Ignacio Galán Gómez

1. The Olympic Games were a series of athletic competitions among representatives of city-state of Ancient Greece. They were held in honour of Zeus, and
the Greeks gave them a mythological origin. The first Olympics are traditionally dated to 776 BC. They continued to be celebrated when Greece came
under Roman rule, until the emperor Theodosius I suppressed them in 394 AD as part of the campaign to impose Christianity as the state religion of Rome.
The games were held every four years, or Olympiad, which became a unit of time in historical chronologies.
During the celebration of the games, an Olympic Truce was enacted so that athletes could travel from their countries to the games in safety. The prizes for
the victors were olive leaf wreaths or crowns. The games became a political tool used by city-states to assert dominance over their rivals. Politicians would
announce political alliances at the games, and in times of war, priests would offer sacrifices to the gods for victory. The games were also used to help spread
Hellenistic culture throughout the Mediterranean. The Olympics also featured religious celebrations and artistic competitions.
The ancient Olympics had fewer events than the modern games, and only freeborn Greek men were allowed to participate, although a woman, Bilistiche, is
also mentioned as a winning chariot owner. As long as they met the entrance criteria, athletes from any city-state and Macedon were allowed to participate.
HISTORY
To the Greeks, it was important to root the Olympic Games in mythology. During the time of the ancient games their origins were attributed to the gods.
The earliest myths regarding the origin of the games are recounted by the Greek historian, Pausanias. According to the story, the dactyl Herakles (not to
be confused with the son of Zeus) and four of his brothers, raced at Olympia to entertain the new born Zeus. He crowned the victor with an olive tree
wreath, (which became a peace symbol). The other Olympian gods (they lived permanently on Mount Olympus), would also engage in wrestling, jumping and
running contests.
The patterns that emerge from these myths are that the Greeks believed the games had their roots in religion, that athletic competition was tied to
worship of the gods, and the revival of the ancient games was intended to bring peace, harmony and a return to the origins of Greek life.

2. The games were held to be one of the two central rituals in Ancient Greece, the other being the much older religious festival, the Eleusinian Mysteries. The
games started in Olympia, Greece, in a sanctuary site for the Greek deities near the towns of Elis and Pisa. The first games began as an annual foot race of
young women in competition for the position of the priestess for the goddess Hera. By the time of the Classical Greek culture (5th
-4th centuries BC), the
games were restricted to male participants.
The historian Ephorus, who lived in the fourth century BC, is one potential candidate for establishing the use of Olympiads to count years. The Olympic
Games were held at four-year intervals, and later, the ancient historians' method of counting the years even referred to these games, using the
term Olympiad for the period between two games.
The only competition held then was, according to the later Greek traveller Pausanias, the stadium race, a race over about 190 metres. The word stadium is
derived from this foot race.
The Greek tradition of athletic nudity (gymnos) was introduced in 720 B.C. either by the Spartans or by the Megarians, and this was adopted early in the
Olympics as well.
The games were in decline for many years but continued past 385 AD, by which time flooding and earth quakes had damaged the buildings and invasions by
barbarians had reached Olympia. In 394 Theodosius I banned all pagan festivals.
Greek city-states often lived in close proximity to each other, which created competition for limited resources. Though conflict between the city-states
was ubiquitous, it was also in their self-interest to engage in trade, military alliances and cultural interaction. The city-states relied on their neighbours for
political and military alliances, while they competed fiercely with those same neighbours for vital resources. The Olympic Games were established in this

3. political context and served as a venue for representatives of the city-states to peacefully compete against each other. The Olympics were used during this
time to announce alliances and offer sacrifices to the gods for victory.
During the Olympic Games, a truce was observed. Three runners, known as ‘spondophoroi’ were sent from Elis to the participant cities at each set of games
to announce the beginning of the truce. During this period, armies were forbidden from entering Olympia, wars were suspended, and legal disputes and the
use of the death penalty were forbidden. The truce was primarily designed to allow athletes and visitors to travel safely to the games and was, for the most
part, observed.
Events
Only free men who spoke Greek were allowed to participate in the Ancient Games of classical times. Additionally, participants eventually came from Greek
colonies as well, extending the range of the games to far shores of the Mediterranean and of the Black Sea. To be in the games, the athletes had to qualify
and have their names written in the lists. It seems that only young people were allowed to participate.
At first, the Olympic Games lasted only one day, but eventually grew to five days. The Olympic Games originally contained one event: the stadion (or "stade")
race, a short sprint measuring between 180 and 240 metres, the length of the stadium. The diaulos, or two-stade race, was introduced in 724 BC, during the
14th Olympic Games. The race was a single lap of the stadium, approximately 400 metres.
A third foot race, the dolichos, was introduced in 720 BC, it was about five kilometres. The runners would begin and end their event in the stadium, but they
would wind its way through the Olympic grounds. The course would flank important shrines and statues in the sanctuary, before returning to the stadium.
The last running event added to the Olympic program was the hoplitodromos, "Hoplite race", traditionally run as the last race of the Olympic Games. The
runners would run either a single or double diaulos in full armour, carrying a shield and equipped either with greaves or a helmet. As the armour weighed
27 kilos. Due to the weight of the armour, it was easy for runners to drop their shields or trip over fallen competitors. In a vase painting depicting the
event, some runners are shown leaping over fallen shields.
Over the years, more events were added: boxing and wrestling. Boxing became increasingly brutal over the centuries. The fights had no rest periods and no
rules against hitting a man while he was down. However, killing an opponent wasn't a good thing, as the dead boxer was automatically declared the winner.
Other events include chariot racing, as well as a pentathlon, consisting of wrestling, stadion, long jump, javelin throw, and discus throw. In the chariot racing
event, it was not the rider, but the owner of the chariot who was considered to be the competitor.
The addition of events meant the festival grew from one day to five days, three of which were used for competition. The other two days were dedicated to
religious rituals. On the final day, there was a banquet for all the participants, consisting of 100 oxen that had been sacrificed to Zeus.
The winner of an Olympic event was awarded an olive branch and received with much honour throughout Greece, especially in his home town, where he was
often granted large sums of money and prizes.

4. Participation in most events was limited to male athletes except for women who were allowed to take part by entering horses in the equestrian events. In
396 BC, the horses of a Spartan princess named Cynisca won the four-horse race. The athletes usually competed naked, not only because the weather was
appropriate, but also as the festival was meant to celebrate, in part, the achievements of the human body. Olive oil was used by the competitors, not only as
a substitute for soap for washing, bathing, and cleaning, but also as a natural cosmetic, to keep skin smooth. Because the men competed nude, married women
were forbidden to watch the Olympics under penalty of death.
ACTIVITIES
A) Put T (true) or F (false). Then, correct the false sentences.
1. The Olympic Games were a series of athletic competitions among representatives of city-state of Ancient Egypt ______
2. The emperor Theodosius I suppressed them in 394 AD as part of the campaign to impose Christianity _
3. The games were held every two years, Olympiad, which became a unit of time in historical chronologies_
4. During the celebration of the games, an Olympic War was enacted _______________
5. The games were also used to help spread Hellenistic culture throughout the Mediterranean _________
6. A woman, Bilistiche, is also mentioned as a loser chariot owner ________
7. Greeks believed the games had their leaves in religion ______________
8. Additionally, participants eventually came from Greek colonies as well ____________
9. Men competed nude, so married women were forbidden to watch the Olympics under penalty of death ______
10. Olive branch was used by the competitors for washing, bathing, and cleaning and a natural cosmetic____
B) Translate into Spanish
- chariot race - long jump - javelin throw
- discus throw - boxing - wrestling
C) Match the following words.

5. a- Zeus statue
b- Discobolus
c- Winning chariot owner
D) Find the word which refers to:
-The runners would run either a single or double ‘diaulos’ in full armour, carrying a shield and equipped either with greaves or a helmet:___________________
-He lived in the 4th century BC, is one potential candidate for establishing the use of Olympiads to count years:_________
-One of the founders of the modern Olympic Games:___________________
E) Fill in the gaps with the correct word:
OXEN BOXER NEIGHBOURS SHIELD
-Due to the weight of the armour, it was easy for runners to drop their_______ or trip over fallen competitors
- On the final day, there was a banquet for all the participants, consisting of 100 _____sacrificed to Zeus
- Killing an opponent wasn't a good thing, as the dead _________ was automatically declared the winner
- The Greeks competed fiercely with those same _________ for vital resources
Myron
Pheidias
Bilistiche