The Olympic Games are the most significant sporting events in the world . They are held every four years. Every athlete dreams of victory in these competitions. The origin of the Olympic Games dates back to ancient times. They were held in the seventh century BC. Why was the ancient Olympic Games called the holidays of the world? In which country were they held for the first time?
The myth of the birth of the Olympic Games
In ancient times, these were the greatest national festivities. Who is the founder of the ancient Olympic Games is unknown. Myths and legends played a significant role in the social and cultural life of the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed that the birth of the Olympic Games dates back to the time of Kronos - the son of the first god Uranus. In the competition between mythical heroes, Hercules won the run, for which he was awarded a wreath of olive. Subsequently, the winner insisted that sporting events be held every five years. That is the legend. Of the origin of the Olympic Games, of course, there are other legends.
The historical sources confirming the holding of these festivities in Ancient Greece include the " Iliad " of Homer. This book mentions a chariot race held by the inhabitants of Elis , the region of the Peloponnese where Olympia was located.
Holy truce
A mere mortal who played a significant role in the development of the ancient Greek Olympic Games was King Ifit . During his reign, the interval between the competitions was already four years. Resuming the Olympic Games, Ifit declared a sacred truce. That is, during these festivals it was impossible to wage war. And not only in Elis , but also in other parts of Hellas.
Elis was considered a sacred place. It was impossible to wage war with her. True, later the Eleists themselves invaded neighboring regions more than once. Why was the ancient Olympic Games called the holidays of the world? Firstly, the holding of these competitions was connected with the names of the gods, whom the ancient Greeks highly revered. Secondly, for the month the aforementioned truce was announced, which had a special name - ἱερομηνία.
Scientists still have not come to a consensus about sports in the Olympic Games held by the Greeks. It is believed that initially athletes competed only in running. Later, wrestling and chariot races were added to the sports at the Olympics.
Members
Among the citizens in ancient Greece were those who underwent public dishonor and contempt of others, that is, atimia . They could not become participants in the competition. Only respected Hellenes. Of course, barbarians, who could only be spectators, did not take part in the ancient Olympic Games. An exception was made only in favor of the Romans. At the ancient Greek Olympics, a woman did not even have the right to attend if she was not a priestess of the goddess Demeter .
The number of spectators and participants was huge. If at the first Olympic Games in Ancient Greece (776 BC), only running competitions were held, then other sports appeared later. And over time, poets and artists got the opportunity to compete in their skills. During the festivities, even the deputies competed with each other in an abundance of offerings to mythical deities.
From the history of the Olympic Games, it is known that these events had quite important social and cultural significance. Transactions were made between merchants, artists and poets acquainted the public with their creations.
Competitions were held on the first full moon after the summer solstice. Five days went on. A certain part of the time was devoted to sacrificial rites and to a public feast.
Types of Competition
The history of the Olympic Games, as already mentioned, is full of legends and legends. However, regarding the types of competitions there is reliable information. At the first Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, athletes competed in running. This sport was represented by the following varieties:
- Distance running.
- Double run.
- Long run.
- Running fully armed .
The first fist fight took place at the 23rd Olympiad. Later, the ancient Greeks added such martial arts as pankration , wrestling. It was said above that women did not have the right to participate in competitions. However, in 688 BC, special competitions were created for the most motivated women in ancient Greece. The only sport they could compete in was horse racing.
In the fourth century BC, the competition between trumpeters and heralds was added to the program of the Olympic Games - the Hellenes believed that aesthetic pleasure and sport had a logical connection. Artists exhibited their works on the market square. Poets and writers, as mentioned above, read their works. Sometimes after the completion of the Games the sculptors were ordered statues of the winners, lyrics in honor of the most powerful and clever composed laudatory songs.
Ellanodons
What were the names of the judges who observed the progress of the competition and awarded awards to the winners. Ellanodons were assigned by lot. The judges not only presented the award, but also managed the device for the entire event. At the first Olympic Games there were only two, then nine, ten later. Beginning in 368 BC, there were twelve Ellanodons . True, later the number of judges decreased. Ellanodons wore special purple clothing.
How did the competition begin? Athletes proved to spectators and judges that the previous months had been devoted exclusively to preliminary training. They took an oath before the statue of the main ancient Greek god - Zeus . Relatives of those who wanted to compete - fathers and brothers - also took an oath. A month before the competition, athletes demonstrated their skills to the judges at the Olympic gymnasium.
The order of the competition was established by lot. Then the herald publicly announced the name of the contestant. Where did the olympics take place?
Sanctuary of Ancient Greece
Where the Olympic Games were held, it is clear from the name. Olympia is located in the northwestern part of the Peloponnesian Peninsula. It once housed the temple and cultural complex and the sacred grove of Zeus . On the territory of the ancient Greek sanctuary there were religious buildings, monuments, sports facilities and houses in which participants and guests lived. This place was the center of Greek art until the fourth century BC. Later, sports facilities were burned by order of Theodosius II.
The Olympic stadium was built gradually. He became the first in ancient Greece. In the fifth century BC, this stadium received about forty thousand spectators. For training, we used gnasii - a structure whose treadmill was equal in length to the one that was at the stadium itself. Another site for preliminary preparation is palestra . It was a square structure with a courtyard. It mainly trained athletes who competed in wrestling and fist fighting.
Leonidoyon , which served as the Olympic village, was built in the fifth century BC according to the project of a famous architect in ancient Greece. The huge building consisted of a courtyard surrounded by columns and included many rooms. The Olympic Games played an important role in the religious life of the Greeks. And therefore, local residents erected several temples and shrines here. Structures fell into decay after the earthquake that occurred in the sixth century. The hippodrome was finally destroyed during the flood.
The last Olympic Games in Ancient Greece took place in the year 394. Forbidden by Emperor Theodosius. In the Christian era, these events were regarded as pagan. The revival of the Olympic Games took place two millennia later . Although already in the XVII century competitions, reminiscent of the Olympic, were held repeatedly in England, France and Greece.
The revival of ancient Greek traditions
The predecessors of the modern Olympic Games were Olympia, held in the middle of the 19th century. But they, of course, were not so large-scale and had little in common with competitions, which nowadays take place every four years. A significant role in the revival of the Olympic Games was played by the French public figure Pierre de Coubertin. Why did Europeans suddenly recall the traditions of the ancient Greeks?
In the middle of the XVII century, archaeological research was carried out in Olympia, as a result of which scientists discovered the remains of temple structures. Work continued for more than ten years. At that time, everything related to Antiquity was popular in Europe. The desire to revive the Olympic traditions was infected by many public and cultural figures. At the same time, the French showed the greatest interest in the culture of sports in ancient Greece, although archaeological discoveries belonged to the Germans. This can be easily explained.
In 1871, the French army was defeated, which significantly undermined the patriotic spirit in society. Pierre de Coubertin believed that the reason was the poor physical fitness of the soldiers. He did not try to inspire his compatriots to fight with Germany and other European powers. The French public figure spoke a lot about the need to improve physical education, but also advocated overcoming national egoism and establishing international understanding.
First Olympic Games: New Time
In June 1894, a congress was held at the Sorbonne, at which Coubertin presented his thoughts to the world community about the need to revive ancient Greek traditions. His ideas were supported. On the last day of the congress, it was decided to hold the Olympic Games in two years. They should have taken place in Athens. The international competition committee was led by Demetrius Vikelas . Pierre de Coubertin became Secretary General.
The 1896 Olympic Games became the largest sporting event. Greek statesmen put forward a proposal to hold the Olympic Games exclusively in their homeland. However, the committee decided otherwise. The venue of the Games changes every four years.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Olympic movement was not very popular. This is partly due to the fact that at that time the World Exhibition was held in Paris. Some historians believe that the Olympic ideas were saved thanks to the intermediate games of 1906, held again in Athens.
Differences of modern Games from ancient Greek
Competitions were resumed on the model of antique sports competitions. The modern Olympic Games bring together athletes from all over the state; discrimination on individuals is not permitted on religious, racial or political grounds. This, perhaps, is the main difference between modern Games and ancient Greek.
What did the modern Olympic Games borrow from the ancient Greek? First of all, the name itself. The competition frequency was also borrowed. One of the purposes of the modern Olympic Games is to serve the world, to establish mutual understanding between countries. This is in tune with the ideas of the ancient Greeks about a temporary truce in the days of the competition. The Olympic flame and torch are symbols of the Olympics, which arose, of course, in antiquity. The ancient Greeks also borrowed some terms and rules of the competition.
There are, of course, several significant differences between modern Games and antique. The ancient Greeks held sports exclusively at Olympia. Today, the Games are organized every time in another city. In ancient Greece, there was no such thing as a " winter Olympic Games. " Yes, and the competition was different. In antiquity , not only athletes but also poets participated in the Olympic Games.
Symbolism
Everyone knows how the symbol of the Olympic Games looks. Five bonded rings of black, blue, red, yellow and green. However, few know that these elements do not apply to any particular continent. The motto of the Olympic Games is in Latin, translated into Russian means " faster, higher, stronger. " The flag is a white panel with the image of rings. He has been rising at all Games since 1920.
Both the opening and closing of the Games are accompanied by a grandiose, colorful ceremony. The best organizers of mass events are involved in the development of the script. Famous actors , singers seek to participate in this spectacle. The broadcast of this international event attracts tens of millions of viewers around the world to television screens.
If the ancient Greeks believed that in honor of the Olympic Games it was worthwhile to suspend any military operations, then in the twentieth century the opposite happened. Sports were canceled due to armed conflict. Games were not held in 1916, 1940, 1944 . In Russia, the Olympics took place twice. In 1980 in Moscow and in 2014 in Sochi.