The Spread of the Olympics

The Greeks started to inhabit different lands such as Syria, Asia and Egypt. They tried to hold onto their culture while living in these foreign areas. To do this they started building stadiums to continue the tradition of the Panhellenic Games (Olympic Games).


  In 2AD the Romans gave out citizenships to everyone who lived in the Roman Empire. Those Greeks who lived within in the Roman Empire still felt the need to hold these athletic games. This spread through the Roman Empire which made the Games international.


In 1896 the Greeks officially started the Olympics again after 18 centuries. They held onto the aspect of them being international games. Now some 120 years after the Games were re-instated there are over 10'000 athletes from 205 countries participating in 300 events.

information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games
picture:        http://www.hdwallpapersinn.com/olympics-rings-hd-wallpapers.html

A Video on the Ancient Games

This video gives a little more detail about the Ancient Olympic Games in Greece.


Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MthUbt6p1cg

Sports in the Ancient Games

In the Ancient Greek Olympics there were only 10 sports; 4 running races, boxing, wrestling, horse riding, pancretium, pentathlon and of course chariot racing.


The sports such as running, wrestling and pentathalon are pretty well known and so is boxing, but boxing was played differently in Ancient Greece.


Ancient Boxing: The boxers didn't wear gloves, only strips of leather wrapped around there fists. They fought in an open area rather than in an arena. There was no rounds or breaks during the match, the game was only over if a man was knocked out or could not physically fight anymore. This was thought to have mimicked Zeus' fight with his father.
 
Pancretium: This was a sport that was a mix of boxing and wrestling. The only rules are you are not allowed to gouge your opponents eyes, your are not allowed to dislocate your opponents limbs and you are not allowed to bite. Due to the lack of rules some athletes died during these fights. It is thought that Hercules and Theseus fought their opponents with this method and that is how it came to be in the Ancients Games.


Chariot Racing: This sport consisted of a chariot pulled by four horses racing around two poles 24 times. There was no set direction so chariots regularly crashed. Unlike the other sports men didn't need to be fit and strong to compete. It is thought that this was put in to allow fat noblemen to compete in the games.

This is Hercules using pancretium to defeat his opponent

Information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pankration
Information: http://period8dolzall.tripod.com/olympics.html
Picture: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Jastrow

How the Olympics Came About

The Olympics originated in Ancient Greece. It is unknown for certain how, when and why the Olympics were first created. Legend says Zeus had a huge fight with his father over who was to control the world. When Zeus defeated his father a great temple was built on the ground where it was thought Zeus beat his father, this was in Olympia.

Religious festivals were then held in and around the temple of Olympia. At these festivals people came to worship Zeus. Men tried to impress Zeus by trying to show him they had the physical strength closest to him by a human.

The Ancient Games became less and less important as time went on. It is unknown when exactly the Games stopped in Ancient Greece but it is thought to be around 393AD when Theodosius I ordered all pagan cults to be destroyed, or when Theodosius' successor ordered all the Greek temples to be destroyed

The Town of Olympia

Link for picture: wikipedia.org

Information: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/athens_games/history.htm

Information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games#Ancient_Olympics

Introduction

Hi, I'm Maebh. I'm going to be writing a blog on the geography of the Olympics. I'll be researching where the Olympics originated and how it has evolved due to the change in culture of the world. :)