World History
The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games - Were the ancient games better than ours? More fair and square? More about sports and less about money? Are modern games more sexist? More political? Have we strayed from the ancient Olympic ideal?
From the site:
The ancient Olympic Games were primarily a part of a religious festival in honor of Zeus, the father of the Greek gods and goddesses. The festival and the games were held in Olympia (see 'Did you know' in the glossary), a rural sanctuary site (model shown here, courtesy of the British Museum) in the western Peloponnesos.
The Greeks that came to the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia shared the same religious beliefs and spoke the same language. The athletes were all male citizens of the city-states from every corner of the Greek world, coming from as far away as Iberia (Spain) in the west and the Black Sea (Turkey) in the east.
The sanctuary was named in antiquity after Mt. Olympos (see 'Did you know' in the glossary), the highest mountain in mainland Greece. In Greek mythology, Mt. Olympos was the home of the greatest of the Greek gods and goddesses.
- Ancient Olympics Games
Archaeology Magazine has a timely themed collection of essays up at Ancient Olympics Guide. It provides good coverage of the ancient Olympics by leading academics. It also includes articles about the games at Nemea and ancient Rome as well as a guide...
- The 1936 Liechtenstein Flag Olympic Incident
The 1936 Olympic Games are well known for many historical reasons including Jesse Owens, Adolf Hitler, German nationalism, and palatable tensions which would lead to World War Two. However, a microstate in Europe was also deeply impacted. The consequences...
- Zeus Worshippers Demand Access To Temple
Zeus Worshippers Demand Access to Temple. Pagans have revived the worship of the Greek God Zeus. Several hundred followers have begun holding religious ceremonies honoring the head of the Greek pantheon in Greece. I believe in religious freedom and I...
- Hohokam Ballplayers Made The Bleachers At Yankee Stadium Seem Tame By Comparison
Hohokam Ballplayers Made The Bleachers At Yankee Stadium Seem Tame By Comparison - An article from the Tucson Weekly on ancient Hohokam sports. The Hohokam were a Native American culture that existed in Arizona from 250 AD to about 1450 AD. They left...
- Ancient World Battles
Ancient World Battles - This site has short accounts of ancient Greek and Roman battles, starting with Marathon in 490BC. This site has not been updated in some time (since 2001) and it is biased towards Greek and Roman battles, but it is still a nice...
World History
The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games
The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games - Were the ancient games better than ours? More fair and square? More about sports and less about money? Are modern games more sexist? More political? Have we strayed from the ancient Olympic ideal?
From the site:
The ancient Olympic Games were primarily a part of a religious festival in honor of Zeus, the father of the Greek gods and goddesses. The festival and the games were held in Olympia (see 'Did you know' in the glossary), a rural sanctuary site (model shown here, courtesy of the British Museum) in the western Peloponnesos.
The Greeks that came to the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia shared the same religious beliefs and spoke the same language. The athletes were all male citizens of the city-states from every corner of the Greek world, coming from as far away as Iberia (Spain) in the west and the Black Sea (Turkey) in the east.
The sanctuary was named in antiquity after Mt. Olympos (see 'Did you know' in the glossary), the highest mountain in mainland Greece. In Greek mythology, Mt. Olympos was the home of the greatest of the Greek gods and goddesses.
- Ancient Olympics Games
Archaeology Magazine has a timely themed collection of essays up at Ancient Olympics Guide. It provides good coverage of the ancient Olympics by leading academics. It also includes articles about the games at Nemea and ancient Rome as well as a guide...
- The 1936 Liechtenstein Flag Olympic Incident
The 1936 Olympic Games are well known for many historical reasons including Jesse Owens, Adolf Hitler, German nationalism, and palatable tensions which would lead to World War Two. However, a microstate in Europe was also deeply impacted. The consequences...
- Zeus Worshippers Demand Access To Temple
Zeus Worshippers Demand Access to Temple. Pagans have revived the worship of the Greek God Zeus. Several hundred followers have begun holding religious ceremonies honoring the head of the Greek pantheon in Greece. I believe in religious freedom and I...
- Hohokam Ballplayers Made The Bleachers At Yankee Stadium Seem Tame By Comparison
Hohokam Ballplayers Made The Bleachers At Yankee Stadium Seem Tame By Comparison - An article from the Tucson Weekly on ancient Hohokam sports. The Hohokam were a Native American culture that existed in Arizona from 250 AD to about 1450 AD. They left...
- Ancient World Battles
Ancient World Battles - This site has short accounts of ancient Greek and Roman battles, starting with Marathon in 490BC. This site has not been updated in some time (since 2001) and it is biased towards Greek and Roman battles, but it is still a nice...