Ancient Olympic Fun Fact 28

2012 is significant in that it is a presidential election year, a leap year, and a summer Olympic year! The modern Olympics, of course, were inspired by the ancient Greek Olympics, a subject I’ve been researching for my work in progress. So in these months leading up to the 2012 London Games, I’ll be posting weekly tidbits about the original athletic festival that started it all.

Here’s this week’s fun fact:

A two-day procession preceded the Olympic competition.

Just like the modern Games have their spectacular opening ceremonies, the ancient athletes also entered Olympia in style. The procession began in Elis, where the athletes would have just completed their compulsory training, and after an exhortation by the Judges, the contestants who’d made the cut proceeded to Olympia accompanied by officials and the hundred oxen designated for the festival sacrifice.

The route they used was called the Sacred Way. The procession took two days partly because it was 58 km long. The other reason it took so long was they had to perform rites, including sacrificing a pig, at points along the way. By the time the athletes hit the road, spectators would already be at or en route to Olympia, and their parade almost certainly drew a crowd.

Tune in next week for more about the ancient Olympics!

Ancient Olympic Fun Fact 27

2012 is significant in that it is a presidential election year, a leap year, and a summer Olympic year! The modern Olympics, of course, were inspired by the ancient Greek Olympics, a subject I’ve been researching for my work in progress. So in these months leading up to the 2012 London Games, I’ll be posting weekly tidbits about the original athletic festival that started it all.

Here’s this week’s fun fact:

Despite having no water events, Olympia had a swimming pool.

Olympia’s open-air pool was unique in classical Greece. Built in the fifth century BC, it was 24 m long by 16 m wide and 1.6 m deep, with steps leading down into it from each side. It is uncertain why it was installed, but VIPs and athletes probably used it for recreation.

Tune in next week for more about the ancient Olympics!

Ancient Olympic Fun Fact 24

2012 is significant in that it is a presidential election year, a leap year, and a summer Olympic year! The modern Olympics, of course, were inspired by the ancient Greek Olympics, a subject I’ve been researching for my work in progress. So in these months leading up to the 2012 London Games, I’ll be posting weekly tidbits about the original athletic festival that started it all.

Olympic Stadium Tunnel

This week I’m sharing a photo I took during my visit to Olympia in 2006. The arch pictured above is a partial reconstruction of the tunnel leading into the ancient stadium. Judges and athletes used this tunnel to make their grand entrance into the stadium, and you can imagine the thrill of the competitors when they stepped out into the sunlight to the roars of a cheering throng.

Tune in next week for more about the ancient Olympics!

Ancient Olympic Fun Fact 20

2012 is significant in that it is a presidential election year, a leap year, and a summer Olympic year! The modern Olympics, of course, were inspired by the ancient Greek Olympics, a subject I’ve been researching for my work in progress. So in these months leading up to the 2012 London Games, I’ll be posting weekly tidbits about the original athletic festival that started it all.

Here’s this week’s fun fact:

The marathon was not an ancient Olympic event.

The marathon is actually a modern sport. Although the ancients honored Phidippides, the messenger who made the memorable run between Marathon and Athens before dropping dead, they didn’t actually re-create his feat. The longest race at the ancient games was the dolichos, which consisted of ten or twelve double laps on a 600-foot track.

Still, that didn’t deter my runner husband from running his own personal marathon when we visited Olympia. He spent a day racing around the Olympic archaeological site (to the cheers of German tourists) until he’d racked up 26.2 miles (as measured by his GPS distance logger).

Tune in next week for more about the ancient Olympics!