Ancient Olympic Games

The Ancient Olympic Games were a series of athletic competitions held between the city-states of Ancient Greece. They used to be called the Olympic Games (Greek: Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες; Olympiakoi Agones) until the modern day Olympic Games started. The Ancient Olympic Games began in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece. They ran until 393 AD. Then the stadium got buried by landslides and other natural disasters.^[1] Prizes at the games were olive wreaths, palm branches and woollen ribbons. The ancient Olympics were played in the honour of the God Zeus.

Women were not allowed to participate or even to see the competitions.

Famous athletes Edit

The Bases of Zanes were paid for by fines taken from people who cheated at the Games

Here are athletes that competed at the Games:

from Athens:
- Aurelios Zopyros (Junior boxing)
from Sparta:
- Acanthus of Sparta (Running: diaulos)
- Chionis of Sparta (Running: stadium, diaulos. Long and Triple Jump)
- Cynisca of Sparta (first woman to be listed as an Olympic victor)
from Rhodes:
- Diagoras of Rhodes (Boxing 79th Olympiad, 464 BCE) and his sons Akusilaos and Damagetos (Boxing and Pankration)
- Leonidas of Rhodes (Running: stadium, diaulos and hoplitodromos)
from Croton:
- Astylos of Croton (Running: stadium, diaulos and hoplitodromos)
- Milo of Croton (wrestling)
- Timasitheos of Croton (wrestling)
from other cities:
- Koroibos of Elis (Stadion)
- Orsippus of Megara (Runner: diaulos)
- Theagenes of Thasos (Pankration)
non-Greek:
- Tiberius (steerer of a four-horse chariot)^[2]
- Nero (steerer of a ten-horse chariot)
- Varastades, Prince and future King of Armenia, (last known Ancient Olympic victor (boxing) during the 291st Olympic Games in the fourth century.^[3]

Related pages Edit

Olympic Games

References Edit

↑ "Ancient Olympic Games". Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2006. Microsoft Corporation. June 20, 1997. Archived from the original on May 4, 2006. Retrieved December 27, 2006.
↑ Tiberius, AD 1 or earlier - cf. Ehrenberg & Jones, Documents Illustrating the Reigns of Augustus and Tiberius [Oxford 1955] p. 73 (n.78)
↑ 369 according to Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece by Nigel Wilson, 2006, Routledge (UK) or 385 according to Classical Weekly by Classical Association of the Atlantic States

Other websites Edit

The Ancient Olympic Games Virtual Museum (requires registration) Archived 2004-06-02 at the Wayback Machine
Ancient Olympics (General and detailed information)
The Ancient Olympics (A special exhibit)
The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games Archived 2008-05-01 at the Wayback Machine
The Origin of the Olympics
The Original Olympic Movement Since 776 B.C.
List of Macedonian Olympic winners (in Greek) Archived 2004-05-17 at Archive.today
Webquest The ancient and modern Olympic Games Archived 2012-06-18 at the Wayback Machine

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[Encarta-Ancient-1] "Ancient Olympic Games". Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2006. Microsoft Corporation. June 20, 1997. Archived from the original on May 4, 2006. Retrieved December 27, 2006.

[2] Tiberius, AD 1 or earlier - cf. Ehrenberg & Jones, Documents Illustrating the Reigns of Augustus and Tiberius [Oxford 1955] p. 73 (n.78)

[3] 369 according to Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece by Nigel Wilson, 2006, Routledge (UK) or 385 according to Classical Weekly by Classical Association of the Atlantic States

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