Games in ancient Greece

In ancient Greece, there were a variety of organized games or athletic competitions. Originally, they were games played in preparation for and commemoration of war. Since the early Minoan and Mycenaean periods, games were an important element of religious festivals, which in turn created interest in political patronage for the state through games. In the earliest period, the games were reserved for men, although in Sparta, women had their own games.

The games in Greece, at least from the fifth century, were played in the nude, when both practicing and participating. Some events, such as running, horse racing, and chariot racing, focused on the individual defeating his opponents through speed and technique. Other competitions were combat oriented, such as wrestling and boxing, while still others, such as discus and javelin, were skill and strength based. All of these games can be traced to martial qualities needed by soldiers.

Chariot racing and running were part of the normal duties of armies marching to and from the battlefield. Combat sports clearly were associated with military life and training; and sports such as jumping and javelin were likewise associated with military events. The pentathlon was made up of five events (throwing the discus, jumping, throwing the javelin, running, and wrestling) that clearly combined the martial qualities. The events all took place in one afternoon and were as much a test of endurance as of skill.

Individuals participated in several types of games. One of the earliest games was a running competition. The earliest area for such contests was a rectangle, 600 feet long, where athletes could start on either end. One length was a stadion. At either end was a turning post. When athletes ran the diaulos or double, they would make a turn around this post and run back in the opposite direction.

The long-distance race was comprised of 12 laps, or 24 stadia, or 4,800 yards. By the fifth century, the starting point was a mechanical gate to prevent cheating. Often, the runners had to run in full military armor but ultimately it was reduced to just a ceremonial helmet and shield. This act was to remind everyone that the competitions were military in origin. A further development of this idea came about in chariot racing, where competitors raced with two- or four-horse chariots. The chariot race seems to have been one of the earliest Olympic events. Later, horseback races also took place.

A competitive combat sport was boxing. According to mythology, the Athenian king Theseus invented boxing, in which two men sat facing each other and pummeled each other to death. This was changed to where they stood and the boxers used gloves with spikes. Boxing was a traditional sport found in Homer’s Iliad where athletes participated during funeral games. The competitors would fight continuously without breaks or rounds until one gave up or died, or both were too tired to continue and agreed to call it a draw.

Wrestling became another popular sport, especially with its association with Heracles and his feats. To win a match, a competitor had to score three points against his opponent. If an opponent touched the ground with shoulder, back, or hip, a point was scored. Likewise, if he forced his opponent out of the ring, he would win a point, or if he put the individual in a hold from which he could not escape.

The typical contest would have wrestlers compete in single-elimination matches until one individual was left who would be crowned the victor. An early Olympic sport dating to 708, wrestling also was held in the pentathlon event. The wrestlers were prohibited from gouging the eyes or attacking the genitals. Associated with wrestling was the Pankration, which combined boxing with wrestling. A sort of mixed martial arts competition, it was known for being brutal where anything was allowed, such as gouging and even strangling. Fighters could use a variety of moves, and many developed their own techniques.

Discus throwing also dates to the early Olympic Games in 708. Made of metal and sometimes stone, the discus was thrown in a spinning motion. A test of strength and technique, throwing the discus was seen as the embodiment of grace. The event has remained relatively unchanged since antiquity. Similar to the discus was the javelin throw. The athlete would run to a point where he threw the javelin, and the goal was to throw the farthest.

The javelin was about the height of a man, and in antiquity, a leather loop was attached at the point where the javelin was held so it could be hurled with additional force to provide more acceleration and distance. Another sport was the jumping competition. As with the other events, it was probably associated with ancient warfare since soldiers had to be able to jump across streams and ravines. Athletes would hold weights or halters so that when they jumped, the weights would give them more power and allow them to go farther.

An athlete would have accoutrements needed for the games. One important tool was the strigil, which was used in cleansing. The athlete would apply oil to the skin to pick up dirt, sweat, and dead skin, and then he used the strigil to scrape the oil off. After his bath, the athlete would then use perfume contained in an unguentarium to complete the cleaning process. A tomb from 500 at the city of Taras contained the athlete Ikkus’s strigil and unguentarium. In addition, it contained the prizes he won, such as a pot that would have been filled with olive oil, worth a considerable sum.

One analysis indicated that he was about five feet six inches tall and in good condition; Ikkus was robust but seemingly was not a boxer since his upper body was not overly developed. Given his strong skeletal system, he was probably not a charioteer either. Most likely, the young man was a pentathlete, where he competed in all of the sports and was an overall athlete. An analysis of his teeth showed that he had a specific diet mainly of vegetables with the occasional consumption of meat that helped in his athletic training and competition.

The games these athletes participated in were part of the overall society of ancient Greece, which promoted not only the excellence of the individual, but the status of the city-state. The games would not only honor an individual athlete and bring him awards but allow a city to boast of the achievements of one of its own. In this way, games have remained the same since antiquity, praising an individual’s accomplishments while providing a city visibility.