Participants of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece list. The Olympic Games - from antiquity to the present

In Hellas (Ancient Greece) they were one of the most revered holidays, and later not only Hellas, but the entire ancient world. Well, today you can hardly meet a person who has not heard at least something about these games. In this article, we will look at the history of the Olympic Games briefly but to the point. According to Greek mythology, the no less famous hero Hercules became the founder of these games. The first reliable sources about games include records of the names of the winners of games that took place in 776 BC. The games were held in the district of Altis, which was sacred to the ancient Greeks, also called Olympia. Games were held every four years, and they lasted five days. According to tradition, they began with a pompous procession, as well as a sacrifice for the god Zeus. And finally, on a measured field (“stadium” in Greek), where 40,000 spectators could fit, sports competitions began.

The competition program included: fisticuffs, running, running with weapons, javelin throwing, discus throwing and competitions in chariots drawn by four horses. Later, from the 4th century BC, not only athletes began to participate in the games, but also speakers, historians, poets, musicians, playwrights and actors. Not everyone could attend the games, let alone participate in them. Slaves, women and persons who were tried for certain crimes could not take part in the games, even as spectators. One day it turned out that the famous fist fighter was trained by his mother, wearing men's clothing Since then, athletes and coaches have been required to appear completely naked for competitions.

Great respect and honor were received by those who won the Olympic Games. Monuments were erected to the winners, poets composed laudatory odes in their honor, they were pompously met at home and awarded with wreaths made from olive branches. But the privileges did not end there, they were provided with food for life at the expense of the state, exempted from taxes and issued large financial sums. During the games, any hostilities between the warring Greek powers ceased. These were considered a real holiday of peace and served to strengthen cultural ties among the Greek states.

The Olympic Games continued until 394 AD, and were banned as a pagan holiday by the Roman emperor Theodosius I, at the urging of the Christian clergy.

However, in 1894, the rebirth of the Olympic Games takes place, it was then that the International Sports Congress took place in Paris. 34 countries were represented in the congress (including Russia). At the congress it was decided to resume Olympic Games. As a result, on April 5, 1896, the new Olympic Games opened in Athens, which have been held every 4 years since then. However, due to the wars, some of them did not take place: in 1916, 1940, 1944.

The Olympic Games of the modern type are the largest complex in our days. There is no permanent game program as it changes regularly. As a rule, the program contains more than 20 summer varieties of sports. For example, the program of the XVI Games for men included: gymnastics, athletics, freestyle and classical wrestling, diving, weightlifting, swimming, boxing, rowing, modern pentathlon, rowing and canoeing, trap and bullet shooting, equestrian sports, water polo, cycling, fencing, sailing, basketball, football, grass hockey. And the women came together in fencing, kayaking, swimming, diving, gymnastics, athletics.

This is the history of the Olympic Games summarized in this article. It should also be noted that in these games no official team championship is established, but only. The winner in any sport becomes the owner of a gold medal, the one who takes second place receives a silver medal, and for the third they give a bronze medal.

N.N.Chesnokov, N.Yu.Melnikova

I. Olympic Games of Ancient Greece.

1.1. Origins, conditions, venue of the Olympic Games.

Greek civilization is one of the most ancient in the world. She left an indelible mark on world history. It is still admired by its philosophers, poets, mathematicians, sculptures, architects and, of course, athletes. The Greeks were one of the first nations to have exercise and sports as part of their daily lives.

The first reliable historical data on the holding of the Olympic Games date back to 776 BC. It is this year that is engraved on the found marble slab, on which the name of the Olympic winner in the race of the Hellenic cook Koroibos is carved.

The origin of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece coincided with the time when history was made by myths and legends. According to the works of ancient Greek historians, philosophers and poets that have come down to us, we learn that the Ancient Olympic Games are associated with the names of the folk hero Hercules, the legendary king Pelops, the Spartan legislator Lycurgus and the Hellenic king Ifit.

In the second ode of the ancient Greek poet Pindar, it is said that the birth of the Olympic Games is associated with the name of Hercules. In 1253 BC. e. The Hellenic king Avgiy ordered Hercules to clean out the royal stables, which had not been cleaned for a year, in one day. Using his power, Hercules changed the course of two rivers, passing them through the stables, so that the water helped him to finish the job on time. When the king refused to fulfill his promise and give Hercules part of his horses, he killed the king and members of his family, arranging in honor of this great competition dedicated to Zeus, which allegedly laid the foundation for the Olympic Games.

According to another legend, Pelops was called the founder of the Games. Having won the chariot race, in memory of his victory, he decides to organize an Olympic festival and competitions every four years.

But there is a third, far from the last, legend of the origin of the Olympic Games. Legend has it that the Hellenic king Ifit, after a plague, turned to the Delphic oracle for a prediction regarding further action. The oracle replied that he should refrain from wars, strengthen ties with the Hellenic cities, and add a "Year of Joy" to the celebrations every year. Thus, the idea of ​​holding the Olympic Games was allegedly born. Since Hellas was at enmity mainly with Sparta, Ifit suggested that the Spartan national legislator Lycurgus jointly follow this advice. After much debate, they concluded in 884 BC. e. agreement, the text of which was carved on a metal disc. According to the contract for their holding, as well as in order to enable athletes and guests to arrive at the competitions, a sacred truce was announced for three months. Despite the militancy of the Greeks, this agreement was sacredly respected. In the event of a violation of the sacred truce, called "ekikhiriya", the inhabitants of Hellas had the right to impose a fine on the violator and deprive the city or person of the right to participate in the upcoming Olympic Games.

Some researchers argue that the Olympic Games were held in honor of the harvest festival. Therefore, the winners were awarded with an olive branch and a wreath. The time of the Games - August-September, as it were, confirms this version.

The glory of Olympia in the ancient world was very great. She was glorified by poets, historians, philosophers and orators spoke about her, myths and legends were composed about her. Pindar dedicated many of his odes to Olympia and the games. "There is no other evesda more noble than the sun, which gives so much warmth and brilliance in the desert of the sky. So we glorify those that are more noble of all the Games - the Olympic Games," the poet wrote.

Olympia was located in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese, 20 km from the Ionian Sea, 275 km from Athens and 127 km from Sparta. On the south side, it was washed by the river Alpheus, on the west - by the river Kladei, and on the north was Mount Kronos. In the east, a lowland stretched, flooded with the waters of Alpheus during the flood. The choice for the Olympic stadium near Mount Kronos is explained by the fact that the slopes served as a natural platform for spectators, which housed 40 thousand people.

On the territory of Olympia there were: a hippodrome (730-336 m) where horse races were held; an Olympic stadium with seats for 50 thousand spectators and an arena of approximately 213x29 m; a gymnasium, a courtyard surrounded by a colonnade, with jogging tracks, platforms for throwing, wrestling, for various exercises, ball games, rooms for hygiene procedures, baths, etc .; living quarters for the participants of the Olympic Games adjoined the gymnasium.

1.2. Types of exercises in the program of the Games, participants and winners of the Games.

At the first thirteen Games, the Greeks competed only in a short run for one stage, the length of which, due to the different steps of the measuring judges, was, as already noted, unequal - from 175 to 192.27 m. It was from this word that the name "stadium" came from. The largest stage was in Olympia, since, according to legend, Hercules himself measured it. For more than half a century, this type of running was the only competition on the Greek Olympic holiday. Runners started from special marble slabs, in which there were recesses for fingers.

So, the program of the ancient Olympic Games included the following types - running at stages 1, 2 and 24; wrestling; pentathlon (pentathlon); fist fights; chariot races drawn by two and four horses; pankration, running in military gear, horse racing.

All those wishing to take part in the Games were entered into special lists a year after their opening. They took an oath that they would prepare for the upcoming competitions for at least ten months. The preparation took place in special schools, where the participant himself paid for the stay. Then, 30 days before the opening of the Games, all potential participants arrived in Olympia for a centralized collection. They were placed in rooms adjacent to the gymnasium. Athletes who arrived at the competitions started training under the supervision of special judges ("hellanodics"), who then dealt with the admission of athletes to the Games.

Initially, only the inhabitants of the Peloponnese took part in the Olympics. Then representatives of neighboring states - Corinth, Sparta, etc. - began to participate in them. In the period from the VI to the II century. BC e. Only free-born Greeks could participate in the Olympic Games. Slaves and people of non-Greek origin, as well as women, were not allowed to the Games.

For regular training of athletes in Olympia, there was a gymnasium and a palestra.

Palestra was a platform sprinkled with sand, on which athletes were engaged in wrestling, fisticuffs, and long jumps. Often the palestras were called gymnasiums.

The Olympic gymnasium, which corresponded in size to the stadium, had an opening and covered tracks. Runners and throwers worked here. The main part of the gymnasium was a portico 219.5 m long and 11.3 m wide. It was here that the track was measured, exactly corresponding to the Olympic distance, equal to one classical stage.

Women not only did not participate in the Olympic Games, but they were forbidden to watch them. Only one woman - the priestess of the goddess Demeter, had the right to watch them from the lodge. In case of violation of this prohibition, the guilty person was thrown off the cliff.

In the entire centuries-old history of the ancient Olympics, only one woman violated the ban and appeared in Olympia during the Games. It was Ferenika - the daughter of the famous fist fighter, who led the preparation of her son for the Games. When the young man went to Olympia, Ferenika, dressed in the costume of a gymnastics teacher, followed him. Her son won the fist fight, and the delighted mother, forgetting about caution, rushed to congratulate him. Everyone understood that during the period they were disguised as a woman, Ferenika was threatened with execution. And only the requests of the audience saved her. The judges pardoned the woman, but immediately decided that henceforth the coaches accompanying the athletes should sit naked behind a special fence during the Games.

The victory at the Olympic Games was considered by the Greeks as a sign of the good disposition of the gods to the athlete, as well as to the city where he was from. The victory in the stadium was considered especially honorable. The name of the athlete who won these competitions was called the next Olympics. Olympioniki (winners of the Games) were crowned in the temple of Zeus with an olive branch cut with a golden knife in a sacred grove. Note that the political prestige of the city in the Hellenic state depended on the number of winning athletes.

Among the ancient Olympionists, the greatest success was achieved by Leonidas from Rhodes, who kept 12 victories (164-152 BC) in the stadium, diaulos and running in equipment, Hermogenes from Xaif - 0 victories (81-89 BC). BC) and Astilos from Croton - 7 victories (488-476 BC) in the same types of running, Chionis from Laconia - 6 victories (664-656 BC). e.) - in running and jumping, Milo from Croton - 6 victories (540-516 BC) and Hippisthenes from Sparta - 5 victories (624-608 BC) - fight.

The popularity of the Games reached its peak in the 6th and 9th centuries. BC e. Participants from many countries mediterranean sea- Africa, Italy, Sicily and even Asian countries. During this period of time, the main prohibitions that were in effect earlier are lifted: foreigners, as well as people from low-income segments of the population, are allowed to compete.

The Olympic Games did not stop even when the power of Hellas began to fall and the Greek lands in 146 BC. e. conquered Rome. In the early years of the formation of the Roman Empire, its nobility and inhabitants showed great interest in the Games. In those years, Olympia turned into a prosperous tourist town with a huge number of sports facilities and hotels. Not only Greeks and Romans, but also representatives of Asian and African countries have already taken part in the Games. Gradually, professionals at the Games forced out amateurs. The Olympics were getting rougher.

In 394, the Roman emperor Theodosius I, who forcibly planted Christianity and saw a pagan rite in the games, banned the Olympics. At the same time, as many historians note, he only fulfilled the verdict of time - the goals of society and the values ​​of Olympism became incompatible.

During 1168 years, 293 Olympiads were held. Many aspects of the ancient Olympic Games are difficult to judge. History has conveyed to us not so many facts, including the names of the winners, their social origin.

Historians argue that representatives of the lower strata of the population actively began to compete at the Olympics after 400 BC. e., and representatives from the upper strata continued to compete mainly in equestrian competitions.

1.3. General cultural significance of the Olympic Games.

As the site of the Olympic Games, Olympia was the historical and cultural center of Ancient Greece with a large number of ancient monuments, the construction of which goes to the first half of the II millennium BC. e. Mount Kronos, the mound of Pelops, the altars of Zeus and Gaia, Hercules and Hippodamia were considered holy places. Then, there were temples of Zeus, Hera. In honor of the Games in Olympia, many beautiful statues, altars, and temples were built. The most famous temple was Olympium, which contained a large statue of Zeus, more than 12 m high, made by Phidial of ivory and gold.

Olympia was badly damaged under Sulla, who allowed his soldiers in 85 BC. e. plunder her treasures. He is known to have ordered the 175th Olympiad in 80 BC. e. spend in Rome.

During the Roman period, the Olympic Games gradually lost their former scope and significance. Olympia was in decline.

Attention to the city increased again in the II century. n. e. Athletes from Alexandria, Syria, Finokia, Armenia, etc. came to the Olympic Games. This heyday of Olympia is associated with the impact of Christian ideas on the citizens of the Roman Empire.

In the IV century. n. e. The Olympic Games have lost many of their traditions, as evidenced by the inattention of the organizers to fixing the names of the winners.

Soon after the prohibition of the Olympic Games (394 AD), the facilities for the Games were destroyed, and in 522 and 551. n. e. strong earthquakes finally destroyed Olympia.

The ancient Olympic Games performed important cultural, pedagogical, economic, military-applied and political functions. They contributed to the unification of policies, the establishment of a sacred truce, the spiritual and physical preparation of young people and, ultimately, the prosperity of the ancient Greek civilization.

The degree of their popularity is evidenced at least by the fact that the ancient Greek historian Timaeus based the chronology on the account of time according to the Olympics. At the same time, the Olympic Games existed almost in parallel with the slave system and were a reflection of its problems and contradictions. The development of Olympism was hampered by the anti-democratic restriction of participation in competitions, professionalization, rude individualism and the beginning of moral degradation.

II. Revival of the Olympic Games.

2.1. Historical prerequisites for the revival of the international Olympic movement.

Historians name many attempts to revive the ancient Olympic Games that took place in the 16th-19th centuries. These were sports holidays, festivals, but not the Olympics.

The following prerequisites contributed to the revival of the Olympic Games.

First, the first Olympic Games, with the exception of the Middle Ages, were never forgotten. They were remembered. Interest in them especially increased after the publication of the book of the archaeologist I. Wikkelman about Ancient Greece, as well as about the excavations in Olympia, begun by another German archaeologist E. Curtis in 1875.

Secondly, during this period of time in different countries their own systems of physical education were already taking shape: German (I. Guts-Muts, G. Fit, A. Spiess, F. Jan, etc.), English (D. Locke, T. Arnold, G. Spencer), French (J.-.J. Rousseau, D.F. Amoros, J. Demeny), Swedish (P.H. Ling, J. Ling), Czech (M. Tyrsh), Russian ( E.A. Pokrovsky, E.M. Dementiev, P.F. Lesgaft).

Thirdly, in 1960-1880. wide sports contacts begin, national and first international sports associations appear.

1863 in England, the first national association is created - the football league;

In 1864, a meeting of the student teams of Cambridge and Oxford universities in athletics took place, which included running 440 yards, 200 and 120 yards with hurdles, steeplechase, long jumps and high jumps;

In 1881, the European Gymnastics Association was created;

In 1888, an amateur athletics union was created in America, and so on.

Fourthly, with the entry of sports into the international arena, it became necessary to hold major complex competitions. There were proposals to include sports organizations in the programs of international fairs. The idea of ​​the revival of the Olympic Games at the end of the nineteenth century. hovered in the air. This idea was brought to life by the French educator Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937).

2.2. Pierre de Coubertin - the initiator of the revival of the Olympic Games.

Pierre de Coubertin was born on January 1, 1863 in Paris in the family of a painter from the ancient family of Fred de Coubertin. As a child, he loved to ride, fencing, and rowing. At the age of 12, he came across the book "Tom Brown's School Years", translated from English. She inspired in him an interest in physical education. As a child, he traveled with his parents to Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. As a young man, he visited England several times. He was greatly influenced by the philosophy of Thomas Arnold, one of the propagandists of the English school of physical education from 1828 to 1842. After graduating from the Lyceum in Paris, he entered the University of Paris and after graduation he became a bachelor of art, science and law. He then continued his education at the Free School political science in Paris, where he became closely acquainted with French philosophy, the history of English education. Big influence he was influenced by Father Caron, a professor of humanistic sciences and rhetoric, who taught him the Greek language, the history of the Roman Empire and talked a lot about the ancient Olympic Games. Undoubtedly, the political events that took place in Europe, and primarily the defeat of France in the war with Prussia, had a huge impact on his upbringing and views.

P. Coubertin devoted himself to educational reform in France and the study various systems physical education. In 1886-1887. P. Coubertin published several articles on these issues. Unlike many contemporaries, he does not copy foreign experience, but creates something new on its basis, calling, for example, to abandon the paramilitary education of youth on the basis of German gymnastics.

According to Coubertin himself, his campaign for the revival of the Olympic Games began on August 30, 1887 after the publication of an article in which he drew the attention of the French to the need for more versatile physical training of children in schools and announced the creation of the League of Physical Education. In 1888, Coubertin published the book "Education in England", and a year later "English Education in France", in which he already shares his ideas with readers.

In the spring of 1893, he was the official representative of France at the World Exhibition in Chicago, during which the International Congress on Physical Education was held. He took part in it, and also visited a number of American universities. On his way home in December 1893, he spent several days in London and met with the secretary of the amateur sports association, G. Herbert. On August 1, 1893, at a meeting of his club, Coubertin included an additional item on the agenda regarding the possibility of reviving the Olympic Games.

2.3. Olympic Congress (1894) and its role in the Olympic movement.

In January 1894, P. Coubertin sent invitations and a congress program to many foreign clubs.

June 16, 1894 at 4:15 pm great hall The Sorbonne gathered about 2,000 people. At the last moment, "Olympic Revival Congress" was written on the invitation cards.

The congress was attended by 79 delegates from 49 sports organizations from 12 countries, including the USA, Italy, Spain, Russia, Hungary, Argentina, New Zealand, Belgium, Sweden, Bohemia. The congress delegates were divided into two sections. The first discussed the problems of amateurism.

On the eve of the congress, on June 15, Coubertin published an article in the "Revue de Paris" entitled "Revival of the Olympic Games". Therefore, the discussion of the principles of Olympism was reduced mainly to those points that Coubertin outlined in his article, namely:

1. Like the ancient festivals, the modern Olympic Games should be held every 4 years.

2. The revived Games (unlike the ancient Olympics) will be modern and international. They will include those sports that were cultivated in the nineteenth century.

3. Games will be held for adults.

4. Strict definitions of "amateur" will be introduced. The money will be used only for organizing, building facilities and holding celebrations.

5. Modern Olympic Games should be "mobile", i.e. carried out in different countries.

The most important part of the work of the second section was the creation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), whose members should promote the principles of modern Olympism and represent the IOC in their countries.

2.4. Creation of the IOC and its Charter.

The creation of the IOC at the Congress should be considered one of the main steps in the revival of the Olympic Games. A list of its members was prepared by Coubertin. They were 15 people. their 12 countries, including Ernest Kallet from France, General Butovsky from Russia, Captain Victor Balck from Sweden, Professor William Sloan from the USA, lawyer Gut Yarkovsky from Bohemia, Ferenc Kemeny from Hungary, Charles Herbert and Lord Ampthill from England, Dr. José Benjamin Subnar from Argentina, Leonard Cuff from New Zealand, Count Lucchesi Palli and Duke Andrew Carafi from Italy, Count Maxime de Buene from Belgium. Coubertin was elected Secretary General of the IOC, and D. Vikelas was elected President of the IOC.

Dimitrius Vikelas (1835-1908)- Greek poet and philologist. Participated as a representative of the Greek Gymnastics Union. When discussing at the congress the issue of organizing the Games of the First Olympiad, he defended the proposal to hold them in 1896 in Athens.

The election of D. Vikelas I as the President of the IOC was facilitated by the provision of the Olympic Charter that the President of the IOC should represent the country hosting the next Olympic Games.

D. Vikelas made a significant contribution to the organization and holding of the Games of the 1st Olympiad in 1896. After they ended, he handed over the post of IOC president to Pierre de Coubertin and devoted himself to literary activity.

The Olympic Charter was adopted at the First Olympic Congress. The main provisions of the Charter were developed by Pierre de Coubertin.

The Charter contains the goals of the IOC task, its organization, structure, the basic principles of the Olympic Movement.

Coubertin's first concern was to make the IOC truly international. It is no coincidence that its name first contains "International", and then "Olympic". In addition, he knew many of the members' names personally.

Coubertin found understanding among the delegates of the congress, which ended triumphantly.

It was decided to hold the 1st Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens. On June 21, the King of Greece sent Coubertin a telegram thanking the members of Congress for the revival of the Olympic Games.

The process of the revival of the Olympic Games and the creation of the IOC was facilitated by a number of factors, among which should be mentioned the rapid development of communications and transport, which facilitated the exchange of material and spiritual values ​​between peoples, the holding of world industrial and trade fairs, conferences, the emergence of international organizations, including sports ones.

It is clear that Coubertin used ancient customs as a source of inspiration in order to better serve modern world. He developed the organization and procedure for the Olympic Games, adding the elements he felt were necessary to meet the aspirations. modern humanity. These include: the international nature of the Games, the inclusion of a large number of competitions and sports in the program, the voluntary participation of amateur athletes, the promotion of friendship and cooperation between peoples, the development of ties and the exchange of views in order to strengthen world peace and eliminate discrimination, and finally , the creation of the IOC, which became the guarantor of Olympism.

Coubertin, as a humanist and educator, hoped that education could play the role of a factor of reconciliation and avoid social clashes. He conceived of Olympism as a means of peoples knowing each other, as a bearer of values ​​that allow people to respect each other. Coubertin did not question the foundations of his society. He just wanted the existence of problems and contradictions in it to be resolved peacefully without war and bloody conflicts. To achieve this goal, he stands up for Olympism as an educational movement, as a means of mutual understanding between people and countries.

Pierre de Coubertin drew attention to the fact that at the Ancient Olympic Games, athletes took an oath of honesty and a fair fight for victory. "The oath of ancient athletes was a public manifestation of their spiritual beauty. We must return to something like this. We must do this, otherwise we will witness the decline of modern sports, which is threatened by corruption," wrote Coubertin. The idea of ​​developing an athlete's oath was supported by the IOC leadership. The words of this oath were first pronounced at the 1920 Games by the Belgian fencer V. Buen.

At the initiative of Coubertin, the Latin saying "Faster, Higher, Stronger", flaunted at the entrance to the Dominican Lyceum in Paris, becomes the Olympic motto.

From 1901 to 1914 Coubertin published the monthly magazine Revue Olympique, which reflected the activities of the IOC and everything related to Olympism and the Olympic Games. During this period, many of his famous works were written: "Psychology of Sports", "New Forms of Physical Education", "Nudity and Sports", "Why I Revived the Olympic Games", "Sports Pedagogy", "Essays on Sports Psychology", "World history" (4 volumes). In 1931 he published "Olympic Memoirs".

Pierre de Coubertin died in 1937 and is buried in Lausanne. The heart, at the request of Coubertin himself, is buried in Olympia.

Many today call him an idealist. Yes, no doubt he overestimated the importance of sports. But despite the utopian nature of some of Coubertin's ideas, they are imbued with nobility and humanism. His ideas, such as the accessibility of sports to the people, the education of a harmoniously developed personality, internationalism, the impact of sports on improving the world, etc., have become a reality today.

Pierre de Coubertin was a supporter of liberal democracy and carried the humanistic charge of the Renaissance. He tried by means of pedagogy, and primarily through physical education and sports, to reform interpersonal and international relations.

2.5. Russia's entry into the Olympic Movement.

The ancient Olympic Games aroused interest among representatives of the Russian public.

At the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries, the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy was created in Russia, in which the Greek language, philosophy and literature were studied. In the literature on academic disciplines there are references to the ancient Olympic holidays. Holding such holidays in Russia became a reality when Catherine II in 1766 arranged a kind of tournament, consisting of horse riding competitions and a demonstration of costumes. The tournament was held in St. Petersburg on June 16 and July 11, 1766 and was called the court carousel.

The winners of the tournaments were awarded with special gold and silver medals with the inscription: "From the Alpheus to the Neva banks." It is known that the ancient Olympic Games were held in the valley of the Alfey River, therefore, we can talk about the existence of a direct connection between the ancient Olympic Games and tournaments in St. Petersburg. As professor V.V. .A.), educators and public figures (Nazaryan S., Tikhanovich P.), at the end of the 19th century. many artists reflected the theme of the Olympic Games in their works (V.Vereshchagin, K.Gun, N.Dmitriev), the sculptor I.P.Panfilov in 1871 received a gold medal for the bas-relief "Olympic Games of Discus Throwers".

Famous scientists in their works also addressed the theme of the Olympic Games. So the outstanding scientist of the beginning of the 20th century, the founder of the Russian original system of physical education, P.F. Lesgaft paid much attention to the ancient Olympic Games. In his "Historical Sketch" he noted their importance for the aesthetic and moral education of young people.

The development of scientific and theoretical issues related to the Olympic Games contributed to the creation of a basis for Russia's entry into the International Olympic Movement. In addition to theoretical issues in Russia, since the middle of the 19th century, such sports as tennis, sailing, speed skating, cycling, and athletics have been rapidly developing. The first world champions appear, such as N. Strunnikov - the repeated world and European champion in speed skating, nicknamed by foreign experts as the "Slavic miracle", P. Zakovorot - the World champion in fencing, repeated winners of various international competitions in cycling were Sergey Utochkin and Aleksey Butyzhkin and many others.

Prominent statesmen and public figures of Russia took an active part in the Olympic Movement.

At the I Olympic Congress in 1894, A.D. Butovsky (1894-1900) was elected a member of the IOC for Russia, who was the author of many works on the theory and methodology of physical training in the army and educational institutions. A teacher, a general of the Russian army, as a member of the IOC, he made a significant contribution to the organization and holding of the Games of the 1st Olympiad in Athens. A.D. Butovsky acted as an active propagandist of the Olympic ideas in Russia. Participated in many Olympic congresses, where he made scientific reports.

In addition to A.D. Butovsky, the members of the IOC for Russia were: Count G.I. Ribopierre (1900-1913), who was the largest patron of sports, was president of the St. Petersburg Athletic Society and patronized the development of wrestling and weightlifting in Russia, Prince S. K. Beloselsky-Belozersky (1900-1908) was a general of the Russian army as a patron of the club "Sport" (Petersburg) paid attention to the development of sports in Russia, Prince S.A. Trubetskoy (1908-1910) was also a supporter of the development of Russian sports and the Olympic movement , Prince L.V. Urusov (1910-1913) also promoted the Olympic movement in Russia, G.A. Duperon (1913-1915) was the chairman of the St. Petersburg Society for the Promotion of the Physical Development of Students. As a prominent theorist and historian of Russian sports, he organized and subsequently led many public sports organizations in St. Petersburg and Moscow. From the moment of creation of the Russian Olympic Committee (1911) he was its secretary.

The question of Russia's participation in the Olympic Games arose in 1896, when its representatives A.D. Butovsky and N. Ritter visited the Games of the First Olympiad.

Repeated attempts were made to achieve the participation of Russian athletes in the Olympic Movement, however, the lack of government support and funds, the weakness and disunity of sports organizations, as well as the mistrust of many skeptics who did not believe in the success of the Olympic Games and their real existence were the reasons for the absence of Russian representatives in the sports arenas of the first three Olympics.

Only in 1908, at the initiative of sports clubs and societies, Russian athletes went to the Games in London for the first time. The delegation consisted of 8 people. The figure skater N. Panin-Kolomenkin became the first Russian champion. Wrestlers A.Petrov and N.Orlov were awarded silver medals.

The successful debut of Russian athletes caused a wide resonance among the Russian sports community. Participation in the subsequent Games of the Olympics in 1912, as well as interest in the further success of Russian sports at the Olympic Games, contributed to the creation in 1911 of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). It was headed by the chairman of the St. Petersburg Society of Skating Fans V.I. Sreznevsky, and G.A. Duperron was elected secretary.

After the formation of the ROK, its branches in the field begin to be created. So in that period of time, the St. Petersburg, Kyiv, Odessa and Baltic Olympic Committees were created.

For the first time, Russia officially took part in the Olympic Games in 1912. The Russian team consisted of 170 athletes who competed in all sections of the Olympic program. The results were modest: 2 silver and 2 bronze medals and the penultimate place in the unofficial team standings was regarded as a defeat.

For more purposeful preparation for the Games of the 1st Olympiad in 1916, as well as for the further development of the sports movement, in Russia they are held in 1913 and 1914. All-Russian Olympics, the program of which was in many respects similar to the Olympic.

However, with the outbreak of World War I, the Games of the VI Olympiad in 1916 were not held. After its completion, Russia, due to internal and external reasons, did not take part in the Olympic Games until 1952.

History of the Olympic Games

Once every four years, the Olympic Games are held - the so-called sports competitions, in which the best athletes from around the world participate. Each of them dreams of becoming an Olympic champion and receiving a gold, silver or bronze medal as a reward. Almost 11 thousand athletes from over 200 countries of the world came to the 2016 Olympic competitions in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.

Although in these sports games mostly adults participate, but some sports, as well as the history of the Olympic Games for children, can also be very exciting. And, probably, both children and adults would be interested to know when the Olympic Games appeared, how they got such a name, and also what types of sports exercises were in the very first competitions. In addition, we will learn how the modern Olympic Games are held, and what their emblem means - five multi-colored rings.

The birthplace of the Olympic Games is Ancient Greece. The earliest historical records of the ancient Olympic Games were found on Greek marble columns engraved with the date 776 BC. However, it is known that sports in Greece took place much earlier than this date. Therefore, the history of the Olympics has been around for about 2800 years, and this, you see, is quite a lot.

Do you know who, according to history, became one of the first Olympic champions? - This was ordinary cook Korybos from the city of Elis, whose name is still engraved on one of those marble columns.

The history of the Olympic Games is rooted in the ancient city of Olympia, from where the name of this sporting event originated. This settlement is located in a very beautiful place - near Mount Kronos and on the banks of the Alpheus River, and it is here from ancient times to the present day that the ceremony of lighting the torch with the Olympic flame takes place, which is then relayed to the city of the Olympic Games.

You can try to find this place on a world map or in an atlas and at the same time check yourself - can I find Greece first, and then Olympia?

How were the Olympic Games in ancient times?

At first, only local residents took part in sports competitions, but then everyone liked it so much that people from all over Greece and its subordinate cities began to come here, even from the Black Sea itself. People got there as best they could - someone rode a horse, someone had a wagon, but most people went to the holiday on foot. The stadiums were always crowded with spectators - everyone really wanted to see sports competitions with their own eyes.

It is also interesting that in those days when the Olympic competitions were going to be held in Ancient Greece, a truce was declared in all cities and all wars stopped for about a month. For ordinary people, it was a calm peaceful time, when they could take a break from everyday affairs and have fun.

For a whole 10 months, the athletes trained at home, and then for another month in Olympia, where experienced coaches helped them prepare as best as possible for the competition. At the beginning of sports games, everyone took an oath, the participants - that they would compete honestly, and the judges - to judge fairly. Then the competition itself began, which lasted 5 days. The beginning of the Olympic Games was announced with the help of a silver trumpet, which was blown several times, inviting everyone to gather in the stadium.

What sports were at the Olympic Games in ancient times?

These were:

• running competitions;
• wrestling;
• long jump;
• javelin and discus throw;
• hand-to-hand combat;
• chariot racing.

The best sportsmen were awarded an award - a laurel wreath or an olive branch, the champions solemnly returned to their hometown and were considered respected people until the end of their lives. Banquets were held in their honor, and sculptors made marble statues for them.

Unfortunately, in 394 AD, the Olympic Games were banned by the Roman emperor, who did not like such competitions very much.

Olympic Games today

The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896, in the parent country of these games - Greece. You can even calculate how long the break was - from 394 to 1896 (it turns out 1502 years). And now, after so many years in our time, the birth of the Olympic Games became possible thanks to one famous French baron, his name was Pierre de Coubertin.

Pierre de Coubertin the founder of the modern Olympic Games.

This man really wanted as many people as possible to go in for sports and offered to resume the Olympic Games again. Since then, every four years sport games, with the maximum preservation of the traditions of ancient times. But now the Olympic Games began to be divided into winter and summer, which alternate with each other.

Traditions and symbols of the Olympic Games

Olympic rings

Probably, each of us has seen the emblem of the Olympics - intertwined colored rings. They were chosen for a reason - each of the five rings means one of the continents:

• blue ring - a symbol of Europe,
• black - Africa,
• red - America,
• yellow - Asia,
• the green ring is the symbol of Australia.

And the fact that the rings are intertwined with each other means the unity and friendship of people on all these continents, despite the different skin colors.

olympic flag

The white flag with the Olympic emblem was chosen as the official flag of the Olympic Games. White is a symbol of peace during Olympic competitions, just as it was in ancient Greece. At each Olympics, the flag is used at the opening and closing of sports games, and then transferred to the city in which the next Olympics will take place four years later.

olympic fire

Even in ancient times, a tradition arose to light a fire during the Olympic Games, and it has survived to this day. It is very interesting to watch the ceremony of lighting the Olympic flame, it is reminiscent of an ancient Greek theatrical production.

It all starts in Olympia a few months before the start of the competition. For example, the fire for the Brazilian Olympic Games was lit in Greece back in April of this year.

In Greek Olympia, eleven girls gather, dressed in long white dresses, as they used to be in Ancient Greece, then one of them takes a mirror and, with the help of sunlight, lights a specially prepared torch. This is the fire that will burn throughout the entire period of the Olympic competition.

After the torch lights up, it is handed over to one of the best athletes, who will then carry it first through the cities of Greece, and then deliver it to the country in which the Olympic Games will be held. Further, the torch relay passes through the cities of the country and, finally, arrives at the place where sports competitions will be held.

A large bowl is installed in the stadium and a fire is lit in it with the torch that came from distant Greece. The fire in the bowl will burn until all sports are over, then it goes out, and this symbolizes the end of the Olympic Games.

Opening and closing ceremony of the Olympics

It is always a bright and colorful sight. Each country hosting the Olympic Games tries to surpass the previous one in this component, sparing no effort or means. For staging apply recent achievements science and technology, innovative technologies and development. In addition, it uses a large number of people - volunteers. The most famous people of the country are invited: artists, composers, athletes, etc.

Awarding of winners and prize-winners

When the first Olympic Games were held, the winners received a laurel wreath as a reward. However, modern champions are no longer awarded with laurel wreaths, but with medals: first place is a gold medal, second place is a silver medal, and third is a bronze medal.

It is very interesting to watch the competitions, but it is even more interesting to see how the champions are awarded. The winners go to a special pedestal with three steps, according to the places taken, they are awarded medals and raise the flags of the countries where these athletes came from.

That's the whole history of the Olympic Games, for children, I think, the above information will be interesting and useful

OLYMPIA - THE CRADE OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES

The Olympic Games, as we know them now, have a long history dating back to ancient times. It all started in the Peloponnese, Greece, about 3,000 years ago.
Sports competitions were held in Olympia and got their name from the venue of the Olympic Games. No one knows exactly when they began, but the first written mention dates back to 776 BC.
The Games were held in the same location every four years. This four-year period was called the Olympiad and was used as a reckoning system: time was measured in Olympiads, not in years.

THE BIRTH OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Olympus is a high, rocky mountain in northern Greece, it was believed that the gods lived there.
The history of the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece is shrouded in legends and myths, but it is known for certain that they began to be held in Olympia, a town located in southern Greece, in the western part of the Peloponnesian Peninsula, in the region of Elis.

According to one of the legend versions, the cruel god Kronos ruled there. For fear of dying at the hands of one of his children, he swallowed his newborn babies. Their unfortunate mother Rhea, having given birth to another son, gave her father a stone wrapped in diapers, which he swallowed without noticing the substitution, and entrusted the newborn Zeus to the shepherds. The boy grew up, became the mighty Zeus the Thunderer, entered into a mortal battle with Kronos and defeated him. Numerous brothers and sisters of Zeus came out of the womb of the devouring father, who later also became gods. In honor of this event, Zeus founded the disinterested, honest competitions of the strong, dexterous and courageous, later called Olympian in the place where they were held. And they were held in a beautiful place: an oak grove dedicated to Zeus, with it a temple of Zeus, and a place for competitions was arranged at the temple. The competition was dedicated to Olympian Zeus.

Other legends say that the founder of the Olympic competitions is the son of Zeus Hercules. It was in this place that he accomplished one of his feats - he cleaned out the notorious stables of the king of Elis and organized the first competitions in honor of the victory over Avgiy. Hercules is also credited with .... "stadium"...

Beautiful romantic legends surround the ancient Greek Olympic Games. Some attribute the establishment of this great holiday to Zeus, who at Olympia defeated his cruel father Kronos. Other legends claim that it was in this place that the son of Zeus, Hercules, performed one of his feats and organized the first competitions in honor of the victory over King Avgiy. Or maybe they were organized by Pelops, who by cunning defeated the cruel king Enomai?

A legend has a certain historical authenticity, according to which the ruler of Elis, Ifit, tired of constant civil strife and strife, turned to the Delphic oracle with the question of how to stop them. And I got the answer: to resume the forgotten Olympic Games. Ifit proposed to the king of warlike Sparta, Lycurgus, to establish competitions during which a sacred truce would be established - ekeyheria. Under the terms of the concluded agreement, a large fine was imposed for violating the truce and, what was even worse, the perpetrators were deprived of the right to participate in the Olympic Games.
The reality of this fact is confirmed by the ancient Greek historian Pausanias, who wrote that back in the 2nd century. AD a copper disc, on which the truce was inscribed, concluded between Ifit and Lycurgus, was kept in one of the temples of Olympia.
The details of this legend are interesting: according to the assumptions of scientists, Ifit and Lycurgus lived around the 9th century. BC, i.e., earlier than the official dates for the establishment of the Olympic Games. But they just resumed the games. So, competitions in Olympia were held before? It must be assumed that long before the Olympic Games, ritual competitions were held in the Alfea Valley in honor of the initiation of young men into warriors. But they were local. Ifit and Lycurgus gave them national importance. History needs a reliable starting point. Such a point was the first monument erected in Olympia to the winner of the competition. Therefore, 776 BC, when Koreb from Elis outstripped all rivals in the race by one stage, is officially considered the year the Olympic Games began.

Initially, the program of the Olympic Games was limited to the stadium - running one stage. Then the program began to expand: competitions were introduced in running for two stages, running for the 24th stage, running with weapons, then pentathlon appeared - pentathlon (running, jumping, discus and spear throwing, wrestling), wrestling and fisticuffs, chariot racing. From 632 BC competitions for children began to be included in the Games.
No matter how the program of the Olympic Games expanded, the most revered was the run for one stage. The winner in the stadium was given the right to light a fire on the altar of Zeus, he became the main character of the Games.

The main award for the winner of the Olympic Games - Olympionics was the olive branch. She was cut with a golden ritual knife from an old tree, which, it was believed, was planted by Hercules. The name of the athlete was carved on a marble slab, and monuments were erected to those who were especially outstanding. But it was, so to speak, a moral encouragement. The inhabitants of the city, which was represented by the winner, presented him with expensive gifts, exempted him from taxes, and provided him with a free place in the theater.
The return of the winner to his homeland turned into a truly triumphal procession; all the inhabitants greeted him joyfully.
The names of compatriots who became winners of the Olympic and other competitions were immortalized in gymnasiums and churches. A record of their achievements was painstakingly kept. Young people were brought up on the example of outstanding athletes. Some of them were revered on a par with the gods. From the surviving records it is known that the athlete Feagen achieved 1300 victories in various competitions. Leonidas from Rhodes has been Olympic champion twelve times in the one and two stadia and in the arms race in four Olympiads.
But the most famous athlete1 of Ancient Greece is Milo of Croton. In 540 BC at the age of 14 he becomes an Olympic winner in wrestling. He was then crowned with the Olympic wreath six more times. In addition, Milo won the Pythian, Isthmian and Nemian games many times. Legends were made about his unprecedented physical strength and dexterity. It is no coincidence that historians have long argued whether Milo of Croton was a real person or a mythical character.
However, numerous sources confirm that he really existed. Interestingly, Milo studied at the school of Pythagoras, where he received not only physical, but also general education. Therefore, he played a big role in political life their home community. During the war with Sybaris, Milo was elected commander. He not only led the army, but, according to contemporaries, replaced the whole unit. Thus, Milo of Croton was the ancient Greek ideal of a harmoniously developed personality. And, like any ideal, it gradually acquired myths and legends. This is how the historian and geographer Strabo describes that during classes with Pythagoras, Milo accidentally knocked down a column of a house (!?). To prevent a catastrophe, he himself took the place of the column and until then supported the vault of the building until everyone left it.
The reliability of this fact is doubtful, but this and other legends confirm the love and respect that surrounded the outstanding athletes of ancient Greece.

Hosting the Olympic Games since 776 BC to 394 AD, that is, the preservation of the tradition of organizing competitions for more than eleven centuries, despite wars, epidemics and other social upheavals, in itself speaks of the enormous social significance that the Games played in Ancient Greece. However, we will try to specifically understand what social functions were performed by the ancient Olympic Games during their heyday.

Greek policies, torn apart by civil strife, could maintain unity and resist external enemies only thanks to a single religion and culture, close economic and political ties. The Olympic Games included all these unifying elements.

The spread of the cult of Zeus turned Olympia into the religious and cult center of ancient Greece. On the donations of the Greeks no later than 456 BC. the greatest temple of Zeus was erected here. The main decoration of the temple was the majestic statue of Zeus, recognized by contemporaries as one of the seven wonders of the world. Phidias created a twelve-meter-high sculpture made of gold and ivory, which at the same time struck with high artistic perfection. About 70 sanctuaries were also built in Olympia in honor of other gods and heroes.

Having arisen as an integral part of a religious and cult ritual, the Games throughout their existence were dedicated to Zeus, the Thunderer, and thus united all Greek lands. According to the Greeks, people communicated with the gods through competitions. It was the gods who gave victory to the most worthy. But in order to achieve the location of the gods, it was necessary to engage in physical and spiritual self-improvement, not to commit bad deeds, etc. At the same time, the winner of the competition, as it were, received a divine sign of special disposition, which made it possible to equate him with the gods themselves.

The Olympic Games had a significant impact on the development of Greek culture. Here, two aspects can be distinguished. Firstly, in Hellas there was a cult of a beautiful naked body. Athletes trained and competed naked. The shame of nakedness was considered a sign of barbarism. The Greeks revered the tanned, toned naked body as an expression of a high level of culture.
Secondly, during the Games, prominent philosophers, poets and scientists came from all over Hellas, which contributed to the further development of the amazing phenomenon of Greek culture. The great philosophers Plato, Socrates, Diogenes, Heraclitus, the fathers of history Herodotus and Thucydides, the founder of medicine Hippocrates, the classics of ancient Greek poetry Sophocles, Pindar, Eurepid spoke before a large audience. Philosophical conversations, poetic and oratorical speeches, contemplation of masterpieces of architecture and art, admiration for the beauty and physical perfection of athletes formed and developed a single Greek culture. While maintaining the specifics of the development and originality of various Greek cities, without the pressure of any centralized authority, it was here, at the festivities, that the national consciousness of the Greeks naturally formed. It was a consciousness of a high social civilization, spiritual and physical culture, a consciousness of superiority over slaves and neighboring barbarian peoples.

During the heyday of ancient Greece, the Olympic Games performed a number of social functions in addition to competition: religious, cultural, educational, economic, political, entertainment. However, the great social significance of the Olympic Games of this period was determined, first of all, by their influence on the unification of the Greek world and the formation of a single national identity. It is no coincidence that the most magnificent and colorful games of antiquity took place in 476 BC, when the united Greek troops, first in Marathon, and then in the naval battle of Salamis, defeated the Persian troops and thus preserved the freedom and independence of Greece. The Olympic Games then became a grand celebration in honor of the victory over a formidable enemy.
The athletes of this period reflected, on the one hand, the strength and power of their native city, and, on the other hand, the pan-Hellenic ideal of the all-round development and physical perfection of the individual. And it is deeply symbolic that for a long and strenuous preparation, hard trials in competitions, the winner in Olympia was awarded only a wreath from an olive branch. It was a symbol of disinterested wrestling. Honors and glory came to the winner as a sign of gratitude and love of compatriots, that is, they were the result of public recognition.

As Solon taught the unenlightened Scythian in the work of Lucian: “... whoever receives a wreath, will receive in it all the happiness available to a person: I’m talking about the freedom of every person in private life and in the life of his homeland, I’m talking about wealth and glory, about enjoying fatherly holidays, oh the salvation of his household and, in general, about the most beautiful thing that everyone could beg for himself from the gods; all this is woven into the wreath of which I speak, and is the reward of that competition, for the sake of which all these exercises and these labors take place.
In the 4th century BC. there are gradual changes in the nature and content of the Olympic Games. More and more attention is paid to the entertainment of competitions. Political chaos and constant warfare, especially the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), led to a coarsening of Greek tastes. The harmonic beauty of the body did not cause former admiration. The audience was increasingly attracted by wrestling, fisticuffs and pankration, rich in sharp, dramatic moments. Yes, and in these types of changes, if earlier the outcome of the fight was decided mainly by speed, dexterity, then during this period physical strength becomes the decisive quality.
The reward for winning the competition increases. Cities, seeking to demonstrate their power and win the favor of the gods, attract the most famous fighters, even if they live in other places or do not comply with the Olympic rules. In this regard, professional athletes take part in the competition for the first time.

The desire to win at any cost led to the violation of the rules and established norms. For the first time, cases of bribery, cruelty, violations of the system for preparing for the games were registered at the Olympic competitions.
In Greece, the Olympic and some other Games were of great importance in preserving national identity, historical and cultural traditions. Therefore, despite the loss of many values ​​and organizational moments, the Greeks continued to sacredly preserve the tradition of holding the Olympic Games. The changes that took place in the organization of the Games, to a certain extent, reflected the degradation ancient system physical education and the crisis of the entire slave system.

The termination of the ancient Olympic Games was associated with a change in the dominant religion, and with it the ideological positions. In the context of the growing crisis of the slave system in the Roman Empire, a new religion, Christianity, was born and gained strength. One of the areas in which the struggle between the old Greco-Roman spiritual world and the new Christian worldview took place was physical culture. Having become the state religion, Christianity recognized the manifestation of paganism and “sinful physicality” in competitions and folk festivals, so they were subjected to severe persecution by the church and the state. Historians associate the ban on the Olympic Games with the name of Emperor Theodosius I, who adopted a set of laws to combat paganism (the code of Theodosius). In 392, Theodosius issued an edict (law) prohibiting all religious ceremonies, no matter how they differed. The Olympic Games and other competitions of athletes could fall under this ban.
The buildings and temples of Olympia were destroyed. Earthquakes and relentless time have completed this process. Olympia and great holiday, held here, were consigned to oblivion for centuries.

1 According to S.D. Sinitsyn, the concept of "athlete" first appeared in Homer's "Odyssey" to refer to a person who stands out for his physical qualities, skillful in exercises. At the same time, the word "athlete" is inseparable from the concept of "aristocrat" (24). OA Milshtein connects the concept of "athlete" with the first ruler of Elis - Atliy and the name of the award for the victory "atl" (29).
2 Lucian. Anacharsis, or On the exercise of the body. Works v.1, p.332.

Materials taken from the website of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus noc.by

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PANHELLINE GAMES

The Games held at Olympia gave rise to the Panhellenic Games, which also included:
- Games in Delphi (Pythian Games)
- Games in Corinth (Ancient Greek folk festivals)
- Games in Nemea (Nemean Games).
These Games were of particular importance, as they united the Greek world at a time when Greece was not a single state, but consisted of several city-states (politically and economically independent communities). From Greece and its colonies (in Italy, North Africa and Asia Minor) people came to take part in or attend the Games inspired by the shared sense of belonging to one culture or religion.
It should be noted that all four of the Panhellenic Games have never been held in the same year.
It is difficult to determine what caused the birth of these Games. Mythology is interspersed with historical facts, and the events that took place at that time are often explained as the result of divine providence. The same is true of the Panhellenic Games, of which there are many stories that attempt to explain their origin.

HOLY TRUCE

In connection with the Panhellenic Games, a sacred truce was proclaimed. Messengers (spondorophoroi) went from city to city, announcing the date of the competition. They called for a stop to wars before, during and after the Games, to enable athletes and spectators to travel to and from competition venues in complete safety. The atmosphere of the world was seen as important condition holding competitions.

GAMES FOR THE GODS

The Panhellenic Games were of great religious significance. Each Game was celebrated in honor of a god:
- Zeus, king of the gods - in Olympia and Nemea,
- Apollo, the god of light and reason, - in Delphi,
- Poseidon, god of the sea and patron of horses - in Corinth.

OLYMPIA VENUE OVERVIEW

Of the four Panhellenic Games, the Games held at Olympia were the most important and were considered a special event in the Greek world.
The venue for the competition consisted of a sacred area, a walled Altis, and a secular, non-religious area. The sacred area contained temples, including a temple dedicated to Zeus, altars where sacrifices took place, and treasuries erected by city-states where expensive offerings (such as vases and statues) were stored.
The secular zone was outside the boundary wall. There were such sports buildings as a gymnasium *, a palestra *, a stadium and a hippodrome, plus all the buildings where the Games were managed and the reception of important guests was carried out.
Only the priests and employees who looked after the temple lived in Olympia. During the competition, the atmosphere was very different. In addition to athletes and spectators, numerous merchants flocked to the competition site: the number of people present at the Olympic Games is estimated at over 40,000.

• The gymnasium is a state educational institution in ancient Greece for boys aged 16-18.
  Palestra is a private gymnastic school in ancient Greece for boys aged 12-16.

FESTIVALS AND COMPETITIONS HELD IN OTHER GREECE CITIES

In addition to the Panhellenic Games in Olympia, major competitions were held in Athens. They are known as the Panathenaic Games.
These Games were part of the Great Panathenaic, the biggest festival in Athens, which was held every four years in honor of the goddess Athena.
Everywhere in Greece and the colonies there were local competitions, some of which are more famous, others less so. Each city gave great importance their organizations.
The statutes of the Panhellenic Games and the large number of local competitions are an illustration of the importance of physical exercise and the spirit of competition in the society of ancient Greece.

ATHLETE

Some items created by the ancient Greeks have survived to this day. As a result of archaeological excavations, sculptures, vases, coins and tools were found. These objects give a good idea of ​​how people lived in those days. With their help, we can learn more about the athletes and the competitions in which they took part.

NUDITY

Looking at a sculpture or a scene depicted on a vase, we can easily recognize an athlete by his nakedness, because athletes were always naked during training and competition. Their beautiful bodies, created through physical exercise, served as a model for sculptors and artists who drew inspiration from athletes and their movements during sports.
It was believed that the beauty of the naked body reflects inner beauty and illustrates the harmony of body and mind. Sports activities helped to achieve and develop this harmony.

GYMNASIUM AND PALESTRA

Every Greek city had a gymnasium and a palestra. These were places where athletes trained and young men trained. They received a comprehensive education, including training both in body and mind. Physical education, music, arithmetic, grammar and reading were included in the curriculum. Depending on the sport, training could take place in one of the buildings.

HYGIENE AND BODY CARE

Upon arrival at the gymnasium or palestra, the athletes completely undressed. Having lost the protective layer of clothing, they had to take special care of their skin.
In preparation for training, the athlete covered the body with olive oil, and then sprinkled it with fine sand. The mixture of oil and sand helped to regulate body temperature, as well as protect from the sun and the trainer's stick, which the trainer used to beat the athlete if he did the exercise incorrectly!
At the end of the competition, the athlete took his spatula (strigil), which had the shape of a curved plate, and scraped sweat, oil and sand from the skin. The procedure ended with washing the body with water and a sponge.
During the competition, the athlete looked after the skin in a similar way.
The equipment needed for these purposes was extremely simple:
- a vessel, a kind of small bottle, often earthenware, filled with oil;
- scapula;
- sponge.
All these items were connected by a ring, which the athlete attached to the wall of the gymnasium or palestra.

GAME PARTICIPATION

There were three criteria for participation in the Games: the participant had to be male, Greek and a free person. Women, slaves and foreign citizens were excluded.
Let's start with the fact that the athletes were not professionals. Despite the fact that most of them belonged to wealthy families, some athletes came from less wealthy backgrounds. Over time, the situation has changed and most athletes have become professionals. After the conquest of Greece by Rome in 146 BC. the Romans were allowed to join the Greek athletes. Later, the circle of participants was expanded to include athletes of foreign origin after the granting of Roman citizenship to all inhabitants of the provinces during the 248th Olympiad (213 AD).
To participate in the Games, the city chose the best athletes who trained in their gymnasiums. The selected athletes had to continue to train hard for several months. After the proclamation of the sacred truce and the announcement of the date for the Games, the athletes and their coaches went to Olympia. The journey could be long and difficult. Upon arrival in Ellis, located near Olympia, the athletes trained for a month at the city gymnasium, which was the last qualifying stage before the Games. Athletes who passed the final selection went to Olympia and took an oath, as did the judges. They promised to compete honestly, following the rules.

GAMES FOR WOMEN

Despite the fact that women were not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games, they still played sports. In Olympia, the Games were held for girls, which were called Heraia, in honor of the goddess Hera, the wife of Zeus. These competitions were held every four years and consisted of a running race.

FRAUD AND FINES

Some athletes did not always keep the oath and made an attempt to win the competition using prohibited tricks. This form of cheating was punished and dishonest athletes had to pay a fine. This money went to the erection of statues of Zeus, known as "Zanas". These statues were placed along the passage leading to the stadium. On the basis of each of them the name of the deceiver was written. To get to the venue of the competition, the athletes had to pass by all the statues. It reminded them of examples unworthy of repetition.

FAMOUS ATHLETES

In the history of the modern Games, outstanding champions become the heroes of breaking news. They are admired and revered, they are real heroes.
The games of antiquity also had their champions. Thanks to the demonstrated results, the names of famous athletes are known today. Below is a brief summary of some of them.
The legendary wrestler Milo from Croton, a multiple Olympic champion who devoted 26 years of his life to his sports career. Milo was a real hero. He has many other victories outside of Olympia to his credit. Known for his amazing strength, he was also famous for his immense appetite!
An outstanding Leonidas from Rhodes, a four-time Olympic champion in running, whom his compatriots equated with a god.
Boxer Melancomas from Caria, known not only for his magnificent body, but also for his unusual fighting technique. Melancomas did not strike at his opponents, but instead brought them to exhaustion, skillfully dodging their attacks!
After death, great champions were given special honors so that their victories at the Games would not be forgotten. Their graves were decorated with tombstones carved with images of wreaths received by athletes for victories in competitions throughout their sports career.

SPORTS INCLUDED IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES PROGRAM

In the ancient world, the Olympic Games served as a starting point. Sports that were part of the competition program at Olympia were often included with minor changes in the program of competitions held in other Panhellenic sports arenas, or with minor further changes, in local competitions. Here is the Olympic program. The program of the Games included only individual sports, team sports were not included. Water sports also featured on the program.

WHAT WERE THE GAMES?

The opening of the Games was marked by the sacrifice of animals on the altar of Zeus. The competition, which lasted for about five days, took place in a stadium or hippodrome.
The stadium was a heavily rammed earthen platform. rectangular shape. There were no balconies, and the audience sat on special ledges. Officials (organizers and judges - Hellanodayks) were provided with a tribune.
Free men, slaves and girls had the right to watch the Games. Only married women were forbidden to be in the crowd of spectators.
The games ended with feasts in honor of the winner and sacrifices in honor of Zeus.

CHARACTERISTICS OF SPORTS

With the exception of equestrian sports, which were held at the hippodrome, all competitions were held at the stadium.

WALKING COMPETITION

There were different types of competitions:
- stade or stadium (stadion) - running one length of the stadium;
- diaulos (diaulos) - running for two lengths of the stadium;
- dolichos (dolichos) - long-distance running (from 7 to 24 circles);
- running with weapons (in Olympia it was a run for two lengths of the stadium), when athletes
they put on a helmet, greaves of armor and held a shield in their hands.
Competitors took their places at the start line marked with white limestone slabs. They ran in a straight line, and not around the stadium, as is the case in our time.

DISC THROW

The disk was made of stone or metal. The famous statue by the sculptor Myron depicts an athlete preparing to throw the discus. This sculpture is called "Disco Thrower" (c. 40 BC). The original of the statue was destroyed, but there are a large number of copies dating from the period of the Roman Empire. For example, one of them is exhibited in the National Museum in Rome.

JAVELIN-THROWING

A leather strap was attached to the shaft of the spear, which formed a loop. During the throw, the athlete put his index and middle fingers into the loop, which made it possible to increase the distance of the spear.

LONG JUMP

The exercise was performed with kettlebells. The athlete performed a forward jump from the initial position of the legs together, without a run-up, throwing his arms forward. During the jump, the arms and legs were almost parallel. Before landing, the athlete took his hands back, at the same time discarding the weights. This increased the movement of the legs forward and increased the distance in the jump.
The use of weights meant that the movements of the athlete must be coordinated. For this purpose, the competition was accompanied by a melody played on a flute.
Weights were made of stone or metal and had different shapes.

COMBAT SPORTS

There are several hypotheses regarding the venue for wrestling, fisticuffs and pankration competitions. Some researchers believe that these competitions were held in Altis in front of the altar of Zeus. Others believe that they were held at the stadium.

The draw decided which athletes would compete with each other. Unlike modern rules in those days there were no weight categories.

WRESTLING

Opponents fought with their bare hands in a standing position. There were different types of captures. The athlete who first touched the ground for the third time was considered the loser.

PANKRATION

This is a kind of struggle. In this type of wrestling, all tricks were allowed, but it was forbidden to bite, gouge out eyes and stick fingers into the nose of the opponent.

BOXING

The hands of the wrestlers were protected by long leather straps. These forerunners of boxing gloves have undergone numerous modifications over time. Plates of metal were fixed on the knuckles, which greatly increased the impact.

PENTATHLON

The pentathlon consisted of five events: running, jumping, discus throwing, javelin throwing and wrestling. The athlete who took part in the competition was called pentathlos. It was the most versatile sport, so the body of the pentathlos was considered the most perfect.

EQUESTRIAN SPORTS

Chariot races and horse races were held at the hippodrome. Chariot races were very spectacular and especially popular with the population. There were quadriga races, when the chariot was driven by four horses, and pair races, when the chariot was driven by two horses. Chariot drivers were called charioteers. Unlike the athletes, the charioteers were not naked, but wore long tunics.
In horse racing, the jockeys were naked. They rode bareback and did not wear spurs.
Thanks to equestrian competitions, women were direct participants in the Games! As owners, they could enter their horses into races, where they were driven by male charioteers or jockeys.

MUSIC AND SINGING

Music and singing were not included in the program of the Olympic Games. They were a feature of the Delphi Games!
In Delphi, long before the appearance of sports competitions, musical tournaments were held. These included singing to the accompaniment of the cithara (or kithara, a type of lyre), flute solos, or singing to the accompaniment of the flute. Music and singing remain feature Pythian games even after the unification of sports competitions into a single whole. The program also featured competitions in poetry and drama.

PRIZES

CROWNS, RIBBONS AND PALM BRANCHES

At the modern Olympic Games, athletes who take first, second and third places, respectively, are awarded gold, silver and bronze medals. At the Panhellenic Games, there was only one winner who received a wreath or crown of leaves as a prize.
In each competition venue, crowns were made from different types of leaves:
- in Olympia - it was a crown of wild leaves olive tree;
- in Delphi - a crown of laurel;
- in Corinth - a crown of pine branches;
- in Nemea - a crown of wild celery.
Together with the crown, the winner received a red wool band, the tacnia. The famous statue by the sculptor Polikleitos (dated to the second half of the 5th century BC) depicts a victorious young man putting a victorious bandage on his head. The statue is called "Diadumen". Its bronze copy is installed at the entrance to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne.
And finally, the winner often held a palm branch in his hands - another symbol of victory.

NIKA, MESSENGER OF THE GODS

The ancient Greeks believed that it was the gods who made the decision to grant victory to the athlete. Victory was often depicted as a winged female creature known as Nike, which means "victory" in Greek. As a servant or messenger of the gods, Nike descended to the chosen one, carrying with her a divine reward in the form of a crown or bandage.

GLORY

The triumph of the winning athlete brought with it reflected glory to all the inhabitants of his hometown. When he returned from the Games, he was welcomed as a hero, and the athlete received numerous lifetime privileges.
To demonstrate his fame, the athlete had the right to erect a statue of himself. In addition, he could ask the poet to write poems telling about his exploits. Sometimes, feeling a sense of pride in their countryman, the inhabitants of the city cast coins with his portrait so that he would be remembered and recognized by the whole Greek world.

PRIZES IN LOCAL COMPETITIONS

Prizes awarded at local competitions were more material. The winner was often given an amphora filled with olive oil. In those times olive oil highly valued and cost a lot of money. Other treasures such as bronze tripods (large vases with three legs), bronze shields or silver goblets were also given as prizes.
Despite this, the prestige of the Panhellenic Games remained unshakable. The modest crown of leaves was the highest honor in the Greek world, as it guaranteed its owner the honor and respect of all the inhabitants.

GAME END

GRADUAL DECLINE

Over the history of the Olympic Games, their importance has increased significantly. Starting as a simple running event, they have grown into a major sporting event. However, the level of the competition and the ethical principles of its participants were not always impeccable. This became especially evident after the conquest of Greece by Rome in 146 BC, when a period of "decline" began, which eventually led to the cessation of the Games.

There are several reasons for the disappearance of the Games:

- The professionalism of athletes
The Games have become a competition between professionals whose main motivation was to collect victories by participating in a huge number of events not only at the Panhellenic Games, but also in local competitions.
- Presence of Roman athletes among Greek athletes
The Romans promoted sport as a spectacle. Above all, they put the satisfaction of the desires of the audience. The spirit of competition, the desire to compare their achievements with the successes of others in an atmosphere of superiority was not interesting to them. The core message of the Games is under threat.
- Paganism Games
Belief in multiple gods was a feature of the religions of the ancient world. The Games were no exception, as they were dedicated to pagan deities. The birth of Christianity with its belief in one God and the conversion of emperors to the new religion meant that holding the pagan Games became impossible.
It was Emperor Theodosius I, a new convert to Christianity, who in 393 AD, after more than a thousand years of existence of the Olympic Games, decided to abolish them! The rest of the Panhellenic Games held at Delphi, Corinus and Nemea ceased to exist at the same time.

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE GAMES VENUE AND ITS OPENING IN THE 19TH CENTURY

After the abolition of the games, Olympia became a victim of vandalism. Fires and earthquakes also played their part and destroyed buildings over time. Gradually, the place of the competition disappeared under a multi-meter layer of earth and from the memory of people.
Thanks to the work of ancient historians, the memory of the Games and their place in the Greek world was not completely forgotten. Their existence was known, but information about the specific location of the Games was lost.
In the 18th century began research, and in the 19th century, as a result of archaeological excavations, the ruins of Olympia were finally discovered. Today, the study of the ruins allows us to appreciate the importance of Olympia and to imagine the past glory of the Panhellenic Games.

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Chelyabinsk State Academy of Culture and Arts.

Faculty of Culture.

Department: Socio-cultural activity.

abstract

By discipline: History of social and cultural activities.

Topic: Olympic Games in ancient Greece.

Chelyabinsk 2015

Introduction

1. History of the Olympic Games

2. Rules, conditions, traditions of the Olympic Games in antiquity

3. Program of the Olympic Games

4. The tradition of lighting the Olympic flame

5. Significance of the Olympic Games

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

All ancient Greek holidays and sports games are associated with the gods. The famous Olympic Games that Ancient Greece gave to the world were not the only ones in the era of antiquity. The origins of the first Olympiads are lost in antiquity, but in 776 BC. e. For the first time, the name of the winner in running was written on the marble board, so this year is considered to be the beginning of the historical period of the Olympic Games. The site of the Olympic festivities was the sacred grove of Altis in Olympia. The place was chosen very well. All buildings, both early and later - temples, treasuries, a stadium, a hippodrome - were erected in a flat valley framed by soft hills covered with dense greenery. Nature in Olympia is, as it were, imbued with the spirit of peace and prosperity, which was established at the time of the Olympic Games. In the temple of Olympian Zeus there was a statue of the god, created by the sculptor Phidias, which was considered one of the seven wonders of the world. Thousands of spectators flocked to the sacred grove. In addition to spectacles of athletic competitions, trade deals were concluded here, public performances of poets and musicians, exhibitions of works by sculptors and artists were held. Here new laws, treaties were announced, important documents were discussed. Since the announcement of the holy month of the games, all warring parties have ceased hostilities ...

The purpose of the study: The historical analysis of the Olympic Games in the context of the development of ancient Greek civilization in the Hellenistic period.

1. History of Olympic Games

The origin of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece coincided with the time when history was made by myths and legends. According to the works of ancient Greek historians, philosophers and poets that have come down to us, we learn that the Ancient Olympic Games are associated with the names of the folk hero Hercules, the legendary king Pelops, the Spartan legislator Lycurgus and the Hellenic king Ifit.

In the second ode of the ancient Greek poet Pindar, it is said that the birth of the Olympic Games is associated with the name of Hercules. In 1253 BC. e. The Hellenic king Avgiy ordered Hercules to clean out the royal stables, which had not been cleaned for a year, in one day. Using his power, Hercules changed the course of two rivers, passing them through the stables, so that the water helped him to finish the job on time. When the king refused to fulfill his promise and give Hercules part of his horses, he killed the king and members of his family, arranging in honor of this great competition dedicated to Zeus, which allegedly laid the foundation for the Olympic Games. (6)

Olympia was located in the northwestern part of the Peloponnese, 20 km from the Ionian Sea, 275 km from Athens and 127 km from Sparta. On the south side, it was washed by the river Alpheus, on the west - by the river Kladei, and on the north was Mount Kronos. In the east, a lowland stretched, flooded with the waters of Alpheus during the flood. The choice for the Olympic stadium near Mount Kronos is explained by the fact that the slopes served as a natural platform for spectators, on which there were 40 thousand people and an arena of about 213x29 m. a gymnasium, a courtyard surrounded by a colonnade, with paths for running, platforms for throwing, wrestling, for various exercises, ball games, rooms for hygiene procedures, baths, etc .; living quarters for participants in the Olympic Games adjoined the gymnasium. (3)

It is known that only men from among free citizens took part in sports games, who were never brought to trial and were never caught in dishonorable acts. Women were not even allowed as spectators on pain of death. For them, there were also their own competitions - in running. Thanks to numerous texts and paintings on ceramics, we now know what sports existed in Ancient Greece. Athletes competed only naked to demonstrate the beauty of their bodies.

This clearly manifested the corporeality of ancient Greek culture. The cult of the body was so great that nudity did not cause a feeling of shame. The rules forbade killing an opponent, resorting to unlawful methods, and arguing with judges. The winners were also solemnly awarded. The winners of the games (olympionics) were awarded with wreaths of wild plums that grew near the temple of Zeus. On the last day of the holiday, a solemn procession was organized in honor of the winners, and the return of the Olympionist to his hometown turned into an unworthy triumph. The whole city came out to meet him, the city authorities arranged a feast, and a statue of the winner was erected on the square: he became a national hero and enjoyed respect throughout his life.

The preservation of the tradition of organizing competitions for more than eleven centuries, despite wars, epidemics and other social upheavals, in itself speaks of the enormous social significance that the Games played in Ancient Greece.

The athletes of this period reflected, on the one hand, the strength and power of their native city, and, on the other hand, the pan-Hellenic ideal of the all-round development and physical perfection of the individual. And it is deeply symbolic that for a long and strenuous preparation, hard trials in competitions, the winner in Olympia was awarded only a wreath from an olive branch. It was a symbol of disinterested wrestling. Honors and glory came to the winner as a sign of gratitude and love of compatriots, that is, they were the result of public recognition. Initially, only the inhabitants of the Peloponnese took part in the Olympics. Then representatives of neighboring states - Corinth, Sparta, etc. - began to participate in them.

For human ambition, the Olympic Games provided a rewarding arena. Everything famous people and all who thirsted for glory flocked hither. After the Persian wars, Themistocles came to Olympia and during the ceremonies attracted the attention of the people. The philosophers Anaxagoras, Socrates, Aristippus and Diogenes have also been here; some of them taught the crowd with their moralizing sermons, others caused scandals with their cynical antics. The stage was often attended by Pythagoras and Plato, who were fond of wrestling, especially since in their youth they themselves won victories in it. Orators Gorgias, Lysias, Demosthenes often appeared here and made it possible for all of Greece to listen to samples of their art. The poets Pindar, Simonides, and many others looked for inspiration here, and perhaps even clients.

Various charlatans mixed with the great people, who aroused respectful amazement in the crowd of onlookers. The most original among such charlatans was, perhaps, Menekrates. (3)

2 . Rules, conditions, traditionsions of the Olympic Games in antiquity

The Olympic festivities took place every four years. It was the same mobile holiday as, for example, Christian Easter. Its celebration took place from the 11th to the 15th day of hieromenia, that is, the sacred month, which began with the first new moon after the summer solstice. Thus, it fell at the end of June and the beginning of July of the new style.

Special envoys were sent from Olympia and went in groups to the far shores of the Black Sea, to Egypt and the Spanish colonies, informing the Greeks about the day of festivities. At the same time, these ambassadors, who bore the name of feors, proclaimed the sacred peace.

Here are some articles from that ruling:

1) All hostilities must cease in all countries as soon as hieromenia is declared.

2) For all peoples taking part in the festivities, the country where the sanctuary of Zeus is located must be inviolable.

3) Any foreign detachment entering the territory of Elis must lay down their arms.

4) Those who want to seize this territory or do not help the Eleans against the blasphemous enemy, may the curse of the gods strike.

5) All those who violate the truce will be fined 2 mines (about 75 rubles) from each warrior.

6) In case of refusal to pay this fine, the guilty will be excommunicated.

7) Anyone who offends a traveler going to the Olympic festival will be cursed and fined.

Since the holiday gave rise to the organization of a large fair, wooden barracks were lined up along the main road and the walls of the fence, where all kinds of merchants sat.

But the most serious attraction at the festivities were religious ceremonies and games. Everyone donated according to their means. Rich people made up whole hecatombs. More modest pilgrims were content with sacrificing rams, a kid, a few drops of wine, a few grains of incense. According to the established rules, the Olympic gods entered into direct communication only with the citizens of Elis. Foreigners had to be represented by one of the Eleans. In addition, foreigners were subject to a special tax, but usually this obstacle did not stop even the poorest person. Therefore, pious people from morning to evening surrounded the altars, where libations of wine, incense and blood took place. (2)

The celebration took five days:

On the 1st day, the participants of the Games in front of the altar of Zeus, took an oath in observance of all the rules of the competition, sacrifices took place.

On the 2nd day, competitions were held in the group of boys,

in the 3rd competition of men,

in the 4th horse riding,

on the 5th day ended with sacrifices and was dedicated to the solemn award ceremony.

The name of the Olympian winner, the name of his father and the fatherland were solemnly announced and carved on marble slabs, exhibited in Olympia for all to see. The Olympians were so famous that the year of the Olympiad was often named after the winner. From the 7th Olympiad (752 BC), athletes were awarded wreaths from the branches of the “beautiful wreath olive tree”, according to legend, planted by Hercules himself; from the 60th they were allowed to put their statue in Altis. During the feast that followed the competition, solemn epinic hymns were sung in honor of the Olympionists, composed by the famous poets Pindar, Simonides, Bacchilids, and others. The ancient Greeks considered victory a sign of the deity's disposition, Zeus's attention to the athlete and to the city where he comes from. In their homeland, olympionists were exempted from all state duties and enjoyed places of honor in the theater and at all festivities; There are cases when Olympionists were deified and revered as local heroes.

Judges and statutes of competitions. The management of all competitions belonged to the Hellanodics, or judges of the Hellenes. These were officials of Elis, appointed for each Olympiad by lot from a limited number of citizens. There were ten judges. They began their duties ten months before the beginning of the festivities. Going to Olympia, before entering the sacred enclosure, they performed ablution and slaughtered a pig as a sacrifice. In Bouleuteria they took oaths from the contestants, their families and teachers. The Hellanodics themselves swore to fulfill their duty before the altar of Zeus of Herkey and tested athletes, children, horses and foals; they divided them into categories, making up a list of rivals for each competition.

Here are the main articles of the charter: 1) Slaves and barbarians are excluded from the games. 2) Also excluded: those who were punished by the court; all murderers, even those who committed the crime through negligence; people on whom blasphemy gravitates; all individuals or citizens of those states that have not paid the fines imposed on them. 3) All participants in the competition must enroll in advance, within the time limits established by law, at the Elis gymnasium, perform a well-known test there and take an oath. 4) Those who did not appear by the deadline are not allowed to participate in competitions. 5) Married women are certainly forbidden to appear in Altis and in the places of competition during the great festivities. 6) The teachers of the competitors during the games on the stage are placed behind the neighboring fence and must remain completely naked there. 7) Under the threat of deprivation of the reward and the imposition of a fine, it is forbidden to kill your opponent intentionally or through negligence in a wrestling or fistfight. 8). It is forbidden to push your opponent and resort to any unscrupulous methods. 9) It is forbidden to intimidate your opponent and offer him a monetary reward for giving in to the fight. 10) Punishment with rods threatens anyone who makes an attempt to bribe the judges. 11) It is prohibited to express a public protest against the decision of the judges. 12) Any participant in the competition, dissatisfied with the verdict of the Hellanodics, may complain to the Olympic Council and seek the conviction of the guilty judges at his own peril and risk.

Every wrong action was punished by a fine established by law and imposed by the verdict of the judges. Not only the family of the participant of the competition, but also his hometown were responsible for paying this fine.

Competitors. All those wishing to take part in the Games were entered into special lists a year after their opening. They took an oath that they would prepare for the upcoming competitions for at least ten months. With the exception of former Olympia winners and a few athletes who had worldwide fame. But most of the future participants in the competitions spent all ten months intended for exercises in this gymnasium. They were placed in rooms adjacent to the gymnasium. The preparation took place in special schools, where the participant himself paid for the stay. Then, 30 days before the opening of the Games, all their potential participants arrived in Olympia for a centralized collection, everyone had to endure a series of tests in the Elis gymnasium for 30 days; Athletes who arrived at the competitions started training under the supervision of special judges (“hellanodics”), who then dealt with the admission of athletes to the Games.

The competition was attended by people who came from all over the Greek world. Despite the fact that in appearance the organization of the games was free, participation in the competitions was available only to citizens of the upper classes: only rich people had the opportunity to equip teams for the hippodrome, train horses for racing, and cover the costs associated with maintaining a large stable. The common people could not take part even in the competitions at the stage due to the need for lengthy preparation, travel expenses and stay in Elis. Indeed, members of aristocratic families participated in the competitions at the hippodrome, and the competition at the stage took place between representatives of the bourgeoisie.

When the games approached, the athletes were transported to Olympia and settled in special rooms. Their entry into the Bouleuterium was done with great pomp and in the presence of their fathers, brothers and teachers. Having entered there, the participants of the competition extended their hands to the altar of Zeus of Herkey, where they indulged in the burning of the insides of a wild boar, and before the Hellanodics swore an oath to behave in accordance with the requirements of the charter. (five)

The first day opened with competitions on the stage. Long before dawn, all the pilgrims, distributed by nationality, crowded on the slopes of the mountains. As the sun rose, a trumpet sounded. Hellanodiki in red robes crossed the entire field of competition and took their places opposite the start. Around them, officials and priests of Elis, public guests, representatives of different states, all eminent foreigners sat in places of honor. Nearby stood the throne of the only married woman, whose presence was allowed at this spectacle, namely the priestess of Demeter-Hamina. (2)

3 . ProgramOlympic Games

Games occupied most three days of pilgrimage. 40 or 50 thousand people who came from all over the world experienced divine pleasure for an infinite number of hours, contemplating how people inflicted death blows on each other with their fists, and horses competed in running speed. But what attracted the Greeks to this spectacle was not the raw passion for gambling of modern European horse racing. Aesthetic aspirations, the need to admire the two kings of nature - a man and a horse - in the prime of their beauty and a burst of courage - that's what captivated the Hellenes. This pleasure was mixed with patriotic excitement. Each turned to the gods his impatient prayers for the victory of his native city in these arenas, where all the Greek peoples gathered. It goes without saying that the motivator of the competitors was, first of all, their personal pride. They sought to arouse admiration for their strength or luxury, but they were also pleased that they would glorify their fatherland with a victory.

Greek gods and mythological heroes are involved in the emergence of not only the Olympic Games as a whole, but also their individual disciplines. For example, it was believed that Hercules himself introduced the run for one stage, personally measuring this distance in Olympia (1 stage was equal to the length of 600 feet of the priest of Zeus), and pankration goes back to the legendary fight between Theseus and the Minotaur. (one)

In addition to athletic competitions, an art competition was also held at the Olympic Games, which has become an official part of the program since the 84th Games (444 BC).

At first, there was only a stadium in the program of the Olympic Games - running for one stage (192.27 m), then the number of Olympic disciplines increased.

At the 14 Olympic Games (724 BC), the program included diaulos - a run for the 2nd stage, and 4 years later - a dolichodrome (run for endurance), the distance of which ranged from 7 to 24 stages.

Foot race.

But the trumpets sounded again. A herald appears in the arena and shouts loudly: “Competitors on the run, come out!”. One of the commanding police officers calls the athletes, and the herald introduces them to the crowd, giving their name and place of their homeland, and asks if anyone disputes their dignity as a citizen and an honest person. One of the Hellanodics addresses the athletes and orders the unworthy to leave. Then the participants in the competition go to a special building located between the stage and the hippodrome, where they take off their clothes and rub themselves with oil. When they reappear already naked, the urn of Zeus is brought into the arena, i.e. a silver vase containing wooden planks engraved with letters. Each participant in the competition draws one of the twenty places, which he will have to take. The Alitarch selects these boards, checks them and takes the athlete to his place. A trumpet blast is heard, and the four rivals start running.

All five groups of competitors, of four people each, ran one after the other. Then the winners of this preliminary run were to compete. The judges passed their verdict, and the herald announced who was the final winner, the main Olympian, whose name the Olympiad was called. (4)

It was just a simple run. With a double run, it was necessary to start running from the place of the Hellanodics and return again to them. With the six-wheel run, it was supposed to run six times along the entire arena. Like running and different kinds The struggle became more and more difficult.

Run with weapons.

It was delayed towards the end of the games. This competition consisted in the fact that it was necessary to run twice on the stage in military weapons. Initially, this run was carried out in full armor, that is, with a shield, a spear, a helmet and leggings, but little by little this burden was relieved, and in the 4th century they went out only with a shield. (4)

Wrestling.

At the 18 Olympic Games (708 BC), wrestling and pentathlon (pentathlon) competitions were held for the first time, which included, in addition to wrestling and the stadium, jumping, as well as javelin and discus throwing;

In a simple fight, they went out with bare hands. The winner was the wrestler who knocked down his opponent three times in such a way that he touched the ground with his shoulder blades. The question of who the competitors had to fight in a pair was decided by lot. Two letters A, two letters B, etc. were placed in the urn. Those who took out the same letter fought with each other; then, also by lot, the winners were connected in pairs. This was done until there was only one winner left. These rules were followed both in fisticuffs and in the so-called pankrat.

At the 23rd Olympic Games (688 BC), fisticuffs were included in the competition program. Going to the fist fight, the wrestlers put on a special bronze cap on their heads, and wrapped their fists with leather belts with metal bumps. It was a tough fight. When preparing to strike, the wrestler at the same time took precautionary measures: he protected his head with his raised hands, tried to make the opponent blinded by the sun; then, with all his strength, he beat with his fist, as if chained in iron, on the ribs, face and various members of his opponent. Usually they came out of this struggle disfigured, crippled, bleeding; often it ended in death. The fight continued until one of the opponents recognized himself as defeated.

Pankrat.

Pankrat was a mix of wrestling and fisticuffs. The fighter had the right to strike, knock over and squeeze his opponent's throat, but it was forbidden to use teeth and put metal armlets on his hands. Often the opponent was deprived of the opportunity to act with a special technique in which the fingers twisted or broke.

pentathlon.

Pentathlon included five different competitions: jumping, discus and dart throwing, simple running and wrestling. The last two tests have just been described. When competing in jumping, they entered a special embankment; to increase the jump, the competitors waved weights. Thanks to this, jumps reached enormous proportions, - as they say, up to 50 feet.

Children's competitions were an exact repetition of the competitions of adults. However, for a long time, pentathlon was excluded from them, as a competition too difficult for a young age.

Chariot run.

At the 25th Olympic Games (680 BC), chariot races (drawn by four adult horses) were added, over time this type of program expanded, in the 5th-4th centuries BC, chariot races pulled by a pair of adult horses began to be held, young horses or mules);

The oldest competitions at the hippodrome were chariot races drawn by two or four horses. These competitions have always remained the most beloved in Greece.

It was required to go around the post at the start twelve times. In a later era, mule teams began to appear, chariots with a pair of horses, as well as with a pair or four foals.

At the 33rd Olympic Games (648 BC), horse racing appeared in the program of the Games (in the middle of the 3rd century BC horse racing began to be held) and pankration, a martial art that combined elements of wrestling and fisticuffs with minimal restrictions on "forbidden techniques" and in many ways reminiscent of modern fights without rules.

The reward for victory went to the owners of the horse or chariot, not to the riders or coachmen.

In what order these competitions took place, we do not know. In ancient times, they all ended on the same day. When their program grew, they began to last three days. For the opening, children's exercises were organized, and the next morning, adults were scheduled to run. Afternoon - wrestling, fisticuffs and pankrat. The horse races were scheduled for the morning of the third day, and the pentathlon and the race with weapons took place in the afternoon. But exceptions to this rule have been repeatedly made.

From the 37th Games (632 BC), young men under the age of 20 began to participate in competitions. At first, competitions in this age category included only running and wrestling, over time, pentathlon, fisticuffs and pankration were added to them.

In the IV century, two more competitions were invented: heralds and trumpeters.

The Games held in Olympia led to the emergence Panhellenic Games which also included:

Games at Delphi (Pythian Games)

Games in Corinth (Ancient Greek folk festivals)

Games in Nemea (Nemean Games).

All four of the Panhellenic Games inherited the organization and principles of the Olympic Games and have never been held within the same year.

In addition to the Panhellenic Games in Olympia, major competitions were held in Athens. They are known by the name Panathenaic games.

These Games were part of the Great Panathenaic, the biggest festival in Athens, which was held every four years in honor of the goddess Athena.

Everywhere in Greece and the colonies there were local competitions, some of which are more famous, others less so. Each city attached great importance to their organization.(1)

Olympionik.

After each competition, the herald announced the name of the winner, his father and the name of his homeland. The athlete or owner of the chariot approached the judges, The name of the athlete who won these competitions was called the next Olympics. Olympioniki (winners of the Games) were crowned in the temple of Zeus with an olive branch cut with a golden knife in a sacred grove. The Olympic motto consists of three Latin words - Citius, Altius, Fortius. Literally, it means "faster, higher, braver." However, the more common translation is "Faster, higher, stronger" (in English - Faster, higher, stronger) (5)

Then relatives, friends, compatriots, acquaintances and unknown admirers greeted him, threw him flowers and lifted him on their shoulders. Distribution of awards was made on the last day of the holiday. Initially, precious things, tripods, expensive materials served as a reward. Subsequently, simple wreaths of wild olive, decorated with ribbons, began to be distributed; these wreaths were made from the branches of an olive tree, planted, as they said, by Hercules himself. It grew near the temple of Zeus, where the award ceremony took place. The Hellanodics laid wreaths on the heads of the victors in the presence of officials and priests of Elis, as well as in front of representatives of all Greek countries. Then there was a procession. Hellanodiki moved ahead, then new Olympioniki, accompanied by civil and spiritual authorities, public guests and deputies of various nationalities, as well as statues of gods; they descended into Altis, where an enthusiastic crowd awaited them. They moved slowly in their bright clothes, with wreaths on their heads, with palm branches in their hands, to the sound of flutes and singing.

When the procession approached the altar of 12 gods, the winners, surrounded by the gathered crowd, made sacrifices and thanksgiving prayers. Then the procession set off again. Now it was moving towards the pit, where the citizens of Elis were preparing a great feast, to which all the privileged officials of Olympia, priests, proxenes and feors were invited. The crowd gathered at the door eagerly listened to the joyful exclamations that reached them. As soon as the names of the winners were entered in the gymnasium in the list of Olympionists, the glory of the winners, as it were, received final recognition.

With this the festival officially ended, but usually it continued for several more days due to the generosity of the winners, who in turn invited their relatives, friends and compatriots to the feast. Alcibiades also invited all the pilgrims to his feast.

Starting from the 6th century, the winners acquired the right to dedicate a statue to Altis. Initially, some figure of an imaginary person was most often erected for this purpose; but every athlete, crowned three times, could erect his own image.

Such portrait statues were usually ordered from the best sculptors. The costs associated with this fell on the winner himself, his family, teacher or hometown. "The most precious possession," said one proverb, "is the golden statue at Olympia."

The return of the winner to his homeland was accompanied by the greatest celebrations. Surrounded by a large retinue of friends and curious, he rode in purple clothes on a quadriga. A certain Exenetes from the city of Agrigentum made his entry accompanied by an infinite number of chariots, three hundred of which were drawn by white horses. First, the procession went to the temple of Zeus, to which the winner had to dedicate his wreath. Then, with the singing of a hymn and the sounds of trumpets, it moved in the pritanei. In honor of the new hero, a magnificent national feast was held.

The celebration of the anniversary of this event took place then for a long time. On that day, Olympionik appeared in the sanctuary of Zeus, put on his wreath again, walked with his relatives and friends throughout the city, visited temples and gave everyone the opportunity to admire himself. The state granted him various privileges. In honor of him, two statues were often erected - one in Olympia, and the other in the public square, in the temple or in the gymnasium of his native city. A painted portrait of him was exhibited under the porticos. In memory of the Olympic victories in many countries, and especially in Sicily, special coins were knocked out. In Athens, the winner was given a prize of 500 drachmas, in other places he received a lifetime pension, in Argos - a bronze shield, in Pellene - a woolen mantle. He, apparently, was previously assigned to the performance of public duties, in particular - to the head of the gymnasium. He enjoyed a place of honor in the theatre, as well as at festivities and during battles. Sometimes the state took at its own expense the construction of a tomb for him. The victorious horses were provided with a well-fed existence and a happy old age. During burial, they received honors in the form of a large grave mound with a pyramid at the top.

By the time the winner returns or by the day of the anniversary of his victory, some great poet, for example, Pindar, Simonides, ordered a triumphal ode, performed like an opera, accompanied by music and dancing. In these odes, not only the hero himself was glorified, but also his parents, ancestors, his sovereign and fatherland, deities and heroes of his country and Olympia.

The pride of the Olympionist had no limits. Thanks to momentary success, he fell into the ranks of the first people of his era. He became an important person, sometimes acted as an intermediary between various states, he was sure that he would be mentioned in history. Legends were created around his name. They even got to the point that they began to give him divine honors; the deification of some of the Olympionists began even during their lifetime: Euthymius of Locri made libations and sacrifices to his own image. (3)

4 . Tradolympic flame lighting

olympic game competition tradition

The Olympic flame is one of the symbols of the Olympic Games. The tradition of lighting the Olympic flame existed in ancient Greece during the ancient Olympic Games. It served as a reminder of the feat of the titan Prometheus, who, according to legend, stole fire from Zeus and gave it to people.

Prometheus showed compassion for people and stole fire from the workshop of the divine blacksmith Hephaestus, which he secretly carried out in the reeds. Together with fire, he took from Hephaestus the "wise skill" and taught people to build houses, ships, hew stone, melt and forge metal, write, count.

As the myths say, Zeus ordered Hephaestus to chain Prometheus to the Caucasian rock, pierced his chest with a spear, and a huge eagle flew every morning to peck the titan's liver, which grows again every day. Prometheus was saved by Hercules. Since fire had a divine meaning for the Greeks, it burned in many of the sanctuaries of Olympia. Constantly he was on the altar of Hestia (goddess of the hearth). During the Olympiad, glorifying Zeus, the lights were also lit in the temples of Zeus and Hera.

In 776 BC, athletes began to compete in the ancient Olympic Games. Especially for their opening, the fire was lit and transported to the finish line. The process of delivering the Olympic flame involved maintaining the purity and strength of the natural elements in a continuous state. This was taken care of by 10 Athenian tribes (clan associations), who allocated 40 trained young men for this process. Young people delivered a torch from the altar of Prometheus straight to the Athenian altar. The distance was 2.5 kilometers.

History testifies that in other cities of Hellas there was a cult of Prometheus, and in his honor Prometheus was held - competitions of runners with burning torches.

The figure of this titan remains today one of the most striking images in Greek mythology. The expression "Promethean fire" means striving for high goals in the fight against evil. Didn't the ancients put the same meaning when they lit the Olympic flame in the Altis grove about three thousand years ago?

During the summer solstice, competitors and organizers, pilgrims and fans paid homage to the gods by lighting a fire on the altars of Olympia. The winner of the running competition was honored to light the fire for the sacrifice. In the reflections of this fire, the rivalry of athletes took place, the competition of artists, an agreement on peace was concluded by messengers from cities and peoples.

That is why the tradition of lighting a fire, and later delivering it to the venue of the competition, was renewed.

The modern ceremony of lighting the Olympic flame is performed in Olympia by eleven women, portraying priestesses. The actress, dressed as a ceremonial priestess in antique robes, lights the torch in the same way as was done at the Games of Antiquity. It uses a parabolic mirror to focus the sun's rays to a single point thanks to its curved shape. The energy from the sun creates a large amount of heat that ignites the fuel in the torch when the priestess brings it to the center of the mirror.

The fire is carried in a pot to the altar in the ancient Olympic Stadium, where it lights the torch of the first runner in the relay.

In addition to the main torch, special lamps are also lit from the Olympic flame, designed to store fire in case the main torch (or even the fire at the Games themselves) goes out for one reason or another.

The Olympic flame symbolizes purity, the attempt to improve and the struggle for victory, as well as peace and friendship.

(The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources)

5. Significance of the Olympic Games

The Olympic Games were the unifying center of the entire Hellenic world, the sacred ambassadors of the theory represented all the Greek states in Olympia. The Olympic Games were especially revered by the Greeks from distant places, whom they helped to maintain contact with the metropolis. Many Greek cities hosted games in the likeness of the Olympic Games or built temples of Olympian Zeus (in Athens, Chalcedon, Akragant, Syracuse, etc.).

Artists and poets came to Olympia, and since the 50th Olympiad, the custom has been established to read literary works and recite poetry at the Olympic Games. Herodotus, returning from the East, read here the chapters of his "History"; Socrates, who walked there on foot from Athens, conducted his conversations in Olympia, Plato, Empedocles, Sophocles, Isocrates, Demosthenes and others spoke with their works. all of Greece. The name, solemnly announced at the Olympic Games, became known to the entire Greek-speaking world. At the turn of the 4th-3rd centuries BC. e. the historian Timaeus Siculus proposed to keep the chronology according to the Olympics, four-year time periods, from one Olympics to another.

By the 2nd century BC e. Games are losing their splendor, becoming more and more a local event. In 85g. BC e. the Roman commander Sulla, who allowed his soldiers to empty the treasuries of Olympia, moved the Games to Rome (175th Olympiad-80 BC), but after 4 years they resume in Greece. With great pomp, the competition was restored by the Roman emperor Augustus. Germanicus received a wreath at the games, Tiberius in 4 BC. e. won the chariot race. In violation of all the age-old rules, the emperor Nero announced the games 2 years ahead of schedule, ordered the destruction of the statues of all the former Olympionists and introduced singing competitions, in which he became the first "winner". After his murder, the games were declared null and void. In 394, the Olympic Games, 293 in a row, were banned as a pagan festival by a decree of the Roman Emperor Theodosius I the Great.

In April 1896, on the initiative of Pierre de Coubertin, the First Olympiad took place in Athens, which marked the beginning of the modern Olympic movement.

Conclusion

Greek civilization is one of the most ancient in the world. She left an indelible mark on world history. It is still admired by its philosophers, poets, mathematicians, sculptures, architects and, of course, athletes.

THE OLYMPIC GAMES OF ANCIENT GREECE are the largest sports competitions of antiquity. They originated as part of a religious cult and were held from 776 BC. to 394 AD (a total of 293 Olympiads were held) in Olympia, which was considered a sacred place by the Greeks. The name of the Games comes from Olympia. The Olympic Games were a significant event for the whole of Ancient Greece, which went beyond the scope of a purely sporting event. The victory at the Olympics was considered extremely honorable both for the athlete and for the policy he represented.

The ancient Olympic Games performed important cultural, pedagogical, economic, military-applied and political functions. They contributed to the unification of policies, the establishment of a sacred truce, the spiritual and physical preparation of young people and, ultimately, the prosperity of the ancient Greek civilization.

The Olympic Games are now often used not so much for the sake of the ideals of peace and mutual understanding, but to satisfy national claims, personal ambitions, and commercial interests. The world is far from homogeneous.

And, nevertheless, the Olympic movement and today is a deterrent to conflicts between peoples.

Bibliography

1. Brabich V.M. Spectacle of the Ancient World.-1971.

2. Gyro Paul. PRIVATE AND PUBLIC LIFE OF THE GREEKS. Pilgrimage to Olympia. 1994

3. Gyro Paul. PRIVATE AND PUBLIC LIFE OF THE GREEKS. Olympic Games. 1994

4. Ryabkov. V.M. Anthology of forms of cultural and leisure activities. Ancient world. Ancient Greece.2006

5. Sokolov G.I. Olympia. - M., 2010.

6. Shanin Yu.P. Heroes of ancient stadiums. 1974

7. The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

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