Ancient olympic chariot races drivers#
This is just a selection of the resources available so be sure to check out the full list of resources available in the OWL via the link at the bottom of the page, or search in the full catalogue for other topics of interest.Often dangerous to both drivers and horses, who frequently suffered serious injury and even death, the sport generated strong spectator enthusiasm comparable to modern-day interest in motor sports. To facilitate your research on the topic, we have compiled the most important official publications, a list of links and a wide range of academic articles for you on this page. The educational kit “ The Olympic Games in Antiquity”, produced by The Olympic Museum, is a must-read resource that provides many details on every aspect of the Ancient Olympic Games discussed above. Nevertheless, other sources also highlight the deteriorating state of the site of Olympia and the possible role of Theodosius II, who ordered the destruction of all pagan temples in the eastern empire in 426 AD. Most sources mention the 393 AD decree of Emperor Theodosius I, who converted to Christianity and abolished all pagan cults and centres, as contributing towards the ending of the Games. At least 40,000 spectators would have packed the stadium each day at the height of the Games’ popularity, in the second century AD.Īfter the conquest of Greece by Rome in 146 BC, a period of decline began. The competition programme consisted of individual sports only (running, pentathlon, boxing, wrestling, pankration and chariot racing), and the events took place in the stadium, the palestra, the gymnasium or the hippodrome. The Games lasted five days by the fifth century BC, and the sporting contests were a central element. Athletes competed for the glory of their city, and winners were seen as being touched by the gods. There were no gold, silver or bronze medals, and winners were given a wreath of olive leaves and a hero's welcome when they returned home. Participation in the Ancient Olympic Games was initially limited to freeborn male citizens of Greece women were not allowed to participate in the Games and married women were not even allowed to watch the Games.
This tradition of the “Olympic Truce”, or “Ekecheiria”, was established in Ancient Greece in the ninth century BC through the signing of a treaty by three kings.
This meant that during the Truce period, the athletes, artists and pilgrims going to the Games could travel safely to Olympia. Despite this, the Olympic Games were still considered the most important of these games.īefore the Ancient Olympic Games began, messengers went from city to city to announce a “sacred truce” and the dates of competition. Each Games was dedicated to a specific god – Apollo, Heracles, Poseidon or of course Zeus. The other three games were the Pythian Games at Delphi, the Nemean Games at Nemea, and the Isthmian Games held on the Isthmus of Corinth.
Ancient olympic chariot races series#
These Games were special because they brought the Greek world together at a time when Greece was a series of city-states. The Ancient Olympic Games were part of a wider set of athletic competitions, called the Panhellenic Games. The Ancient Olympic Games were held every four years between 6 August and 19 September during a religious festival honouring Zeus. Legend has it that Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene, founded the Games, which by the end of the sixth century BC had become the most famous Greek sports festival. The Games were named for their location at Olympia, a sacred site located near the western coast of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece.
It all began about 3,000 years ago, according to known sources, when the first Olympic Games were celebrated in 776 BC.
The Ancient Olympic Games have a long history.
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