Ancient athletes
PETER JONES enjoys a readable account of the classical Olympics – featuring gods, glory and an emperor who won every event
Olympia: The Story of the Ancient Olympic Games by Robin Waterfield Head of Zeus, 224 pages, £18.99
The Olympic story has been told many times, but archaeological finds and literary interpretation do not stand still. In this new book, classical translator and historian Robin Waterfield makes fine use of both.
Held in honour of Zeus, god of Olympus, the games were staged every four years in Elis, a backwater of the Peloponnese 120 miles from the mountain itself. Greeks dated the first games to 776 BC, but one can rarely trust such confident assertions. Here, however, Waterfield shows that 776 BC looks about right: huge bronze tripods (often used as prizes) are found there from that period, while there is evidence that wells were dug, a nearby hill was terraced for spectators and a river was diverted away from the site at around this time.
The games – imitations of which spread all over the Greek world – were eagerly taken up by the Romans. Nero competed and naturally was agreed to have won everything (his triumphs were expunged when he killed himself in AD 68). The games were finally brought to an end in AD 393 by the Christian Roman emperor Theodosius.
In 1766, the site was rediscovered by the Englishman Richard Chandler, and the French began excavations there in 1829. In 1896, the French historian Pierre de Coubertin, inspired by the ancient example, staged the first modern Olympics. It’s worth noting that the later incarnation bears little relation to the original – especially not the Naziinspired global torch relay that precedes the Games. Waterfield surprisingly contends that the modern marathon (absent from the ancient Olympics) was “not invented in commemoration of a feat of an ancient runner”. He surely meant that the modern marathon was based on an ancient story – of a Greek running from Marathon to Athens to announce victory over the Persians in 490 BC – that may not be true.
The author rightly emphasises that the vastly popular games were a religious event: Olympia was first and foremost a walled sanctuary (the Altis) in honour of Zeus, with a stadium attached to it. The Altis was dominated by its huge temple, housing the famous gold and ivory statue of Zeus (one of the wonders of the ancient world), surrounded by statues erected by athletes in thanks for victories, as well as gymnasia, baths and hotels.
The Greek epic poet Homer depicted the gods enjoying watching men in conflict, especially in the gods’ honour, and Olympia presented the supreme challenge to those competing. Athletes did not compete in teams: it was all about the individual, with no prizes for runners-up. Only winning counted – the gods did not support losers. It was even possible to carry off a prize without competing – especially in contact sports – if other entrants turned up, didn’t fancy their chances and quietly slipped away. The kudos attached to winning, both for athlete and home town, was enormous (and lucrative), so much so that competing extended well beyond the leisured aristocratic classes.
Waterfield has written a clear, well-organised, information-packed and very readable account of this influential ancient Greek invention. Highly recommended.
Only winning counted – the gods did not support losers