It is not known when men first began celebrating the Olympic Games, but it was sometime around 776 BC.
There are many myths surrounding the origin of the ancient Olympic Games. The most popular legend describes that Hercules was the creator of the Olympic Games and built the Olympics stadium. It was called the Olympic Games because the place was called Olympia in western Greece. The games were held every four years and the period between two celebrations became known as an “Olympiad”. The Greeks used Olympiads as one of their methods to count years.
Once every four years, men from all over Greece came to compete in a great athletic religious festival to honor the Greek gods Zeus and Hera. Women were not allowed to compete. When it was time for the games, the rulers sent out messengers all over Greece and to the Greek colonies around the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. They declared a truce throughout the Greek world for a month. This means no matter who you had a war with, you had to stop the war and let their athletes and performers go through the city safely to get to the Olympic Games. But if you had ever been a slave, or if you had ever done anything against the gods, then you couldn't be in the Olympics. And, the men had to swear that they had already trained for at least ten months. This meant that only men who were pretty rich could be in the Games, so they could afford to take so long off work, and also pay a trainer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games
http://www.nostos.com/olympics/#Ancient%20Olympic%20Games
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/games/index.htm
There are many myths surrounding the origin of the ancient Olympic Games. The most popular legend describes that Hercules was the creator of the Olympic Games and built the Olympics stadium. It was called the Olympic Games because the place was called Olympia in western Greece. The games were held every four years and the period between two celebrations became known as an “Olympiad”. The Greeks used Olympiads as one of their methods to count years.
Once every four years, men from all over Greece came to compete in a great athletic religious festival to honor the Greek gods Zeus and Hera. Women were not allowed to compete. When it was time for the games, the rulers sent out messengers all over Greece and to the Greek colonies around the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. They declared a truce throughout the Greek world for a month. This means no matter who you had a war with, you had to stop the war and let their athletes and performers go through the city safely to get to the Olympic Games. But if you had ever been a slave, or if you had ever done anything against the gods, then you couldn't be in the Olympics. And, the men had to swear that they had already trained for at least ten months. This meant that only men who were pretty rich could be in the Games, so they could afford to take so long off work, and also pay a trainer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games
http://www.nostos.com/olympics/#Ancient%20Olympic%20Games
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/games/index.htm
1 comment:
Great start Avneil!
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