|
| |
ORIGINAL OLYMPIC GAMES.
Term Paper ID:24784
|
|
|
Essay Subject:
Origins & significance of classical Greek Games, organization, events, popularity, sociopolitical factors, dissolution.... More...
|
6 Pages / 1350 Words
8 sources, 49 Citations,
APA Format
$24.00
Return to List of Papers
|
Paper Abstract:
Origins & significance of classical Greek Games, organization, events, popularity, sociopolitical factors, dissolution.
Paper Introduction:
THE ORIGINAL OLYMPIC GAMES
Introduction
This research reviews the history of the original Olympic Games. The findings of this research are presented within the context of (1) the significance of the games during the time of their occurrence, (2) the organization of the games, (3) competition events held and the popularity of those events, (4) relevant social and political factors associated with the games, and (5) the dissolution of the games, together with the reasons for their ending.
Text of the Paper:
The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper.
(Rvsd.ed.). There was noethos that taking part was of great value in itself; winning was whatmattered and the 'performance principle,' as it is now called, was alwaysin evidence" (p. Dashes of one stadium length and two stadiumlengths were conducted following the distance races. 1). Finley, M. Drees (1968 reported further that the Arcadians, during the period oftheir control over the ancient Olympic Games "plundered the temples atOlympia in order to pay the army" (p. Relevant Social and Political Factors "The prestige of the Olympic Games was ... (1976). 5). 1). 393" (p. taken for granted" (p. So-called "heavy events" were held on the fourth day of the Olympics(Mandell, 1976, p. Almost anyone could attend the ancient Olympic Games as spectators.The exception was married women whose attendance was prohibited (Drees,1968). Arlott, J. The story of the Olympic Games. During this period, the "gameswere held every four years without interruption" (Henry, 1948, p. These competitors, with the exceptionof their armor, were naked, as were the competitors in all other events atthe ancient Olympic Games. ...it was an unequivocal indication of heavenly favor for an athlete, hisfamily, and his polis as well" (Mandell, 1976, p. The "most prestigious event," however, andthe most popular with the spectators was "the race for quadrigae, light,two-wheeled chariots pulled by four horses" (Mandell, 1976, p. Drees, L. New York:Frederick A. During these ancient Olympics, the fiveevents in the pentathlon were "the discus throw, the long jump, the javelinthrow, the sprint, and wrestling" (Mandell, 1976, p. An athletic victory at the Olympic Games was "accepted as evidence ofsomething much grander than the confirmation of a purse physical skill. (1973). Racesfor single horses and their mounts also were run. The Original Olympic Games Introduction This research reviews the history of the original Olympic Games. 13).According to Henry (1948), "the decadence that eventually cost Greece herindependence likewise undermined the true spirit of the games and destroyedthe basic ideals that had been responsible for their popularity" (pp. 13). W. Thefindings of this research are presented within the context of (1) thesignificance of the games during the time of their occurrence, (2) theorganization of the games, (3) competition events held and the popularityof those events, (4) relevant social and political factors associated withthe games, and (5) the dissolution of the games, together with the reasonsfor their ending. 393-the 293rd Olympics since the first recorded games in 776 B. 92). Henry (1948) observed, however, that, while the ancient Olympic Gameswere "beset by sectionalism, professionalism, jealousies, and wars ... 1). (1994, Fall). Winners at the ancient Olympic Games became "local and even nationalidols. 154). or 776 B.C., depending on which sources you believe, and lasteduntil either A.D. The "sports competitions began on the second day" of the Olympicsfestival, following a religious observances (Mandell, 1976, p. 24). 92). A stadium that accommodated 8 , spectators eventually was constructed (Finley & Pleket, 1976). 261 or Theodosius' ban in A.D. M. John Arlott(1976) cites evidence that he contends indicate that the ancient OlympicGames began in 137 B.C. 24-25). John Kieran andArthur Daley (1973) wrote that" The ancient Greeks, with their worship ofbeauty, so mingled religious observances with their athletic demonstrationsthat it is difficult to define where one left off and the other began" (p.13). World Affairs, 157(2), 92-97. Dissolution Mandell (1976) reported that the last victory at the ancient OlympicGames was recorded in 385 A.D. Another event popular with the spectators,however, was the pentathlon. The Olympic Games: The firstthousand years. Mandell (1976)speculated, however, that the "athletic contests at Olympia were probablyadjuncts of much older festivals in honor of Zeus" (p. P. Poetry,other activities classified as "arts" today, and religious observances werean integral part of the ancient Olympic Games (Allison, 1994).Competitions were judged by officials appointed by the city-statedesignated by the Panhellenic federation to organize and conduct theOlympic Games on an impartial basis-Ellis (Henry, 1948). (1948). which was roughly 2 meters long"(Mandell, 1976, p. C.-the last to be held (pp. 7). 394 Theodosius the Great stopped the reckoning of time in Olympiads and banned all pagan festivals, which would make the Olympic Games of A.D. 6). 1).Politically, the games site at Olympic was placed by the Panhellenicfederation under the "care of Ellis, a small city-state or polis, which themore powerful Greek states purposefully kept neutral and insignificant"(Mandell, 1976, p. Poole and Poole (1963) contended, however, thatprofessionalism did not begin to become entrenched in the Olympic Gamesuntil the fourth century B. Berkeley,California: University of California Press. These singles races,however, "did not stir spectators, chroniclers, or artists as did the teamsof four" (Mandell, 1976, p. and theirintegration into Greek religious life was ... Lippincott Company. The "heavy events" were "combative sports," twowhich were similar to "modern wrestling and boxing," and a third, thepancration, which "allowed more holds, blows, and kicks" (Mandell, 1976, p.7). 154). But, in the midst of the festival, the Eleans secretly armed and attacked the occupying forces, inflecting heavy loses and penetrating into the sacred grove itself before being forced to retire (p. Richard Mandell (1976) wrote that Greeks alive during the classicalera of that country's history "usually assumed that Hercules founded theirmost prestigious religious and sporting festival" (p. NewYork: G. The games are a kind of super-example of invented tradition because they have erected one myth on another, a fictional account of how the modern games developed on top of a set of beliefs about the ancient games, which are more than half fantasy (p. 1). Philadelphia: J. (1968). Poole, L., & Poole, G. Allison (1994) contend, however, that the "ancient games started in137 B.C. Distance foot races also were held. 2). In discussion the history of theModern Olympic Games, Lincoln Allison (1994) stated that: Contemporary cultural theories that stress the potency of invented and selected traditions could select no better subject than the Olympic Games. 2).Politically, "Kings, tyrants, and magistrates from various parts of theGreek world used the guarantee of safety and the euphoric ambiance atOlympia to conclude treaties" (Mandell, 1976, p. Olympia: Gods, artists, and athletes. Ellis eventually was restoredas the caretaker of Olympia; however, by this time the neutrality of Ellishad been compromised, and the ancient Olympic Games never recovered theirpast status. Allison (1994) contended that the ancient Olympic Games "were notamateur affairs, but involved professional ... (Ed.), The Oxford companion to sports and games.Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. Praeger, Publishers. Putnam's Sons. Organization The original stadium built at Olympia had a capacity of 4 , spectators (Mandell, 1976, p. theysurvived ... The Olympic movement and the end ofthe Cold War. 154). 4). A fourth "heavy event" involved foot soldiers clad in armor-helmets,shin guards, and shields, who were required to run two lengths of thestadium field (Mandell, 1976, p. 8). NewYork: Ivan Obolensky, Inc. The first modern Olympics. Henry, W. (1976). Mandell, R. An approved history of the Olympic Games. Roman despotism, the secularization of the games, and awaning of religious belief then led to the eventual death of the ancientOlympic Games. Drees (1968) reported that: The Arcadians, aided by the Pisatans, had wrested control of the sanctuary from the Eleans shortly before and organized the forthcoming Olympiad on their own account. At the Olympiad of364 B.C., however, bitter fighting occurred. athletes. These races "consisted of twenty-four lengths of the stadium field ... Theancient religious ceremonies were cynically observed and the competitionshad no connection with actual Greek concerns" (Mandell, 1976, p. 1). D. This "sacred truce' hadbeen threatened at the Olympic Games of 42 B.C., when "Ellis, afterjoining forces with Athens, Argos and Mantinea had banned Sparta from thisOlympiad on the flimsiest of pretexts and the whole festival gathering wentin fear of Spartan intervention" (Drees, 1968, p. (1963). 4). great ... History of ancient Olympic Games. Some later Greekhistorians, however, contended that the were "first held as a part of theobservances at the funeral of a local hero, Pelops" (p. Olympia had lost all real meaning as a holy place. Kieran, J., & Daley, A. According to Drees (1968), it was a violation of the "Sacred truce"that had always been a part of the concept of the ancient Olympic Gamesthat led to the downfall of the games (p. New York: The Viking Press. B. 24).Additionally, sporting events being held in cities other than Olympia beganto be called "Olympics," an action that further weakened the concept of theoriginal Olympic Games (Mandell, 1976, p. In some cases they had, after death, almost the worship of minorgods" (Kieran & Daley, 1973, p. Significance At Time Any consideration of the history of the original Olympic Games must beapproached with healthy skepticism. The gatherings at Olympia once every four years were characterized bythe behaviors of the delegations from the competing Greek cities who "viedin the loudness f their cheering sections and in the openness in which theytheir gifts of art works to Zeus and Hera" (Mandell, 1976, p. 93). 13). C. 8). 3). 154). 5). (1976). References Allison, Lincoln. He observed, however, that: "Long beforethis date, ... Competition Events and Popularity The first Olympic competition for which a victory by a competitor wasrecorded was a spring wherein the winner was Coroebus (Mandell, 1976).That event was run in 776 B.C. Further, by the"fifth century, the sacred grove at Olympia was the most holy site inPanhellenic significance" (p. Mandell (1976) alsoreported that: In A.D. I., & Pleket, H. 13-14). nearly 12 years" (p.
If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again:
or
Click here to request an essay written just for you.
|
|
|
