Describe the prizes for the various games.

Olympia - Olive tree wreath Pythian - Laurel wreaths Nemean - Wild Celery Wreath Isthmian - Pine branch wreath Monetary awards later on

When were the athletes supposed to arrive and why?

One month before the start of the games for training.

Where did the idea of the Olympic torch originate? How does the modern one differ from the ancient one?

Originally a religious ritual where naked men raced in diadems from altar to altar, the winner getting to light the altar of the deity being celebrated. Zero resemblance to the modern version of carrying the torch around the world to promote internationalism.

What types of punishments could/did the judges at olympia dispense and why?

Penalties, disqualifications, flogging

The Circuit

Periodos. the major olympic games at different cities in ancient greece. The Olympic games, the Pythian games at Delphi, the Nemean games & the Isthmian games.

Eton & Rugby

Pg. 2, England cities that Tom Brown talks about in his book.

What was the Pindaric ideology of the Games?

Pindaric ode pg. 25? all about victory

Meno

Plato dialogue where Socrates says Pericles sons were not good despite training in all the arts. pg. 86

what position was given to Herod, king of Judea in 12 BC? What did he do?

President of the Games, provided a ton of money to keep the games running during the civil war conflicts.

Describe the practice of Greek religion. How did this look at Olympia?

Religion in Greek culture was part of everything, even government. Everyone was responsible for proper worship of the different gods and performing rituals. This shows with the shrines and temples to different gods at Olympia, one being in the Magistrates House even. pg. 17

who usually became trainers? why?

Retired athletes. They had to be experts in the field

How, when and by whom was the site of the ancient Olympic Games uncovered?

Richard Chandler discovered the location in 1766 while on a Mission in Greece

which conflict most threatened the games?

Roman civil wars after Julius Caesar was assassinated.

How did the Romans view the games?

Rome didn't care much about what happened to the games or their empire. The greek half was still super into the games and it was important, the latin half it never caught on. Pg. 11. Divided empire.

Olympia

Site of Ancient Olympic Games (never changing)

why did sparta and olympia not have gymnasia?

Sparta trained it's citizens from the age of 7 in their own way. Olympia wasn't a community and had no young men of its own to train.

When did the ancient games begin? When & Where and how often were they held? How long were they held consistently?

Started in 776 BC. Always held in Olympia every 4 years in the summer. Held until AD 261 consistently, about 1000 years. [insert book title] :p

What types of boasts did athletes make and why?

The boasts of having been the first to achieve something. Records weren't kept of world records like we do, so they had to do feats that were worth writing down

What were the events of the pentathlon? How did one win this event?

The discus, standing long jump, javelin, 200-metre sprint, wrestling. Win 3 events and you win everything.

What was the difference in the French school system and the English one in the late 19th century?

The french focused on intellectual thinking, whereas the English focused on physical education and fitness.

Explain the overall role of religion in the Games and in Greek Life

The games were a religious festival, so it was an important part of life to have these games, etc...

What events were only briefly part of the Olympics?

The junior pentathlon & mule-cart racing.

Who ran the actual games at olympia?

The state since it is a religious festival

Describe Olympia. Why were the games founded there?

There are plains and hills and it is a fertile area and has rainfall to supply the rivers. pg. 14

Did different polii sponsor teams?

There were no teams, so how would they be sponsored? Gosh

How did the French react to the new Olympics initially?

They ignored it's existence and didn't compete

What types of prizes were awarded at Olympia? Did these change? why or why not?

They only offered wreaths, they were one of the few games that could refuse to give monetary compensation to victors.

How did the polis of Sparta fare in the Games?

They were great at the games early on, with constant physical training from the age of 7. They lost out to specialized athletes who began appearing though.

Were the athletes professionals or not? How would the Greeks have defined professional?

They were in that they became specialized in training as a past time for the games, much improved from being amateurs at least.

What did Coubertin see as the purpose of a renewed Olympic competition

To inspire the young to like sports & increase international understanding, brotherhood and Peace

Who wrote training manuals? what different types of subjects did they cover? what recommendations did they have?

Trainers & Athletes & medical writers. They covered diet, training, sexual abstinence, scientific approaches to training & instructions for getting better in different events. Muscles & physiology, sweat-baths. pg. 94-96

What was the attitude between doctors and trainers?

Very close relations, so a positive attitude?

When did the Ancient Games end? Why?

We can't pinpoint the date. Severe earthquake made the area unsuitable to live in though. Pg. 13

Pindar

Wrote lots of victory odes for winning athletes at the ancient olympics

Which gods & heroes had temples at Olympia?

Zeus Olympios & Zeus Horkios (horkios for oaths), Pelops, Hera, Hestia, pg. 17

What type of entry was a circuit winner entitled to? What problems arose?

a triumphal entry; four horse chariot entry into their home city with a procession. The emperors claimed the ability to award or withdraw the triumphal title due to the increased costs for celebrating athletes re-entry to the cities.

Who was Zeus Apomyios?

aspect of Zeus that kept flies away when worshiped. :O

who trained in the gymnasium and why?

athletes, military (until Alexander The Great), sometimes students for higher education, and some religious people.

Describe the Greek attitudes towards competitiveness, winning, and losing

competition was essential in their lives. Defeat brought undying shame, played "either for the wreath or death". pg. 20-22. This showed in stories and poetry.

Explain the purpose, structure and activities in the ancient gymnasium

complex of buildings for practice and physical training. Also used for military purpose w/ punching bags, equipment, baths and grounds, Religion, higher education.

what were the role and expectations of the trainer?

employed by the city, they were retired athletes and were expected to be experts on everything to do with the athletic events. i.e. dietitian, physiotherapist and hygienist

What was the job of the temporary market-commissioner?

for keeping people in check and imposing fines.

How did the numbers of games grow over the centuries?

from 50 to over 300 games. pg. 68

how was the ancient gymnasium different from the modern concept?

modern gyms aren't a group of buildings for training in the same sense.. pg. 83

Did the ancient Games actually produce or promote international cooperation?

no, the Games were mostly religious for the Greeks and other nations and people who weren't Greek were not a part of it

How long did the olympic truce last originally? did it ever stop a war?

originally 1 month either side of the games.

What sort of facilities were at Olympia? For the gods? For the athletes?

originally no facilities. Gods: Temple of Hera, temple of Zeus, Statues pg. 50-51 Athletes: Stadium & Hippodrome, gymnasium, palaestra, bath houses, Philippeion pg. 51

Marathon Race

originated from a story of an Athenian named Phidippides who ran 42Km to Marathon to join a battle against Persia, then ran back to Athens with victory news. He dropped dead from exertion XD

League of the Hellenes

pg. 10. Slow hellenization of Macedonia until they become part of Greece. League formed under Philip II.

How did the start of the chariot race work?

pg. 27-29. They enter the hippodrome with judges, a herald and a trumpeter. Games are declared open, voila!

Galen

physician who wrote about how horrible the olympic horse races were and other medical documents

How many came to the Olympics? Where and how did they stay?

slept outside or in tents. Tens of thousands of people. estimated around 40k

list and explain the three examples of the political uses of the games

the games were good cover for diplomatic relations, public policy statements for people to hear, treaties displayed in perpetuity. Pg. 100

What did the gymnasiarch do? why was this significant?

the official in charge of the gymnasium. If a city lost it's political autonomy, the gymnasiarch often became the highest municipal post.

Gymnasium

used by ancient athletes to train.

Tyranny

what the Greeks referred to an autocratic rule by a single man or family as.

Define ephebes

young men who were required to undergo military training when they were 18 & 19