The Greek Games

    The Greeks loved to compete. They had a tendency to turn everything into a competition, or an agon. That is why the Greeks got involved in various athletic games. However, mostly, they did it to gain the favor of the Gods, the most valuable prize. They believed that the Gods loved to see beautiful, fit, and graceful bodies, and this applied especially for boys and men. Therefore, the Greek boys and men spent a lot of time exercising, eating properly, and oiling their bodies.

     Most of the entrants to athletic games were wealthy men, who did not have to work. Instead, they would spend their time enduring heavy training for these competitions. The best of these men were chosen to compete with the best men from other city-states. This training served dual purposes, since these men were usually forced to become soldiers as well.

The Greeks are famous for inventing many different athletic games. These games were originally held in honor of their gods. Some of these contests included the Isthmos games which were held every two years at Isthmos of Cornith, the Pythian games which took place near Delphi every four years, and off course the very Olympic games (which still exist today) that were held every four years, at the city of Olympia in South-western Greece.

 The ancient Olympics are believed to have begun in 700 B.C. in honor of Zeus. Only men were allowed to participate in athletic games. In fact, women were not even allowed to attend the games, since contestants were usually naked or dressed in thongs. This is evidenced by pottery that dates back to 500 B.C.

At first, the Olympic games lasted for only one day. But then, in 472 B.C., the duration of the games was extended to 5 days of athletics and wrestling. Many of the events that were held at that time are the same ones that we have today, only the exact order is unknown. However, we know that the first day was devoted to sacrifices. On the second day, the foot-race, the most important even took place in the stadium. The stadium was an oval area that was surrounded by large masses of earth. Wrestling, boxing, and panncratium (a combination of the two) were spread out over the remaining days. To win in wrestling, you had to knock your opponent to the floor three times. On the other hand, boxing was very different, and much more brutal. At first contestants, wore straps of leather around their fingers to make their hits more painful. However, these were later replaced by harder leather, which sometimes even covered strips of metal. And third, the panncratium was the most fierce event. This game would only end when one of the contestants admitted defeat. Another event which was enjoyed in the Olympics was the horse-racing, although this was mainly reserved for the wealthy since you had to own the horse you used in the competition. And finally, came the penthalon, which consisted of five events: long-jumping, javelin-hurling, discus-throwing, and wrestling.

 Aside from the Olympics, Greek boys also played other games like field hockey, and some less active games like dice and marbles, and knucklebones, and checkers. Girls can be seen throwing balls on the cover of vases, however Greeks were not really interested in physical activity for girls. As you can see the Olympic games still live on till today. They are the same games that were held in Salt Lake City this winter. The Olympic games is one of the many contributions that the Greeks made to the world.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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