What is the History of the Ancient Olympic Games?

The ancient Olympic games were originally a one-day event and the first recorded event was in 776 BCE; however, in 684 BCE, the games were extended to three days, then later to five days. The games were held every four years and are among the most celebrated traditions of ancient Greece.

Terry Bailey explains.

A depiction of the ivory and gold statue of Zeus.

The ancient Olympic games were not merely athletic contests but a festival that honored the Greek god Zeus, (Ζεύς). Through their duration and influence, the Olympics became a cornerstone of Greek culture, fostering unity, showcasing physical prowess, and celebration. In Greek mythology, it is said that Heracles, (Ἡρακλῆς), (Latin, Hercules), the son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene was the founder of the Olympic games.

The ancient Olympics were held in Olympia, (Ὀλυμπία), a sanctuary site in western Peloponnese, a site that honored Zeus, who was the god of the sky and thunder and who ruled as king of the gods on Mount Olympus, (Όλυμπος). The sanctuary housed the magnificent ivory and gold statue of Zeus, designed and created by the sculptor Phidias, (Φειδίας), 480 – 430 BCE. The statue of Zeus was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and served as the central location for these games. The games' religious significance was profound, with numerous rituals and sacrifices performed to seek Zeus's favor and blessing.

Events

The Olympic Games began as a single race, the stade race, (Stadion), a sprint covering roughly 192 meters, (in today's unit of measurement), over time the games expanded to include a variety of events:

Stadion: The original footrace, covering one length of the stadium, approximately 192 meters and the precursor to the modern 200-metre race

Diaulos: A double stade race, twice that of the stadion and the precursor to the modern 400-metre race

Dolichos: A long-distance race, varying from 7 to 24 stades.

Hoplite Race: A race in armor, simulating military readiness.

Pentathlon: A five-event competition including a discus throw, javelin throw, long jump, stadion, and wrestling.

Side note: Athletes when jumping utilized a stone as a weight called halteres to increase the distance of a jump. They held onto the weights until the end of their flight and then jettisoned it backwards. Whereas, the discus was originally made of stone then later it was made of bronze. The technique was very similar to today's freestyle discus throw.

Wrestling (Pale): A grappling event where the objective was to throw the opponent to the ground. This was highly valued as a form of military exercise without weapons. It ended only when one of the contestants admitted defeat.

Boxing (Pyx): Boxers wrapped straps (himantes) around their hands to strengthen their wrists and steady their fingers. Initially, these straps were soft but as time progressed, boxers started using hard leather straps, often causing disfigurement of their opponent's face. Later the Romans adopted boxing into their gladiatorial games, however, in the Roman version the leather straps often had metal studs attached.

Pankration: A no-holds-barred contest combining wrestling and boxing. This was a primitive form of martial arts combining wrestling and boxing and was considered to be one of the toughest sports. Greeks believed that it was founded by Theseus when he defeated the fierce Minotaur in the labyrinth.

Equestrian Events: Including chariot racing and horse racing, held in the hippodromos, (ἱππόδρομος), Latinized to hippodrome from hippos, (ἵππος, horse) and dromos, (δρόμος, road/course), hence race course, race track.

These events tested the athletes' strength, speed, endurance, and skill, reflecting the Greek ideal of athletic excellence. Winning an event at the Olympics brought immense honor and fame, however, it should be noted, unlike the modern games each event had only one victor with no silver or bronze-placed athletes.

Victors, known as Olympionikes, received a wreath made of wild olive leaves, known as a kotinos, from the sacred olive tree near Zeus's temple. Beyond this symbolic prize, winners were often celebrated as heroes in their hometowns and received numerous amphorae of olive oil a very valuable commodity at the time.

Additionally, their hometown often honored the winners with other substantial material rewards, such as money, meals at public expense, or even the erection of a statue in their honor. Poets like Pindar would compose odes celebrating their victories, ensuring their names were immortalized.

Major athletic festivals

However, the Olympics were just part of the larger cycle of Panhellenic Games, which included three other major athletic festivals:

·       The Pythian Games were established in 582 BCE and held in Delphi in honor of Apollo, the god of music, arts, and prophecy. These games included musical and artistic competitions alongside athletic events. Victors received a laurel wreath, symbolizing Apollo's sacred tree.

·       The Nemean Games were established at the sanctuary of Zeus in Nemea in 573 BCE, and dedicated to Zeus. These Games were held every other year, (2nd and 4th year), in the same years that the Isthmian Games are held and were similar to the Olympics, these games included various athletic contests. Winners were crowned with a wreath of wild celery.

·       Isthmian Games, were established near Corinth in 582 BCE the same year as the Pythian Games began in Delphi. They were also held every 2nd and 4th year, like the Nemean Games, but in the spring. These games were held in honor of Poseidon, (Ποσειδῶν), who presided over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses, and featured athletic and musical competitions, with victors receiving a wreath of pine leaves, later replaced by a wreath of dried celery.

Each of these games shared the common goal of celebrating athletic excellence and honoring the gods, but they also played a crucial role in fostering unity among the often-fragmented Greek city-states.

Conclusion

The ancient Olympic Games continued for nearly 12 centuries until they were suppressed in the late 4th century CE by Emperor Theodosius I, who sought to impose Christianity and suppress pagan traditions. Despite their cessation, the spirit of the ancient Olympics lived on, inspiring the modern Olympic movement that began in 1896.

In conclusion, the ancient Olympic Games were a remarkable fusion of sports, religion, and culture. The games honored Zeus and celebrated human excellence, leaving an indelible mark on history. Alongside other Panhellenic festivals, they exemplified the Greek commitment to both physical prowess and divine reverence, creating a legacy that endures to this day.

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Point of interest

The 26.2-mile marathon of today's Olympics can trace its origins back to ancient times, in addition to, the 1908 Olympics.

The modern marathon's distance of 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers) has its origins in both ancient and modern history. The marathon race commemorates the legendary run of Pheidippides, an ancient Greek messenger who, according to legend ran across the mountain track in full armor from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens in 490 BCE to announce the Greek victory over the Persians. Upon delivering his message, νικῶμεν (nikomen, (We win)), Pheidippides is said to have collapsed and died. It is from the Greek word for (win/victory), that the famous running shoe brand found its name, (Nike).

Originally, the marathon distance was approximately 24.85 miles (40 kilometers), reflecting the distance from Marathon to Athens. However, the distance was standardized at 26.2 miles during the 1908 London Olympics. This change occurred because the course was extended to allow the race to start at Windsor Castle and finish in front of the Royal Box at the Olympic Stadium, making the distance exactly 26 miles and 385 yards, (26.2 miles).

Therefore, the marathon race is named after the Battle of Marathon, a crucial conflict in ancient Greek history. Characters like Pheidippides became symbolic of endurance and heroism, embodying the spirit of the event, which has since evolved into a cornerstone of modern athletic competition.

5 Weird Facts about the Ancient Olympics

The Ancient Olympics were held in Greece from 776 BC until they were stopped in 393 AD; however they were very different to the modern Olympics. Here, Adrian Burrows returns and tells us five odd facts about the Ancient Olympics.

You can read a past ancient history article from Adrian on The Weapon that Conquered Ancient Egypt here.

A 19th century depiction of Olympia, Greece in ancient times.

Notwithstanding a short break (what’s a millennia and a half between friends ay?), the Olympics have been a part of humanity’s story for the last 2,800 years – ish. The start of the Ancient Olympics is usually attributed to the year 776 BC - that’s when the first Olympic Games took place in the town of Olympia; situated somewhere between the city-states of Elis and Sparta on the west coast of the Peloponnese. The first Games consisted of only one event, the Stade race, in which runners had to run 280 meters (or a Stadion, the word we derive ‘stadium’ from). The race was unremarkable, should 20 competitors decide to run a Stade race today it would be remarkably similar to a modern sprint – other than the fact that male competitors would all be naked of course. Which would certainly make for some unflattering media coverage, or perhaps a 21st century resurgence of the Stade race would make the Olympics more popular than ever? 

There are many other ways that the Ancient Olympics differ to our modern Olympics but this list represents by far the weirdest.

Only Men Could Compete

The Ancient Olympics was both primarily a religious event and also a strictly man only affair. That’s not to say that women couldn’t take part in their own sporting events - they could compete in the Heraean Games, though many of the finer details of this event have been lost to the mists of time – but they were forbidden from entering the Olympics. In fact, if you were a married woman you were prevented from even watching the Olympics. The punishment for ogling the jiggling glutes of the male competitors for a wed woman was severe - if you were caught you’d be thrown off a mountain.

That’s not to say that a woman never won the Olympic Games however. Who achieved this seemingly impossible feat? That would be a Spartan woman called Kyniska, daughter of the Archidamos. Oddly, the winner of a chariot race was not the rider, rather it was the owner of the horses who received the glory – enabling Kyniska to win the event, without actually being there. The rider - despite being in command of a rickety chariot pulled by four muscle bound horses over some 12 laps and 14,000 metres – received a grand total of zilch for their efforts. 

They Were Stinky. Very Stinky

Today, a country fortunate enough to hold the Olympics must invest millions into creating custom built stadiums. Not only are they perfectly constructed in every conceivable way, providing the ideal environment for the athletes competing within them, they also offer comprehensive comfort for the spectators. Offering food, drink, seating and – most importantly – lots and lots of toilets. 

The spectators of the Ancient Olympics had no such luxury, Every four years (that’s an Olympiad) over 50,000 people descended on the ordinarily virtually uninhabited Olympia (a few priests kept things ticking over but that was about it). 50,000 people sat in the hot sun with only a river to poop in. Just imagine the stench. Add to that the fact that 100 oxen would be sacrificed and burnt on the Alter of Zeus in the middle of the festival. There’s one thing for certain though - no candle manufacturer will ever be making an overpriced candle infused with the scent of the Ancient Olympics.

A Dead Person Won the Olympics

The Ancient Olympics were a brutal affair, boxing and wrestling were much more violent than the modern versions we are used to seeing on our televisions today. Though both these blood soaked spectacles paled in gore levels compared to Pankration – the mixed martial arts of the Ancient world. Pankration had only two rules, no biting and no poking out anyone’s eye. Other than that, anything went!

One remarkable account details the final fight of Arrhichion of Phigalia. Arrhichion was trapped in the vice like grip of his formidable opponent. Arms like steely vein covered greasy oil coated pythons were wrapped around his neck, and try as he might Arrhichion could not free himself. As his vision began to fade Arrhichion stamped as hard as he could on his opponent’s foot. The pain was so intense that this unknown fighter released Arrhichion and submitted. The crowd went wild, Arrhichion had overcame the odds and won. But while the crowd went bananas Arrhichion remained unmoving on the sand and dirt. He was dead.

That didn’t dampen the celebration however. Despite being very deceased, Arrhichion was crowned the victor and returned to Phigalia a hero.

More Gore than Ever Before

Arrhichion’s final victory was not the goriest event to take place in the Ancient Olympics, instead that honour would fall to the boxing match between Damoxenos and Creugas. In Ancient Boxing there were no weight classes and the matches were randomly picked. So you could end up with a bout in which one fighter had a significant size and weight advantage over the other. Which reportedly was the case when these Damoxenos and Creugas, two undefeated champions, went up against each other. 

Damoxenos was a massive slab of humanity, whilst Creugas was smaller but incredibly nimble. And a good thing too, with no boxing gloves fighters instead just wrapped their fists in leather; one punch from the giant Damoxenos would have levelled Creugas, and with no rules stating otherwise, the bigger man could keep on punching Creugas in the head – regardless of whether or not he could defend himself. Either way power vs agility had led to a draw, meaning a ‘klimax’ was enforced. Here each man takes it in turns to hit the other with full force; this is an unprotected blow taking at their liberty. Like some sort of blood soaked penalty shootout the fight ends when only one man is left standing. 

Creugas went first, he punched the bigger man in the head as hard as he could. But to little avail, Damoxenos just shrugged off the assault. Then it was Damoxenos’ turn, Creugas braced himself as this terrifying beast punched him with full force with straight fingers into the bread basket. Damoxenos clearly needed a manicure as his sharp nails ripped at Creugas’ skin. Damoxenos then ripped his fingers once more along Creugas’ abdomen, gutting the fighter like a pig and causing his innards to come tumbling out like meat and potato from a freshly bitten pie. 

It was all over, Creugus had won. That’s right, Creugus. Damoxenos had been disqualified as the rules of the ‘Klimax’ state one punch at a time only. Sure, Creugas’ guts were getting a sun tan but it was all worth it for that laurel wreath.

The World’s Greatest

These days, in every Olympic event, multiple world records are smashed. Athletes are lucky to hold on to their world record for a decade but it is rare for a competitor to hold a record for fifty years, let alone a hundred. Yet there was one ancient athlete who held his record for over two thousand years. Yes, TWO THOUSAND YEARS. This phenomenal specimen of a Homo Sapien was Leonidas of Rhodes. 

He first competed in the Olympic Games of the 154th Olympiad in 164 BCE, where Leonidas captured the laurel wreath in three different races; the stadion, the diaulos (a foot race of 400 metres) and the hoplitodromos (a diaulos where the runners wear armour – talk about exhausting!). He then went on to win these three events over the next three consecutive Olympiads. Bear in mind that in the Ancient Olympics there was no second or third place, you were either a winner… or a massive loser.

This astonishing act, of winning twelve individual Olympic victories, was unmatched until 2016; when Michael Phelps, the American swimmer, won his 13th Olympic Gold.

Adrian is a co-owner of Imagining History workshops. Imagining History provides educational history workshops for primary schools that captivate and entertain.

Their interactive sessions combine role-play, storytelling, demonstrations and drama and performance to bring history to life for students.

Imagining History offer loads of free digital history resources for teachers and parents. You can find content on Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt and more at www.imagininghistory.co.uk/blog.

You can also check out their biweekly Youtube series ‘Headlines from History’.