History of Ancient Olympic: The ancient Olympic Games were a series of athletic contests between representatives of city-states.

Some factions battled for political and prestige gains by claiming ownership of Olympia's sanctuary and, by extension, the games. Pausanias states that in 668 BC, Pheidon of Argos was ordered by the town of Pisa to seize the sanctuary from Elis. Pheidon fulfilled his assignment and oversaw the games that year. Elis took charge again the next year. Classical Greek athletics also traced its roots to the idea that physical exertion had a ceremonial purpose, with hunting becoming a more socially and glamorized pastime. What made Greek tournaments stand out was the prevalence of lavish venues, tempting participants to strip down to their underwear in an effort to prove that physical fitness was just as important as mental acuity. These ideas, along with physical exceptionalism, led to the hypothesis that the Greeks were the first to play a sport. During the first two centuries that the games were held, its religious significance was limited to specific regions. Prior to these early games, only Greeks living close to Olympia participated. The fact that athletes from the Peloponnese region predominated in supporting positions after each victory is proof of this. As time went on, the Olympic Games became one of four events that made up the Panhellenic Games. These were held every two or four years, with the goal of ensuring that at least one set of games would be held annually. Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmian games were also part of the Panhellenic Games, but the Olympic Games were held in the highest regard due to their age. Along with the far older religious celebration known as the Eleusinian Mysteries, the ancient Greeks considered the Olympic Games to be one of the two greatest ceremonies.

Author: Seamall Bree

Publisher: Independently Published

Publication Date: Nov 28, 2024

Number of Pages: 178 pages

Binding: Paperback or Softback

ISBN-10: NA

ISBN-13: 9798301654411