Ancient Greece: The Olympic Games

By USHistory.org, adapted by Newsela staff on 04.10.17

Word Count 626
Level 810L

The winner of the chariot race is saluted and offered the champion's crown in the ancient Greek Olympic Games. A work by
De Courten, from El Mundo Ilustrado, published in Barcelona, 1880. Photo from: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty
Images.

Ancient Greece was the Greece of long ago, and those who lived there are known
as the ancient Greeks. The people of ancient Greece loved competitions. Each
year, the city-states of Greece sent athletes to festivals of games. A city-state is a
city that governs itself, rather than being controlled by a country or empire.

The festivals of games honored the gods. The most important and prestigious was
held at Olympia to honor Zeus, the king of the gods. These Olympic games took
place in the summer only once every four years.

The earliest recorded Olympics occurred in 776 B.C. That was almost 2,800 years
ago. It is likely, however, that the Olympic games took place for hundreds of years
before then.

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The last ancient games were held in A.D. 394. The Romans, who had begun
conquering the Greeks 300 years before that, outlawed the games. The modern
Olympic games began in 1896.

Originally A Men-Only Event

In the beginning, only men participated in the Olympic games. Women were not
allowed to compete or even to watch. Over time, the Greeks held a festival of
games to honor the goddess Hera. She was Zeus' wife. Only unmarried women
could participate in the events, which consisted mainly of foot races. Eventually,
women were able to participate in and attend the Olympic games.

Olympic athletes competed in events

completely naked and covered in oil. First,
there were four running events. The
shortest race was 192 meters, or about 630
feet. It was half a lap around the
stadium. Another race was about a full lap,
while the long-distance run varied
from three to 11 laps. The fourth running
event was the most demanding. Runners
raced one to two laps around the stadium
wearing heavy armor. The armor weighed as
much as 70 pounds.

Reflected Military Training

Then there were the combative events, boxing and wrestling. Boxers wrapped
their hands in leather and metal, making the contests brutal and bloody. The
object in wrestling was to touch the other person's shoulders to the ground. All of
these skills were considered important for military training.

Next, there were the equestrian events, which involved horses and sometimes
chariots. They took place in a separate arena called the hippodrome.

Finally, there was the most prestigious of all events: the pentathlon, a
combination of five different events. Each athlete threw a long spear called a
javelin, did the long jump, wrestled, ran a foot race and threw the discus, a heavy
frisbee-like object. The person with the best overall effort in all five events was
declared the winner.

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Winners' Rewards

At the Olympics, the winners received wreaths made of olive leaves. Over time,
more and more prizes were added. They included olive oil and bronze
tripods, large vases with three feet.

Winners received even greater rewards when they returned to their home city-
states. They were awarded money and free meals for the rest of their lives. The
citizens and leaders of the city-state took great pride in their athletes and
publicized their successes far and wide.

Political Truce Time

During the Olympics, city-state leaders discussed important political and

economic matters. In the ancient world, leaders rarely met at the same place at
the same time. As the games approached, everyone agreed to a truce and warfare
ceased. Athletes and attendees were safe to travel to and from the games.

In 2004, the Olympic Summer Games returned home. They were held in their
original birthplace of Athens, Greece.

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