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WHERE DID THE CHARIOT RACES TAKE PLACE SKIN
The Greek geographer Pausanias tells the story of a fight between Damoxenos and Kreugas that ended when the former jabbed the latter with outstretched fingers, piercing the skin and ripping out his entrails. In at least one case, sudden death was exactly what resulted. If a bout dragged on for hours, the boxers could agree to exchange undefended blows-a pugilistic equivalent of sudden death. Boxers wore thin gloves made of leather thongs and fought on the open ground, which made it impossible to corner an opponent and extended the length of fights. Boxing, wrestling, and a combination of the two called pankration all rewarded strength and tactical cunning. What the Greeks called “heavy” events were also closely connected to combat. He was thrown from his chariot and was unable to complete the race, but he was proclaimed the champion on the grounds that he would have won had he finished the race. Nero entered the four-horse race with a team of 10 horses. 67 competed in the chariot race at Olympia. One famous charioteer was the Roman Emperor Nero, who in A.D. Crashes were common, spectacular, and often deadly, with the most dangerous moment usually coming at the narrow turns at each end of the stadium. And while the owners of chariots claimed the glory of any victories, they generally hired charioteers to face the risks of competition for them. Only the wealthy could afford the expense of maintaining horses and a chariot. War chariots were used in Greece since at least the time of Mycenaean civilization, roughly 1600 to 1100 B.C., and the four-horse chariot race was one of the oldest events in the games, first introduced at Olympia in 680 B.C. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Ĭhariot races with teams of two and four horses were incredibly dangerous and popular events. Contestants in the target javelin event hurled javelins at a shield fixed to a pole while galloping on horseback, a standard military practice documented by the historian Xenophon. In the hoplitodromia, or race in armor, a field of 25 athletes ran two lengths of the 210-yard-long (192-meter-long) stadium at Olympia wearing bronze greaves and helmets and lugging shields that may have weighed 30 pounds. (The Greek historian Herodotus describes the Greek army advancing at a run toward the Persians at the battle of Marathon, a tactic the eastern invaders had apparently never encountered before.)
WHERE DID THE CHARIOT RACES TAKE PLACE FULL
A mass of soldiers running in full armor, for example, was an effective way to surprise and terrify enemy armies. The practice of warfare in the ancient world inspired many Olympic events. 393 by the Emperor Theodosius, a Christian who saw the worship of Zeus throughout the games as a pagan abomination. They continued without interruption once every four years for almost 1,200 years. They likely developed from the practice of holding funeral games to honor fallen warriors and local heroes, though some myths made the Greek demigod Heracles the founder of the games. at the site of Olympia in the Western Peloponnese. The first recorded Olympics was held in 776 B.C. History of the Olympics Prowess in Battle and Sport (There were no prizes for second or third place.)ĭespite a clear thread of continuity between the ancient and modern games, the profound influence of warfare and religion on the original Olympics created a spectacle that in many ways would be unrecognizable to modern audiences. Athletes competed au naturel, examined the entrails of sacrificed animals to see if they prophesied victory, and were rewarded only for winning an event. It’s hard to imagine a modern Olympics featuring the sacrifice of 100 oxen, or the public whipping of athletes caught cheating, or a race in full body armor. Then as now, Olympic contenders often spent years training with expert coaches, and victors were showered with praise and wealth.īut other elements of the ancient games would seem very strange to spectators today. Many aspects of the ancient Olympic Games would be perfectly familiar to fans at the upcoming games in Rio de Janeiro: elite international competition, cheering crowds in the tens of thousands, events like sprints, wrestling, discus, and javelin.