Olympia and the Olympics

Olympia and the Olympics

HUM 111

Tamara Jones

6/17/2013

Professor H. Stansbury

Olympia was a sanctuary of Ancient Greece located in Elis. Olympia is green and lush, amidst groves of trees. Also located in Olympia was the sanctuary of Zeus and the Altis. Olympia was also the place where they played the Olympics. Many of Olympia's visitors were Greeks who had immigrated to new colonies around the Mediterranean. They saw their participation at Olympia as a way to maintain their Greek identity.

The stadium at Olympia was originally within the sacred precinct, where spectators could view the races from the hill of Kronos. Gradually, the stadium was pushed farther east, reached its present location outside the precinct. All the embankments are of earth, and only a few stone seats were provided for officials. Connecting the sanctuary and stadium was a vaulted passageway.

The ancient Olympics seem to have begun in the early 700 BC, in honour of Zeus. No women were allowed to watch the games and only Greek nationals could participate. The Olympic Games, was the biggest event in their world. They were the scene of political rivalries between people from different parts of the Greek world, and the site of controversies, boasts, public announcements and humiliations.

The games at Olympia were greatly expanded from a one-day festival of athletics and wrestling to five days with many events. The order of the events is not known, but the first day of the festival was devoted to sacrifices. On this day 100 oxen were sacrificed in honor of a God. Athletes also often prayed and made small sacrifices themselves. On the second