Lecture 6
3 myths of the Olympic orgins
1. Zeus wrestled his father at the games, son will displace him. Cronos is his father.
 Zeus, lion skin picture
 Tripod is the prize
 Club
2. Hercules founded the games and won
3. Pilops killed her father
Honouring of Zeus
- All the competitions are religious festivals
Elis controlled the festival (3 gymnasiums)
- 'Xystos': for training athletes
o Set aside for the athletes headed to the Olympics
Hellanodikaion
o Judges
o Assess age of the athletes and their abilities
o Cant prove the date of birth
- 'Square': for contact sports
- Maltho': town hall
o Equilivent of a high school
o Space for the organizers could use the space
o Town hall
- The “hippodrome”
o Merchants can set up shop here
o Horse track
Elean Officials and Administrators
- Run the Olympics
- Council of 50 people
- Oversee the Olympics
- Similar to the supreme court
- Choose a sponsor
- Could be taken on by a single citizen
Agonothetes (Sponsor) chosen- person sets up the competition
10 months’ prior, 10 Hellanodikai chosen, and begin training
Trained by “Guardians of the law” (Nomophylakes)
- They decide what is built at the Olympics
- One month before the start of the Olympics are to be keep safety
Every 5 years the truce is declared
1 month prior: athletes arrive at Elis
- If you arrive late you are wipped or fined
Requirements are must be a legitimate Greek with no criminal record , not a bastard child
- Every community kept a roster of the cities
- Pre-approved
- The decision is made at Olympia
Pre-Approval for eligibility & Age-group
trial matches, some withdrawals
- Month long
- Lease 10 months dedicated to the event
- People come to see what are the real athletes
Site preparation, f. 204
- Clearing/construction
- Turning posts built
- Jumping pit
- Lay out the lanes
- Getting rid of stones
- Pick axe
o Sometimes athletes would do it
Overnight it would take 60 km, want to arrive at dawn
- Oath taken by athletes while at Elis
- Judges, athletes, trainers, spectators, etc. depart for Olympia
- c. 15-hour hike
- if you have committed a murder,r you cannot enter Olympia
- arrive at day break
- Judges cannot be bribed
- Judges can
Hellanodikai assess athletes at the Bouleuterion
o Assessment and Oath
- Zeus and swear they would do no evil against the games
- Swear on the wild male pigs, bores
- Asses the horses and the age
Singers, magicians etc
- Many people talk about the intensity of the Olympics
Day 1:
Parade thru the Altis;
Equestrian and Pentathlon events (fig 208)
- Start at dawn
- Visit 63 different alters and make a sacrifice
- Sponsored by the community of
- At this point, any spectator can challenge
- Could challenge someone
Sacrifices at Pentathlon
Day 2
- no events yet
- Parade & Sacrifice, Boys’ Events (?)
- BBQ different animals
Day 3
Day 4
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Foot races
No fixed orders
Want to do wrestling and boxing
Athlete that the judges didn’t like they canceled the event, to not allow him to win
Use beans to select who goes
Couldn’t announce what you got
Awards
Wreath- prize of olive branches
Vase
In the morning the victors would be presented with a crown of olives
Banquet of the officials
Given ribbons and holding palm branches
Victory lap
Crowd throws ribbons
When you get back home there are many more prizes
o Cash, statues, free meals for the rest of your life
o