Why Did Olympics Start
Do you know how the Olympics all started? The purpose of this paper is to explain how the Olympics first began and why it began. There are many different games that have been adapted over the years. The importance of this paper is to inform the reader of how the Olympics developed and why it developed.
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The Olympics were said to originate long ago in the city of Olympia. The games developed because the Greeks idealized physical fitness and mental discipline. The one Greek to model these ideals was the Greek god Zeus. One of the most famous legends is the battle of Zeus and his father Kronos. It was said that”the two fought on top of a mountain looking down on Greece” (Allen, 22). After Zeus, he earned control of the world. And to honor …show more content…
him a temple and statue was made for him. People came to visit this city and religious games were played, and were later developed into the Olympic Games. We don’t know when the earliest games were but the first recorded Olympics games was in 776 B.C.
It only contained one event which was the one-stade, a 630 foot race. This event was won by a cook named Coroebus. The Olympic Games became so important to the Greeks that they became a time of peace. Cities like Sparta would come to compete and they would wait til after the games to continue their battles against each other. For the first 13 Olympic Games the one-stade race was the only event. But as the Olympics developed more games were added. Like the “Hoplitodrome”, a foot race where men wore full amour. The pentathlon was added in 708 B.C. and involved 5 events (jumping, javelin, sprint, discus, and wrestling). Another sport introduced in 648 B.C. called “the Pancration was a sport with no rules and combined boxing and wrestling” (Constantine, 65). As the games developed and grew, the Greeks built more buildings for the games to house athletes and buildings for training. Boxers and wrestlers were trained in the Palaestra, which was what we now call a gym. The building that housed the athletes was called the …show more content…
“Leonidaion”. Only freeborn men and boys could take part in the Olympic Games.
Servants and slaves could on take part in the horse races. Women were never allowed to take part or even watch the games. The penalty of being caught doing either was death. But one time this rule was spared. When a woman’s husband died, she continued to train her son in boxing. She even went to the games disguised as a man. But she was caught when she shouted with excitement when her son won. That day her life was spared because both her husband and son were Olympians (Allen, 112). In the beginning, the Games were only open to Greek citizens. But later on athletes from all over Rome were able to compete. Like todays sports the athletes had to take an oath that they would follow all the rules and standards. And they had to pay their own expenses, and they could not receive any money for winning. Winners of the Games received crowns and wreaths of olive leaves. They were hailed as heroes and received material gifts. These heroes were also symbolized as protectors of their city. The ancient Olympic Games not just honored athletes but also artists. A famous poet Pindar created many odes from the Games winners (Constantine, 87). And the Olympic buildings were prime examples of the talent that Greek architects had. Like athletes artists were awarded olive wreaths and looked at
greatly. But great things must always come to an end. In the 100’s B.C. Rome conquered Greece. The games started to become corrupted and ended up being banned. In 426, Roman emperor Theodosius II had all the temples destroyed and earthquakes buried the city if Olympia.
Conclusion
The Olympic Games were a big part of Greek history. The games explained what Greek civilization was all about. It showed that the Greeks had morals and had set rules. Greeks were at the top of the list in the world, and were also peacekeepers. The Olympic Games brought different cities together and gave many athletes the chance to show off their skills. Today we still hold Olympic Games but the games have developed a lot. Not only from the sports involved but the fact that women are allowed to compete.
Body
The Olympics were said to originate long ago in the city of Olympia. The games developed because the Greeks idealized physical fitness and mental discipline. The one Greek to model these ideals was the Greek god Zeus. One of the most famous legends is the battle of Zeus and his father Kronos. It was said that”the two fought on top of a mountain looking down on Greece” (Allen, 22). After Zeus, he earned control of the world. And to honor …show more content…
him a temple and statue was made for him. People came to visit this city and religious games were played, and were later developed into the Olympic Games. We don’t know when the earliest games were but the first recorded Olympics games was in 776 B.C.
It only contained one event which was the one-stade, a 630 foot race. This event was won by a cook named Coroebus. The Olympic Games became so important to the Greeks that they became a time of peace. Cities like Sparta would come to compete and they would wait til after the games to continue their battles against each other. For the first 13 Olympic Games the one-stade race was the only event. But as the Olympics developed more games were added. Like the “Hoplitodrome”, a foot race where men wore full amour. The pentathlon was added in 708 B.C. and involved 5 events (jumping, javelin, sprint, discus, and wrestling). Another sport introduced in 648 B.C. called “the Pancration was a sport with no rules and combined boxing and wrestling” (Constantine, 65). As the games developed and grew, the Greeks built more buildings for the games to house athletes and buildings for training. Boxers and wrestlers were trained in the Palaestra, which was what we now call a gym. The building that housed the athletes was called the …show more content…
“Leonidaion”. Only freeborn men and boys could take part in the Olympic Games.
Servants and slaves could on take part in the horse races. Women were never allowed to take part or even watch the games. The penalty of being caught doing either was death. But one time this rule was spared. When a woman’s husband died, she continued to train her son in boxing. She even went to the games disguised as a man. But she was caught when she shouted with excitement when her son won. That day her life was spared because both her husband and son were Olympians (Allen, 112). In the beginning, the Games were only open to Greek citizens. But later on athletes from all over Rome were able to compete. Like todays sports the athletes had to take an oath that they would follow all the rules and standards. And they had to pay their own expenses, and they could not receive any money for winning. Winners of the Games received crowns and wreaths of olive leaves. They were hailed as heroes and received material gifts. These heroes were also symbolized as protectors of their city. The ancient Olympic Games not just honored athletes but also artists. A famous poet Pindar created many odes from the Games winners (Constantine, 87). And the Olympic buildings were prime examples of the talent that Greek architects had. Like athletes artists were awarded olive wreaths and looked at
greatly. But great things must always come to an end. In the 100’s B.C. Rome conquered Greece. The games started to become corrupted and ended up being banned. In 426, Roman emperor Theodosius II had all the temples destroyed and earthquakes buried the city if Olympia.
Conclusion
The Olympic Games were a big part of Greek history. The games explained what Greek civilization was all about. It showed that the Greeks had morals and had set rules. Greeks were at the top of the list in the world, and were also peacekeepers. The Olympic Games brought different cities together and gave many athletes the chance to show off their skills. Today we still hold Olympic Games but the games have developed a lot. Not only from the sports involved but the fact that women are allowed to compete.