How did the ancient Olympic Games come into being, develop and decline? What precious cultural heritage has it left for future generations?

1. Origin:

The origin of the Olympic Games is closely related to the social conditions of the ancient Greek Republic. In the 9th and 8th centuries BC, the Greek imperialist and clan society gradually collapsed, and the city-state slave society gradually formed, with more than 200 city-states established. The city-states were independent, without a unified monarch, and there were constant wars between the city-states. In order to cope with the war, various city-states actively trained soldiers.

Children in the Spartan city-state were raised by the state from the age of 7, engaged in sports and military training, and lived a military life. War requires soldiers, and soldiers need strong bodies, and sports are a powerful means to cultivate soldiers who are good at fighting. The war promoted the development of sports in the Republic of Greece, and the events of the ancient Olympic Games also had obvious military imprints.

The continuous wars have disgusted the people, and they generally long for a peaceful environment in which to rest and recuperate. Later, the King of Sparta and King Elis signed the "Holy Truce Month" treaty. As a result, military training and sports competitions to prepare troops gradually turned into games for peace and friendship.

2. Development:

From 776 BC to 388 BC, in 776 BC, Iphitus, the ruler of the Peloponnese, worked hard to integrate religion with Sports and competition merge into one. It not only innovated religious rituals, but also organized large-scale sports competitions and decided to hold them every four years. The time is set after the summer solstice in leap years.

So the ancient Olympic Games in 776 BC were officially recorded in history and became the first ancient Olympic Games. There was only one competition at that time. That is, a field run with a distance of 192.27 meters. Although there were disputes between city-states during this period, Greece was an independent country with relatively developed politics, economy, and culture. It was the golden age of the Games.

Especially in 490 BC, after Athens in Greece defeated the Persian army in the Marathon Valley, the people became enthusiastic and the country's prestige was greatly boosted. Many sports facilities, temples, etc. were built. Participants came from all Greek city-states, and the Olympic Games became a grand event. For a time, it became the largest festival in Greece.

3. Decline:

From 146 BC to 394 AD, the ancient Olympic Games went from decline to destruction. After the Roman Empire ruled Greece, although sports games were still held at first, Olympia was no longer the only place for competition. For example, in the 175th Olympic Games in 80 BC, the laws of Roman economics summoned outstanding athletes to compete in Rome, while only youth competitions were held in Olympia.

At this time, professional athletes had begun to appear in large numbers, and the Olympic Games became a competition for professional athletes, and the Greeks lost interest in it. After the 2nd century AD, Christianity ruled the entire Europe, including Greece, advocating asceticism, advocating the separation of soul and body, and opposing sports, putting Europe in a dark age, and the Olympic Games also declined further until they existed in name only.

In 393 AD, Roman Emperor Theodosius I declared Christianity as the state religion. He believed that the ancient Olympic Games violated Christian doctrine and was a pagan activity. The following year, he announced the abolition of the ancient Olympic Games. In 895 AD, a fierce battle broke out between the Byzantines and the Goths on the Alpheus River, which completely destroyed all the facilities in Olympia.

In 426 AD Theodosius II burned the remaining parts of the Olympian buildings. Two strong earthquakes occurred in 522 and 511 AD, causing Olympia to be completely destroyed. In this way, the ancient Olympic Games, which had been postponed for more than 1,000 years, ceased to exist, and the prosperous Olympia became a ruin.

3. The cultural heritage left for future generations:

The ancient Olympic Games began in 776 BC and were held continuously for 293 times for more than 1,200 years.

The ancient Olympic Games was not only a competitive competition, but during its more than a thousand years, it was actually a national festival for the ancient Greeks. ?

After the "Holy Truce" was announced, thousands of people flocked to Olympia, where representatives of various city-states participated in sacrificial activities and processions; political envoys concluded treaties; artists exhibited their works; Scholars and teachers discussed scholarship; orators gave speeches; merchants displayed their wares; people dressed in their most luxurious clothes and carried their rarest jewelry showed off their wealth to each other.

The outstanding players sent by various city-states fought bravely in the arena. They entered the arena naked to show their superhuman physical fitness, toned bodies and good education to the gods and the audience.

The grand occasion of the Olympic Games goes far beyond the scope of competitive competitions. It is an important part of Greek religion, politics, economy and culture, and plays a role in promoting political exchanges, promoting trade development, prospering Greek culture, and integrating national sentiments. It brings the people of all Greece together in a peaceful atmosphere. Its rich content and spectacular scenes form the most grand festival in Greece.

The modern Olympic Games originated in ancient Greece more than 2,000 years ago and were named after the venue where they were held in Olympia. After the ancient Olympic Games were suspended for 1,500 years, the Frenchman Coubertin proposed the idea of ??hosting the modern Olympic Games at the end of the 19th century.

The Olympic Committee was established in 1894, the first Olympic Games was held in 1896, the first Winter Olympics was held in 1924, the first Paralympic Games was held in 1960, the first Youth Olympic Games was held in 2010, and in 2012 The first Youth Olympic Games were held.

Extended information

The ancient Greeks advocated strength and beauty, and they were not ashamed of nudity. Ancient Greek sculptures were most willing to show the healthy and beautiful human body. The most famous sports sculpture is undoubtedly Myron's "Discus Thrower" about 450 BC. The naked athletes in the ancient Olympic Games were the best display of strength and beauty.

For a period of time after the ancient Olympic Games began, there was no such thing as team uniforms - athletes competed naked. Recently, Zhai Zhenming, a professor at the Department of Philosophy at Sun Yat-sen University, proposed in an English essay that athletes be allowed to compete naked in the Olympics. He said there may have been reasons in the past for banning athletes from competing naked, but those reasons did not necessarily warrant continuing the policy today.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Ancient Olympic Games