Ancient greece olympic games sports

Boxing was significant in Greek culture and there were no weight classifications and not many rules. The amount of fatalities in Greek boxing shows that it was a lot different from modern boxing. Boxing and wrestling are nothing compared to Pankration, which was a mix of wrestling and boxing where the only rules are no biting and no eye-gouging, but apart from this anything else was okay. It was the job of the Umpire to watch the Pankration match and decide when the contestants foul and punish them if they do so.

The last foot race to be added to the ancient Olympics was one with a slight twist, generally, the races were run in the nude but the race called the Hoplitodromos was ran wearing the armour of the Hoplites , from where it got its name. Sports like the discus and the javelin throw still survive in the modern-day Olympics and many of the rules and values still remain, although it is not seen as a religious event, at least not by the general public.

Horse racing was also quite a popular sport and in 67 AD even the Roman emperor Nero took part in a chariot race in Olympia.

Although he fell off the chariot before he finished the race, he was still declared the winner as the judges thought he would have won if he had not fell. Ancient Greece existed in a time of bloodshed and war between the city-states that made up what is now known as modern Greece.

Cities were constantly at war with one another for the control of religious hot spots or strategic positions. The violence only increased when the Romans destroyed Corinth in BC and turned Greece into a province of their empire. The ancient Olympics meant that city stated could compete against each other peacefully and this made it a more passive but competitive alternative to war.

Control of the sanctuary where the Olympic Games were held was of great importance to the ancient Greeks and in BC the sanctuary was threatened by two towns near Olympia called Elis and Pisa. The king of Argos, Pheidon, was asked by the people of Pisa to take control of Olympia. Pheidon, along with a large number of Hoplites under his command, attacked the sanctuary of Zeus and took control of it.

Before the mid-third century B. The hydria on the right has two inscriptions on the lip. One gives the name of the presiding official, Kalliar, and the other indicates that the contestants dedicated the prize to Herakles, for whom the games were held. This inscription implies that the hydria was given collectively to the hero because there was no individual winner.

Marble relief fragment depicting athletic prizes , 2nd century A. This fragment from a Roman relief represents the standard prizes awarded at four venues in Greece: an amphora of olive oil from the Panathenaic games at Athens, a pine wreath from Isthmia, a bronze shield from Argos, and a celery wreath from the games at Nemea.

Symbolic wreaths made from sacred trees or plants, including the olive wreath from Olympia, were just as prestigious as more expensive awards. The athletic games established in ancient Greece flourished under the Roman Empire. Many Greek cities continued to host them, and competitors—such as the winner from Rhamnous who commissioned this relief—gained fame and fortune from victories in games across Greece.

Some athletes became astronomically wealthy. Public-domain image courtesy Wikimedia Commons. The last reported victor at the Olympic games was Zopyros, a boxer from Athens, in A. Yet inscriptions and literary sources confirm that athletic games continued into the early fifth century at prestigious venues, including Olympia and Athens. Nearly a millennium and a half later, the Olympics returned, reviving the ancient spirit of competition and community on a global scale.

Appropriately, the opening ceremony for the first modern Olympics took place in Athens in the Panathenaic Stadium, originally constructed in the fourth century B. Marquee: Terracotta Panathenaic prize amphora detail , ca. Attributed to the Euphiletos painter. Visiting The Met? Perspectives Sports The Ancient Olympics and Other Athletic Games Highlights from The Met collection illustrate the many athletic games held in ancient Greece, featuring celebrity athletes, grand prizes, and the mythical origins of the first Olympics.

Events and training Terracotta skyphos deep drinking cup , ca. Ancient games at Athens Terracotta Panathenaic prize amphora jar , ca. Prizes for the games Left: Bronze hydria water jar , mid-5th century B. Public-domain image courtesy Wikimedia Commons In A. Round Up. On View. Close Look. Pentathlon is a word of Greek origin formed by combining two words, pente five and athlon competition. The Pentathlon is a competition with five different sporting events. Pentathlon events can be traced to Ancient Greek Olympic Games in Olympia city-state where it included the long jump, javelin throw, discus throw, stadion a series of short races , and a wrestling match as the main event.

Because of the extra skills and strength needed for the pentathlon, soldiers comprised the largest number of competitors and winners. However, due to the evolution of the event and the need to make pentathlon less bloody, modern pentathlon is more focused on skills of shooting, swimming, fencing, equestrianism, and a cross country run.

Each of the five events gathers different points, and the overall winner is usually the one with the most points. Running is an old sport that does not include contact. In ancient Greek culture, running contests included speed tests of approximately yards known as the stade race, the diaulos which were a yard race, and a longer race called dolichos.

During the ancient period, Greeks were good runners. In the modern Olympics, running was the most diversified event with different races ranging from short races to mid and long races. The Ancient Greek sport of jumping is what is known as long jump, broad jump, or horizontal jump today. The sport has its roots in the ancient Greek Olympic games.

During ancient Greek periods, athletes used to hold stones or weights in their hands during the jump and release them by pushing them backward towards the end of the flight to propel them forward. The long jump is the only known jumping event in Ancient Greece, and most sports in Greek city-states were used as training for combat. The long jump symbolized the ability to cross some form of obstacle.

The jump has been a modern Olympic track and field event since with athletes settling records never since seen in modern times. The discus throw is traced to BC Greek pentathlon activities.

The discus was originally made of stone. Iron, lead, and bronze were used as raw materials for the discus during different periods of time in Greece.

The Myron statue Discobolus suggests that the sport may have existed from as early as the fifth century BC. The technique used in ancient times is similar to the technique used in freestyle discus throw today.