Ancient Olympics Changes

Everything changes, it is just a matter of when. The Ancient Olympic Games were believed to have started in the Greek city-state of Olympia in 776 B.C. The Games were held every four years, just like the modern Olympics. During the Ancient Games, only men could compete, however boys were also allowed to compete in a Junior Olympics. Though if these boys could compete with the men they would. Although men were the only ones allowed to compete, there was a loophole for women. The wealthy could pay someone to represent them in the chariot race, and when a chariot won, the victory would go to the person who payed them to compete. Essentially a women could pay someone to represent them and when they won the victory would go to the women. Because
the Olympics played such a significant role in Ancient Greek culture, there was a legend created that Hercules, who was the son of the god Zeus and the human Alcmene, was the one who started the tradition of the Olympic Games. The Games not only affected the culture at the time but the historians as well. These historians started to measure time by using the Olympiads, what the games were known as, to measure every four years. The Ancient Games not only brought people from all classes together, but also developed over time. The Olympic Games went from being a religious event, to athletic competitions, to playing a role in politics; these changes also affected the modern Games and the decline of the ancient games.
The Ancient Olympic Games went through several stages of change, but they all began with an event dedicated to their gods. The Games were held in honor of Zeus, the King of the Greek gods; the first game was held as a festival with only one event, the 192 meter foot race, called the strade. To show how important the gods were at the time, from around August 6th to September 19th, which was when the Games would occur, all wars between the different city-states, would be suspended, so all greek men could come compete and watch.The period time where wars were suspended was known as the “Olympic Truce” and afterwards the fighting would continue (The Olympic Truce). It was said that Zeus would show favor on some athletes and deny a victory to others. To gain favor with Zeus the Greeks would sacrifice 100 oxen to him. They sacrificed the oxen to ask Zeus to keep the flies away from their food supplies. Not only did the Greeks use the oxen, but they also used burnt sacrifices and used them as an alter to pray to Zeus, along with giving him. Before the Games, the Greeks would go and speak with an oracle of Zeus to find out their fates in the Games because as said before the Greeks believed that some people would be shown favor while others would not. So, they went the an oracle to find out if they would win the games or not. Although religion had an extensive role in the Olympics it was not the only one playing a role.
As the Olympic Games grew in popularity, it started to take on more of an athletic aspect.
Since all of the wars between all the city-states ceased at the time of the games thousands of athletes would travel from all over Greece, places such as athens and sparta, to compete. Then when the Roman Empire conquered the Greeks, Rome allowed non-Greeks to compete. In the beginning only the rich completed because they were the ones with the time and money. Although it was eventually opened up to the poor, everyone who competed, competed for personal gain. When athletes won the games they would not only gain popularity and become something of a celebrity, but also a great deal of money and political power, often becoming diplomats and having significant influence in the government of the city-states. As the Games grew more sports were added to gain more participants. As stated before in the first games the only sport that was competed in was the 192 meter foot race called the strade. As the Olympics started to become more popular, sports like the diaulos, a longer there and back race, the dolichos, which is a even longer race, boxing, wrestling, and the Pancration, a race that combines all types of physical attacks used in combat, were also incorporated. Horse-chariot racing and mule racing were also added along with many others. Since the Games were considered such a big event, many city-states would send their athletes to compete to display their power and attain glory for their
city-state. But athletics were not the only theme that had a role in the Ancient Games.
The Olympic Games went through many different levels of importance, including a stage where politics played a role. Though the Greeks tried to keep politics out of the Games it still played a main role. This was were basically all diplomacy took place. Since many people would come to see the games, it was made into a place where people would gather to come up with peace treaties between two city-states. An example of the peace treaties that were made is the peace made between the Achaeans and the Eleans.They not only negotiated peace, but also negotiated the release of their prisoners of war. Along with peace treaties, there were alliances made and political announcements. An example of alliances would be Thucydides announced a 100-year military treaty that the Athenians, Argives, Mantineans, and the Eleans. Thucydides also drummed up political support by boasting about his success at the previous games. As said before religion played an extensive role in the Games this includes the decline of the Games.
In the end, since the Greek empire was conquered by the Roman Empire in the year 146 B.C.E., the Games started to decline. After the Roman Empire converted to Christianity, the Games were declared by the emperor Theodosius I to be a pagan festival. An example of this would be that the games celebrated the human body, which goes against christian belief. Everything seems to play a role in the Olympic Games this includes the modern Olympics.
All of these changes not only affected the Ancient Games but the modern Games as well.
The only exception is religion which played a major role in the Ancient Olympics, but it did not play any type of role in the modern olympics. This was because the Olympics were brought back to bring countries from all over the world together, and the world doesn’t have only one religion. Athletics also played a role in the Ancient Olympics, and so did they play a role in the modern Olympics. In 1986 when the olympics were brought back they were meant to bring multiple nations around the world together by having athletes compete in different sports to win medals for their countries. Politics did not only play a role in the Ancient Olympics but the Modern Olympics as well. It is often argued that the first real sign of politics playing a role was in the 1936 Olympics when they were held in Berlin. This was were Hitler tried to display the power of Nazi Germany and the superiority of the Aryan (white) race. This also showed the technological power of Nazi Germany, as the games were broadcasted live and as video all over the
world.