Article Summary *MLA Format*

Roy Elal

Due: October 9th, 2011

Humanities 8

Ms. Moore

Article Summary 

           The number of legends describing the beginning of the first Olympic competition is unknown. According to the legend, the king Enamaus, had a beautiful daughter who's name was Hippodamia. He promised her in marriage, If she would go hiding and the first person to find her and escape in a chariot with her father chasing them would be her lawful husband. Thirteen men have tried and they all failed, and murdered by the king. Then Pelops, the fourteenth came along and survived, so he was the one who married the beautiful Hippodamia. Then he declared himself king, threw a party to celebrate his victory and to give thanks to the god of the gods... Zeus, thus introducing the first Olympic festival.

           The reward given to the winner of the Olympic competition was a wreath of olive branches and the blessing of a god. The competition was a 180 meter long run. The first one to be held was at 776 B.C.E. and eventually ended in 393 A.D., when the Greek empire collapsed. During that time period, 293 Olympic events were held.

Athletic Competitions at the Olympic festivals were limited to male Greek citizens, as viewers and participants. Foreigners, slaves, and women were banned from competition. Each participant had to sign the Olympic 'agreement', swearing he has trained for 10 months and hadn't done anything to offend he gods.

           Records show that boxing, wrestling, and pancratium competitions drew enormous crowds. It probably came from the strong hostilities between cities and tribes. Chariot races also were events that would thrill Olympic spectators. Theodore Knight, historian, claimed, "...the quadrigae - a race for light, two-wheeled chariots pulled by four horses. The distance of the race course was twelve laps around two columns at opposite ends of the hippodrome - about 10,000 meters, or six miles." (Knight, 170.) This is relevant because those Chariot races have been extremely important and sports that would hype up Ancient Greece, and they are basically the reason for the huge crowds at the Games. 

          Once the Ancient Greeks abnegated, that affected the Olympics, that was once the Roman Empire defeated Ancient Greece at around 100 B.C., and the Roman culture and beliefs replaced the Greek ways, and the Olympics went into a decline that lasted for several centuries. For the Romans, war and trade were more important than philosophy religion, or athletics then.

Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863 - 1937) was the man who revived the Olympic Games. Because of his enthusiastic efforts, the first modern Games were finally held in Athens, Greece in 1896.

Bibliography:

Knight, Theodore. "The Ancient Olympics." The Ancient World. 2010. Print.