[MUSIC]. [BLANK_AUDIO]. Hello. The Olympic Games originated 3,000 years ago in ancient Greece. In this lesson, we will explain the history and significance of the Ancient Olympics and we will focus on how was the site at Olympia, how was the programme structured and which were the requirements for athletes to participate in the sporting competitions. We will also explore how were the Games transmitted at that time. Finally, we will provide an overview of the decline of the Ancient Games and the rediscovery of Olympia. The Olympic Games originated 3,000 years ago in the ancient Greece. At the time, Greece did not exist as a country but rather as a series of independent and competitive city states, which were often in conflict with other, following to Miah and GarcÃa. In this context, four Pan-Hellenic Games existed. They were held in Olympia, Delphi, Isthmia and Nemea. Those Games were religious celebrations that unified the states and were held in honour of the Greek gods, and belief system which was shared by people in all the regions, following the same authors. Among the Pan-Hellenic Games, the Olympics Games clearly exemplified the pinnacle of the excellence and prestige, which was a focal point for all of the Greek culture, according to Young. They were held in the sacred sanctuary of Olympia, in the state of Elis on the Pelopponesian peninsula, in honour of the supreme God of the Greek mythology, Zeus. The festival, held every four years since 776 before christ to AD 393, attracted athletes and thousands of spectator from all the Greek city-states. Athletes trained for ten months before the event and each of one of the city-state sent their delegations to the Games. The Olympic Games represented a truce from the hostilities between the different states, and an opportunity for all Greeks to meet on neutral and sacred territories, according to Girginov and Parry. In contrast to the modern Olympics, which move between cities every four years, Olympia was always the home of the ancient Games. The site at Olympia included a series of significant buildings and treasure, such as: the great altar of Zeus, which is thought to have existed from the 10th century before Christ. The temple of Zeus, whose main function was to house the cultic statue of god. The temple of Hera, build in honour of Zeus wife. The gymnasium, used for practice and throwing events. The palaestra, a training facility for combat and jumping events. The stadium, originally races were run within the Altis, or sacred precinct, but in the 4th century before Christ a new stadium was built with a track of 192.28 meters. The maintenance of the site was possible thanks to the contributions of the spectators, by the presents made by the delegation and by fines imposed on athletes or cities contravening the rules, according to Girginov and Parry. The ancient Olympics didn't have as much athletic contests as the modern Olympics. It is recorded that for the first 13 Olympiads, only the sprint or stadium competition was run. It consisted in running a length of the stadium, which at Olympia, which was approximately 192 meters, representing the equivalent of our current 200 meter sprint. Over time, new disciplines were produced in the programme, such as the diaulos, two length of the track, dolichos, long-distance foot race, wrestling, pentathlon, boxing, horse race, pankration, or unnarmed combat, or charion-racing, according to different authors. There were no team events, only competition for individuals, according to Golden. This happened because for the ancient Greeks real athletic competition pitted one athlete against all of the others, each triying to achieve what the others could not. The increasing number of events made that the Olympics, which originally lasted one day, ended being held during five days. However, only three of those days were devoted to the Games themselves. Religions rituals and sacrifices played a key role in the festival. Although in modern Olympics the rituals are structured around nationhood and patriotic sentiment, the relationship between religion and sport was always a feature of the ancient Games, according to Girginov and Parry. Some of those rituals included: One. The funeral rites for the hero Pelops, who is thought to have established the Olympic Games, according to one of the Greek myths. Two. Or the ceremony devoted to Zeus, in which one 100 bulls were sacrificed. In order to participate in the Olympics, the athletes needed to fulfill essential requirements. First of all, athletes could only be free-born Greeks. Participation was not permitted to slaves and non-Greeks, according to Girginov and Parry. We need to acknowledge that the economic and political system of Greek city state was rooted in slavery and patriarchy, following to Horne and Whannel. This limited presentation contracts with the modern Olympic Games, which 204 countries take part. Secondly, women were not permitted to participate in the sport competitions. They could only be admitted as spectators if they were unmarried. At that time, separate games were held for women, such as the Games of Hera, but there was only a foot race, with the distance of the stade shortened by one-sixth. In addition, athletes needed to accomplish this further criteria: They should not have been declared as dishonourable. Dishonourable. They should have trained for ten months prior to the Games. They were required to appear a month prior to the start of the Games in front of the panel of judges, and remain for a month training at Olympia. And finally, they needed to appear in their set places in the stadium naked, according to Girginov and Parry. The competitive desire of the athlete and their commitment for excellence still remain key components in today's sporting world. As Young states, the ancient and the modern Games share the same dedication to the pursuit of excellence, and the same goals encouraged the maximum physical performance of individuals. Some of the most remarkable Olympic heroes of the Ancient times are: Milon of Croton, a wrestling champion for at least five Olympiads in the 6th century before Christ. Theogenes of Thassos, who won many, many, many victories in boxing and pankration. And Leonidas of Rhodes, one of the most famous runners in Antiquity who won three races on the same day over four Olympiads. In the ancient times, no medals were awarded to the victors and it was only first place that mattered. Winners were presented with the palm tree branch, and a crown made of olive leaves to symbolize their victory. As Girginov and Parry point out, the significance of the prize was incalculable. The rewards, which represented the honour and the pride, would be offered as a priceless decoration by a victor to his household, city or nation, to his ancestors and to the Gods. Young and Golden also state that Olympic champions received rewards from their respective city-states, such as cash grants, a lifetime of free medals or jars of olive oil, among other prestigious benefits. The victors images were also immortalized in statues, which were set-up in the Altis or in the athletes' hometown. In communication terms, today's Games are massively consumed through a wide range of media platforms. Nevertheless, the ancient Games also had their own media system. The festival began with a competition for the keryx and salpinktes, literally, the announcer and the trumpeter, who would serve as the public address system during the Games, following to Miah and GarcÃa. Also, the chronicles of the Greek writers played a significant role in the dissemination of the Games. For instance, the Epinician Odes of the poet Pindar have survived over centuries and have allowed us to know the how were the ancient Games and how the success of winners was commemorated. Another key source to take into account is Pausanias, who wrote a travel-guide to Greece in the second century AD and was the most prolific writer of the Olympic festival. Furthermore, the scenes that are contained in the objects found in archeological excavation, the sculptures, vase, coins and tools, have helped us to find out more about athletes in the Antiquity. After 293 editions, the Games, as well as the other pagan cults, were banned by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I in AD 394. After the Pelopponnesian War, the teachings and conventions of the Olympic religion came under challenge, according to Girginov and Parry. When the traditional religion faded, the Games lost their religious significance and they were progressively abandoned. The physical remains of Olympia were also destroyed by natural disasters. In the 4th century AD two massive earthquakes tore the sanctuary apart. In the Middle Ages, the river Alpheios, flowing in the south, also flooded the sanctuary, washing away the hippodrome. As a result the entire site was covered with silt to an average depth of four meters, according to Swaddling. On the top of that, between the fifth and eighth centuries AD successive waves of invaders, Visigoths, Avars, Vandals and Slavs, laid waste to the Altis, which in time was totally devastated by earthquakes, floods and landslides, following to Swaddling. Thanks to the writings of ancient historians, the memory of the Games and their place in Greek world was not totally forgotten. The Games were known to have existed, but the knowledge of their exact location had been lost. Olympia was rediscovered by the English traveller Richard Chandler in the 1766. Later, in 1829, a team of French archaeologists visited the site. However, it was not until 1875 that the full-scale of investigations were begun by the German government, under the supervision of Professor Ernst Curtius of the University of Berlin, and with the permission of the Greek authorities, following to Girginov and Parry. These discoveries contributed to inspired Pierre de Coubertin, who established the International Olympic Committee in 1894. Nowadays, the ancient Olympic stadium is the location of the lightning ceremony of the Summer, Winter and the Youth Olympic Games. The stadium was also used in the shot put competition during Athens 2004 Olympic Games, following to Miah and GarcÃa. Through this lesson, you have been able to explore the origins of the Ancient Olympic Games and its main characteristics. The knowledge you have acquired on the sporting and religious significance of the ancient Olympics is very important background that will enable you to understand the Olympic Games with a greater depth. [BLANK_AUDIO].
