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UNIT # 3A: The Ancient Olympic Games¹ Historical & Philosophical Bases of Physical Education and Sport Adapted from lecture notes by Mechikoff & Estes (1998) |
| UNIT OBJECTIVES |
| By the completion of this unit students will develop knowledge and understanding of: |
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¹Unit 3A's outlines is in part a reproduction and in part a modification and expansion of
original lecture notes by Dr. Steve Estes, California State University, Fullerton. Mechikoff, R., & Estes, S. (1998). A history and philosophy of sport and physical education: From the ancient Greeks to the present (2nd ed.). Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark. |
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UNIT 3 -- ORIGINS OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES The Ancient Greek Olympics PowerPoint lecture notes are available in Adobe PDF format. To open a .pdf file in your browser you need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader application installed on your PC. |
| Three Periods: (I) 1,370 - 1,100 B.C.E. (II) 1,100 - 900 B.C.E. (III) 900 - 776 B.C.E. |
| The current popular view is that the first ancient Olympic games took place in 776 BC. The ancient Greeks considered the origins of the games at Olympia to have begun around 1,370 BC. Princes would invite neighboring princes to compete. These early games were held at irregular intervals. The inception of the games on the quadrennial system is credited to Heracles of Argos, who lived shortly before the Trojan war, 1,220 BC. |
| The second era of the Olympic games is poorly described, perhaps because of migrations (Dorian), disease, and political friction. Shrine at Olympia neglected at this time. The third period is known as the time of revival or of restoration. The objective was to restore political harmony, and this purpose was popularly supported by the Oracle at Delphi. This is believed to have taken place in 884 BC. |
| The first official available record is that from the 776 BC Olympics. Following Olympiads are numbered from this point and on. Scholars' (British--at the turn of the century) bias created this erroneous impression; the keeping of records is a modern characteristic of sport. |
| Usually members of the upper class competed in the games. Between 800 BC and 600 BC it was the young man of means and social distinction who could afford to spend his time training for the festivals. It was a means of social advancement and for marrying into money and wealth. |
| By 776 the four major wreath festivals and the hundreds of local ones were developed. |
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| By 594 B.C.E the records indicate that winners began receiving large sums of money, some so large in that time period as to make them wealthy for the rest of their lives. Very similar--as best as we can estimate--as the most wealthy athletes of today. Some of the prizes included, for example, for first place in one event the prize was worth 16 oxen, second place received a woman skilled in cooking and all the "worldly ways," worth four oxens. |
| The four major wreath festivals and the local ones held in the far reaches of the colonies must have kept public interest very high. Even non-Greek neighbors were interested in the games. |
| By 776 events have become consistent: Diaulos (Stade Race) foot race was the first event at Olympia won by Coroebus. Dolichos (the long run) was the next event. By 720 B.C.E. the Dolichos (long foot race) was discontinued. Pentathlon (Discus, Long Jump, Javelin, Running, Wrestling) 708 B.C.E Boxing in 688 BC, chariot racing in 680 B.C.E Pancratium (Pankration -- PAN = ALL; KRATOS = STRENGTH; contest of boxing and wrestling) in 648 B.C.E Foot race with armor in 580 B.C.E |
| Between 510-410 B.C.E the athletes were generally more well rounded in their training and preparation. The most popular event was the pentathlon. By that time not only the noble participated. The Olympic games got a special boost after the successful win over the Persians at the battle of Marathon. In 490 B.C.E games the Greek victory was attributed to the superior physical fitness of the Greeks that was a direct result of the physical education system and the special preparation for Olympic competition. (Think of Olga Korbut, Nadia Komanece and Mary Lu Retton and their contributions to the resurgence of interest in Olympic gymnastics all over the world and in the USA). |
| Professional writers, sculptors, poets, musical writing all praised the athletes. The winners of Olympic contests were not getting any prize at the Olympic site. However, their services as victors to the city that sponsored them were very well appreciated. |
| We currently have more information about the Olympic games and athletics from around the fourth century B.C.E. Professionalism continues and becomes more pronounced. Athletes are becoming bigger and stronger, pay special attention to their diets, and are engaged in specialized weight training. The view of the overly developed and under educated athlete is expressed by some critics of athletics (see much later views of Claudius Galen,130-200 A.D.). One super star athlete, Milo of Croton, was famous for winning 31 wreaths in major games. Legend has it that Milo broke thongs of leather tied around his head by swelling his veins. |
| By 333 B.C.E the Greek culture underwent radical changes with the rise of Alexander the Great. The Olympic games changed very little, except for the fact that non-Greeks started performing well in the Pan Hellenic games. The professional emphasis of the games is constantly on the rise (especially since more of the poor are participating). |
| In 146 B.C.E the Romans sack Corinth. Still the Olympic games survive and are not changed immediately, but rather influence Rome despite its disdain toward nudity. One possible reason may be the appreciation of the involved physical training by the Roman Generals. |
| Eventually, capacity for athletics must have been in some measure adversely affected by the wars of the period. Levies and assessments weakened the older groups financially, while military service consumed the strength and the lives of the young men. Many Greek towns became depopulated and gymnasiums were reduced to plowed fields. |
| The second century AD witnessed a revival of the four Pan-Hellenic ( wreath) festivals. Many Romans traveled to observe the games that were a great spectacle. Roman spectatorship leaves its mark on the Greek games. Athletes seem to be those who immigrated to Asia Minor and Egypt at the closing of the 4th century B.C.E. By this time there are almost no references to a victor of Greek or Roman mainland origin. Fame, money and government related jobs are still the prizes of the winners (Any similarities to former and current communist block countries?). |
| The last known Olympic boxing victor was an Armenian prince named Varaztad. He became king of Armenia for the next four years. |
| We do not have much information about the specifics of the abolishment of the Olympic games. It is generally believed, however, that Theodosius the Great abolished the games somewhere around 392-395 AD. |
| What have we learned from the Greeks? |
| The Greeks were the originators of professional athletics and not amateurism. |
| Appreciation of the aesthetic quality of the human body ("Modern day body building is a twisted and ill conceived idea of the Greek ideal body built." React to this statement). This appreciation is demonstrated in the Greek art, and emphasis on grace and form in movement in addition to amplitude and force. |
| Some of words we inherited from the Greeks are: Athlon = Prize Gymnos = Naked or Unclad Gymnastes = Ancient Greek equivalent to a modern physical education teacher |
| Plato completely rejected the regimen of professional athletes. He felt that athletes who trained for the games divided their lives between special training and complete rest. He found this life style counter productive to the well rounded individual (Does too much emphasis on varsity athletics in US high schools and universities over academics sounds familiar? What would have Plato have to say about varsity athletics had he lived today? What happened to coach Larry Smith [formerly from the U.S.C. football program]? His players' grades, GPAs and graduation rates have significantly improved during his tenure. So why was he fired if the "college students" he was coaching were doing so well?). The Greeks exercised to be strong and healthy. The limited powers of medicine during the era of ancient Greece made the idea of prevention very appealing. Are we so much better off today that prevention is now irrelevant? Strong Greek children were healthy children and were sick less often. Can our children benefit from exercise? |
| The most obvious need for exercise is its utilitarian use for military purposes. The Battle of Marathon (490 B.C.E in which a force of 10,000 Athenians, Spartans and allies defeated 50,000 Persian troops) was decided by the superior fitness of the Greeks. Warfare was extremely physical in nature in those days. The games played in those days were decidedly warlike (Note that budgets for physical education programs still rise dramatically in times of war. The most recent example is the Vietnam war era. The former Soviet Union justified its physical education and sport programs for military purposes. Physical education and combat readiness has been an on going concern as I grew up in Israel. Israel is a country surrounded by hostile neighbors. It is interesting to see the influence of the peace process in the Middle East on governmental support for physical education programs and sports in Israel. By Israeli law each citizen is required to serve in the I.D.F. Men serve for three years and women serve for two years. Veterans of the I.D.F. are required to serve in reserve until the age of 55! This sounds almost like Sparta. Should US citizens serve in the military? Is compulsory military service good or bad for physical education? Explain why). |
| The Greeks promoted the notion of a strong mind in a healthy body--"MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO." Plato, Xenophon and Aristotle were in general agreement that athletics could not be adapted to any practical use and was therefore an undesirable part of Greek life. Yet all supported gymnastic exercises. We know of Plato's philosophy through The Phaedo and The Republic. |
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