45 Ancient Olympic Facts That Will Bring Out The Athlete In You

The ancient Olympic games date back to as early as 776 BC.

The ancient Olympic games took place at the site of Olympia. Olympia was a rural sanctuary site and the ancient Olympic games were held in honor of Zeus.

Held in Olympia every four years, from 776BC to 393 AD, the ancient Olympics was very popular during its time. Many athletes participated in this game taking part in various sporting activities like wrestling, boxing, and long jumps among many others.

It was initially played for the physical well-being of ancient Greek men. Women were not allowed to participate in this game and married women especially were not allowed to even spectate the other men playing in this event.

In honor of the Greek god Zeus, who was the father of all ancient Greek gods and goddesses, this event was held in Olympia. Unlike the modern Olympics, there were no team sports in the ancient Olympics, nor were there any such rules in games, especially boxing.

Therefore, they were very brutal sometimes.

Initially, the stadion race was the only event that was a part of the ancient Olympics, however, later, many other games were introduced. Many years later, when the ancient Olympics was banned by a Roman emperor, the modern Olympics was introduced by a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin.

The first modern Olympics was hosted in Athens, Greece, while the ancient Olympics were hosted on the ground of Olympia, Greece. Read on to learn more interesting facts.

If you enjoyed this article then why not also read about ancient Greece facts and ancient Indian facts here on Kidadl.

Ancient Olympics Events

The ancient Olympics were held in Olympia. This sanctuary was named after the highest mountain of ancient Greece which is Mt Olympos.

Unlike the modern Olympics, the marathon was not included in the ancient Olympics. Played in honor of the god Zeus, the ancient Olympics was part of a religious festival of the ancient Greeks. This made them quite unique.

The games began when a baker of the ancient Greek world won the stadion race. The stadion race was among the first games.

It was the only athletic event of the ancient Olympics till 724 BC. However, only the ancient Greek male could participate in the ancient games, as women were not allowed to take part.

Moreover, married women were not even allowed to spectate the ancient games. Unlike the modern Olympic games, the ancient Greeks who were crowned the winners were not given any gold or bronze medals.

Their prize was a crown made out of olive leaves which was plucked from a sacred tree of Olympia. The winners achieved great fame, especially in their home states.

Besides fame and glory, they sometimes received many monetary benefits like lifetime pension and tax breaks as well. Women participated in other sporting events like the Heraean games which were played in the Olympic stadium.

The Heraean games which was a foot race was held in honor of Hera, wife of Zeus. Much later other games like chariot races, horse races, and boxing were also included in the ancient Olympic games.

Unlike the boxing of modern Olympic games, the ancient Olympic games did not have so many rules. It was a rather brutal sporting event and matches were made mostly in a random manner.

The Ancient Olympic Games began with short foot races, for the physical fitness of the ancient Greek men. However, not everybody could participate, since only men who spoke the Greek language were given the opportunity to participate.

The ancient Olympics gained huge popularity and people from various city-states of the Greek world joined to witness the Olympic event. This also ensured a momentary Olympic truce between all the city-states.

Ancient Olympics Sports

The Olympics of the ancient world included various activities like wrestling, long jump, chariot racing, and javelin among many others. However, there were no team sports and the marathon event was not included either.

The Olympic victors were given a crown made out of olive trees which was plucked from a sacred tree.

Other than that, odes dedicated to the winners were written by famous artists and the family members of the winners were invited to a grand and lavish feast. They also occasionally received various monetary benefits like lifetime pensions or even tax breaks.

A very interesting fact about the ancient Olympics sport is that a winner of the chariot race, Kyniska was actually not there during the event. She was the owner of the horses and received the victory wreath, and the rider instead, who participated in the event, was not given anything for his efforts.

Kyniska in fact was the first-ever female Olympic champion. Initially, a one-day event, as more and more events were included, the event was extended to five days as well.

Many however believe that the Olympics were funeral games.

Since it was a part of a festival initially, a huge sacrifice of a large number of oxen was made in honor of Zeus. The ancient Olympics were believed to be held to honor the deceased local heroes.

During 393 AD, however, the Roman emperor Theodosius banned the games on grounds of conflicting religious beliefs. And much later during 1896, the modern games of the Olympics were first held in Greece, and the credit was given to a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin.

Other than the victory wreath that was awarded to the champions, those who could secure first place in the game also enjoyed certain benefits. Odes by famous poets were sung for them at their home state and the families of the champions were also invited for a grand feast.

Since there were no such rules of boxing in the Ancient Olympics, it sometimes turned out to be very brutal.

Pankration, a mixed martial arts sporting event was yet another deadly game being played at the ancient Olympics. There was no such rule in the game, and the winner was declared only when the opponent has given up and could fight no longer.

When did the ancient Olympics start?

The ancient Olympic Games were held every four years from 776 BC to 393 AD. The athletes who participated in the games took their oath in front of a giant statue of Zeus. Chariot racing was considered the most popular among the other games played.

As many as 40 chariots participated in the event. Kyniska was the first female to win the chariot race. She was not on the chariot, however, but being the owner of the horses, won the victory crown, instead of the rider.

In Olympia, where the ancient games were held every four years is a huge statue of Zeus, which was among the seven wonders of the ancient world. This giant statue of Zeus was 41 ft (12.4 m) long and was carved out of precious metals like gold and ivory.

It was sculpted by the famous Greek sculptor called Phidias. Other sporting events like boxing and wrestling that were a part of the Olympics were considered to be very violent.

Athletes who participated in boxing were made to wear thin leather strips around their fists to protect their hands from injury.

The winner was declared only after the opponent has given up. It was indeed the most violent event since there were no rounds or rules, to follow.

Ancient Olympics Vs Modern Olympics

After the ancient Olympic games were banned by the emperor Theodosius, it took many years for the modern Olympics to start.

While the ancient Olympics were hosted in Olympia, Greece, the modern Olympics finds its root in Athens, Greece. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a French man, presented the idea of hosting the modern Olympics in Paris.

The year initially decided by him to reveal the great event was 1900, however, it was later changed to 1896, since delegates from all around the world were really excited with the idea and wanted to start it as early as possible.

Unlike the ancient Olympics, the first torch relay was initiated in 1936, during the modern Olympic games. Konstantin Kondylis was the first runner of the modern Olympics torch relay.

The Olympic flame has its roots in Ancient Greek when it was lit in honor of the Greek goddess, Hera. During the 1928 Olympic games, the Olympic flame was lit, and since then has been a tradition for the opening ceremony.

The Olympic flame is known to represent the light of knowledge, spirit, and life. In the year 1920, the Olympic Oath was also introduced.

The ancient Olympics were held during the hot summer months of the year.

Unlike the different medals that are awarded to the winners of the modern Olympics, the ancient Olympics did not have such awards. The winners instead were given a crown made out of sacred olive leaves, and odes about them were written by many famous poets.

The supporters and the family members of the winners were also invited to a large feast. Other than the fame and the glory, they were also sometimes given several monetary benefits like lifetime pensions and even tax breaks.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ancient Olympic facts then why not take a look at ancient Japan facts or ancient Mayan facts.

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