Olympics in Greece

Do you ever wonder how the Olympics started? Do you even know what The Olympics is? The Olympics is an incredible and fascinating event that brings countries together, to show and do what they love and how they excel at it. The Olympics was and still is a huge event that has occurred for many years. You may have many questions. I however, have a few questions I am going to focus on. How are the Olympics today the same as it was in Ancient Greece? Also, how is it different? The last question is what was and is the point of the Olympics?

The Olympics in Ancient Greece started around 700 BC. This celebration was held every four years in honor of one of the gods named Zeus. Zeus was the god they worshipped most. He controls lighting and thunder. He is also known as the father of Greek Heroes and the ancestor of many Greeks.

The Olympics in Greece had many rules. Greek men could only participate, married women could not even enter the stadium, only young virgin girls and priestesses could come and watch, and once the man signed up for the Olympic games they could not get out of it. The reason why women could not attend was, because they were considered second-class citizens. They sought them out to be Pollutant.

Ancient Greece Olympic Games had different types of games running, boxing, discus throwing, javelin throwing, and chariot racing. Javelin Throwing originated in Ancient Greece, It involves throwing a painted pole or stick. What the judges looked for is distance, speed, strength, and accuracy. Chariot Racing Was a race between four competitors that had two horses. They raced around the track twelve times which is nine miles. Discus Throwing is when you throw a disk a certain distance. The disks back then were made of stone that weighed around 1.3 and 6.6 kg.

After an athlete won his event, the herald would announce his name, father's name, and city of origin to the crowd. He was given a palm branch and dressed with red woolen ribbons around his head, arm, and leg to show that he had won. As all this was happening the band played a custom made song in honor of him winning the event. That night the winner would eat as much as he wanted with his friends. The party would last all night as they dressed themselves with garlands and paraded around the Altis, singing the new victory song and other songs. The next morning, the winner would go to a church and give offering and prayers.

The awards ceremony at the end of the Games was a very important event. The wreaths made from the sacred olive tree were displayed on a gold and ivory table. The senior Hellanodikos (judge) crowned each winner while the onlookers tossed petals. Then the winners would be treated to an all they can eat buffet. The greatest of the prizes awarded an Olympic victor was the honor of placing his statue at Olympia, in the holy sanctuary dedicated to the gods.

As you can see much has changed today than