For boys and young men in ancient Greece, the sport was an important part of everyday life. Physical training was seen as key for their education and wellbeing.
Also, the defense of Greek cities depended of men’s physical stamina and alertness. That is why most cities provided an exercise area called a gymnasion, which was free to use for all male citizens.
- The Greek gymnasia got the name from the word gymnos/gymnoi, which means completely naked. The Greeks practiced nude because of two reasons.A usual ancient Greek outfit was unsuitable for sports. Nudity, on the other hand, enabled the freedom of movement.The Greeks appreciated the ideal of the well-built human body, and men were very proud of their muscles and overall posture.
- In gymnasia, the Greeks practiced running, wrestling, disc and javelin throwing, riding, and chariot-racing.These sports helped men prepare for fighting in wars.
- Wrestling and boxing were also practiced in smaller gyms called palaestra.
- The word gymnast meant trainer, not athlete.
- The sport was not just a means of recreation. All ancient Greek sports were highly competitive.The word athletics is derived from athlos, which meant contest or prize.
- Sport and physical culture were not separated from other spheres of education and life.Lectures and discussions on philosophy, history, arts, and literature were also held in the Greek gymnasia.
- The achievements of ancient Greek athletes – and particularly of Olympic victors – were often depicted in art and poetry.Famous artifacts that celebrate famous sportsmen include:
- The Discobolus (discus-thrower) by the great sculptor Miron,
- The Diadumenos (diadem-bearer) and Doryphoros (spear-bearer) by Polyclitus,
- The Charioteer of Delphi or Heniokhos by an unknown artist,
- The famous Greek poet Pindar celebrated the glory of various Pan-Hellenic games’ winners in victory odes and other poems.
Most important athletic competitions in ancient Greece
The Greeks attended a number of local and Pan-Hellenic (all-Greek) sports competition, such as the Pythian, Isthmian, Nemean, and the most important, Olympic Games.
All games involved same main events: racing (the stadion, diaulos, dolichos, and hoplitodromos), wrestling, boxing, pankration, pentathlon (a set of five mini-events – the stadion, javelin and discus throw, long jump, and wrestling) and equestrian events, including chariot races.
- The Olympic Games were the most prestigious Pan-Hellenic games, and they were held in Olympia in the first year of an Olympiad (a four-year cycle between two Olympics).
- The Nemean Games were held in Nemea, one year after the Olympics.
- The Isthmian Games in Isthmia were run in the same years as the Nemean games, but in a different month.
- The Pythian Games used to be held in Delphi one year after the Nemean and Isthmian games, and one year before the next Olympics.
From Spain to Asia Minor, all free-born Greeks were welcome to participate in those games. However, contesting in any of the Pan-Hellenic games was an expensive sport.
One had to be pretty rich to afford it. Because of that – and because of the schedule that didn’t allow the overlapping of the games – the same people contested in all of them.
All Pan-Hellenic games were dedicated to one of the ancient Greek deities – the Olympics to Zeus, the Pythian to Apollo, the Nemean to Zeus and Heracles, and the Isthmian to Poseidon.
Q&A
What was the most important sports competition in ancient Greece?
It was the Olympic Games.
Was everyone allowed to participate in sports competitions in ancient Greece?
No, only free-born Greek males could compete.
Where did the athletes practice?
They practiced in specialized exercise areas called gymnasium and palaestra.
How many Pan-Hellenic contests there were?
There were four different Pan-Hellenic contests.
What does Pan-Hellenic mean?
It means that those events were open to all Greeks, regardless of where they lived.
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