The ancient history of the Olympics

The Olympic games began in Olympia, Greece, in 776 BC (that's almost 3000 years ago!). It was a sporting competition to celebrate excellence and honour the god Zeus.

The first few Olympics just had a running race and only lasted one day, but more events got added on later and it became a five day event. Because ancient Greece would often have conflicts going on between city-states there would be a sacred truce (Ekecheiria) during the games so that athletes and spectators could travel to and from Olympia safely.

Sticky note FYI: Some of the links in this blog go to the Encyclopaedia Britannica for kids. This is accessible to all Wellington City Libraries users. To access this wonderful resource, you'll need to login when you click the link using your library card number (on the back of your card) and 4-digit pin (last FOUR numbers of the phone number listed on your library account).

Competitors from all over Greece and sometimes beyond would compete in sporting events including foot-races (running), the pentathlon (running, long jump, discus, javelin and wrestling), boxing, wrestling, the pankration, and equestrian races (horse and chariot). Pankration is a combination of boxing and wresting and was a particularly brutal event.

Fun Fact: the participants would also compete naked! In fact the Greek word for nude was gymnós which is where our word for gymnasiums comes from.

The ancient Olympics also did not allow women to compete in the events, and only unmarried women were allowed to be spectators. Despite this, in 396 BC Kyniska of Sparta became the first female Olympic victor for the chariot race, because the owners of the horses were considered the winners of the race, not the riders.

Instead of receiving gold, silver and bronze medals, there was only one victor in each of the events and they were rewarded with a wreath (wild olive leaf crown), and of course the glory and honour of being an Olympic victor (in other words - bragging rights!).

In 393 AD the new Roman Emperor and Christian, Theodosius, banned the Olympic games because he considered them a pagan practice. So ended 1,000 years of tradition, during which 293 Olympics games had been held. That is until Pierre de Coubertin, a French academic and historian, pushed to resurrect them and so began the modern Olympic games in 1896 Athens, Greece.

Want to know more? Find these books in your local library: