Year 11 Ancient History Assignment
By Lachlan Wallace
Hypothesis Question- The Ancient Olympic Games has majorly influenced
the events of the Modern Day Olympic Games.
What were the dress codes for the ancient games and the dress codes for the
modern games?
The Ancient Olympics had a very peculiar dress code and that was athletes had
to participate in the nude; athletes that were normal and didn’t want to
participate nude were called ‘prudes’ and wore penis restraints. The dress code
for the Modern Olympics is dependent on what event the athlete is participating
in, if it is the sprint events they usually wear a tank top with their countries name
on it and shorts, the number of the participant is also stuck onto the top. This is
one area where the Ancient Olympic Games didn’t affect the Modern Games,
dress codes are completely different now then they were back then and they
continue to change to this day.
How were the rules of events at the ancient games different to modern games?
The Ancient Olympics had rules that were as strict as those of the Modern
Olympics. A people called the Ancient Eleans were the people in charge of
creating rules that would make the games a positive experience for the
participants, athletes and spectators. But the Ekecheiria, which was a truce, was
the more important rule, and if you broke this rule there was a very hefty
penalty, whoever was responsible for it would be fined approximately 200,000
Drachmai (the Ancient Greek currency). That penalty was according to
Thucydides; book five in his series, History of the Peplonnesian War, when a
Spartan was fined 200,000 for violating the truce. The Modern Games obviously
don’t have rules as strict, but there are huge penalties for cheating and this was
influenced by the rules of the Ancient Games.
Which events were held at the ancient games and how are they comparable to
those of the modern games?
The events that were held at the Ancient Olympic Games were as follows:
 Boxing
 Horse Racing
 Racing in Armour
 Chariot Racing
 Javelin
 Running
 Discus
 Long Jump
 Wrestling
These events were very popular during those times and stayed the same through
all the years of the Ancient Olympics and were participated in by many higherclass athletes who were most popular during their time. The Modern Day Games
obviously consist of many more events; there are over 300 events in 28 different
sports and over 10,000 athletes participate in each Olympic Games.
Why were the ancient games located where they were and where did the
modern day games begin?
The Ancient Olympic Games were held in Ancient Olympia in Athens, the events
took place every four years from 776BC to 393AD. The Modern Day Olympic
Games were influenced by the decision to host the games every four years; they
began in 1896 with the first location of the games at the birthplace of the
Olympics in Athens. All events at the 1896 games were held at an ancient
Olympic stadium, which was renovated for 1896, the stadium is called
‘Panathenaic Stadium’ and it was again used when Athens hosted the Olympics in
2004 as the site of the Archery events and the ending point of the Marathon.
Ancient Olympia is a sacred Greek site, which was built before the beginning of
the first ancient Olympics but bits and pieces were added throughout the course
of the years of the Olympics, mostly for newer events, which were introduced.
What was the spirit at the ancient games compared to the modern?
The Ancient Games were high on spirit just as the Modern Games are. The games
were meant for the best athletes in Greece, it was the most exciting event in
Greece for its entire time of existence. The buildings and arenas they created just
for the games, showed how important the games were to the Greeks. The
buildings were created with extreme detail and were built to last for thousands
of years. People from all over Greece would come and watch the games every
four years. Greece was made world famous for the games when they were
mentioned to be revisited in the late 1880s, and in 1896 finally they were started
again in Athens, at the old Olympics stadium, which was the Panathenaic
Stadium. At the time the field and track size was up to world standard, but the
next Olympics in 1900 featured a regulation size track.