- Jan 2023
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www.theoi.com www.theoi.com
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In this room they entertain the winners in the Olympic games.
Where the winners of the Olympic games would go possibly for the banquet on the final day of the games.
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In this gymnasium are the running-tracks and the wrestling-grounds for the athletes
mentions the gymnasium and a brief location of its whereabouts in Altis, where the running and wrestling ground for athletic practice can take place
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As you go to the starting-point for the chariot-race
mentions the Hippodrome where the chariot races would take place
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Outside the Altis there is a building called the workshop of Pheidias, where he wrought the image of Zeus piece by piece.
describes the location of the workshop of Pheidias where exactly he constructed the amazing statue of Zeus
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treasury of the Sicyonians is an altar of Heracles
describes the treasuries in location to the Altar of Heracles in Olympia
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Quite close to the entrance to the stadium are two altars; one they call the altar of Hermes of the Games, the other the altar of Opportunity.
describes the location of the stadium in relation to some of the alter in Olympia
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The altar of Olympic Zeus is about equally distant from the Pelopium and the sanctuary of Hera, but it is in front of both
describes location of the alter of Zeus
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Within the Altis there is also a sacred enclosure consecrated to Pelops, whom the Eleans as much prefer in honor above the heroes of Olympia as they prefer Zeus over the other gods. To the right of the entrance of the temple of Zeus, on the north side, lies the Pelopium. It is far enough removed from the temple for statues and other offerings to stand in the intervening space, and beginning at about the middle of the temple it extends as far as the rear chamber. It is surrounded by a stone fence, within which trees grow and statues have been dedicated.
describes the location as well as a brief description regarding where the Temple of Pelops is (a famous hero)
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I know that the height and breadth of the Olympic Zeus have been measured and recorded; but I shall not praise those who made the measurements, for even their records fall far short of the impression made by a sight of the image.
author describes how even the reported measurements of the statue do not begin to amount to how big and amazing the statue is when one sees it in person
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The god sits on a throne, and he is made of gold and ivory. On his head lies a garland which is a copy of olive shoots. In his right hand he carries a Victory, which, like the statue, is of ivory and gold; she wears a ribbon and – on her head – a garland. In the left hand of the god is a scepter, ornamented with every kind of metal, and the bird sitting on the scepter is the eagle. The sandals also of the god are of gold, as is likewise his robe. On the robe are embroidered figures of animals and the flowers of the lily. [5.11.2] The throne is adorned with gold and with jewels, to say nothing of ebony and ivory. Upon it are painted figures and wrought images. There are four Victories, represented as dancing women, one at each foot of the throne, and two others at the base of each foot
description of the statue and throne of Zeus by Pheidias located in the Temple of Zeus
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This I can prove; for when the unbroken tradition of the Olympiads began there was first the foot-race, and Coroebus an Elean was victor. There is no statue of Coroebus at Olympia, but his grave is on the borders of Elis
discusses the first winner, Coroebus, of the stadium (foot race) and that his grave in buried on the boarder of Elis somewhere.
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The temple and the image were made for Zeus from spoils, when Pisa was crushed in war by the Eleans,20 and with Pisa such of the subject peoples as conspired together with her. The image itself was wrought by Pheidias, as is testified by an inscription written under the feet of Zeus:– Pheidias, son of Charmides, an Athenian, made me. The temple is in the Doric style, and the outside has columns all around it. It is built of native stone. [5.10.3] Its height up to the pediment is sixty-eight feet, its breadth is ninety-five, its length two hundred and thirty. The architect was Libon, a native. The tiles are not of baked earth, but of Pentelic marble cut into the shape of tiles. The invention is said to be that of Byzes of Naxos, who they say made the images in Naxos on which is the inscription:–
gives a description and mental image of the Temple of Zeus, including the appearance and size of the building
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At the hundred and eighth Festival they returned again to the number of ten umpires, which has continued unchanged down to the present day.
after some time of fluctuating the amount of "presidents" they set on the amount of 10. The "presidents" that the author is referring to is the Hellanodikai or judges over the Olympic games.
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At the eighteenth Festival they remembered the pentathlum and wrestling. Lampis won the first and Eurybatus the second, these also being Lacedaemonians. At the twenty-third Festival they restored the prizes for boxing, and the victor was Onomastus of Smyrna, which already was a part of Ionia. At the twenty-fifth they recognized the race of full-grown horses, and Pagondas of Thebes was proclaimed “victor in the chariot-race.” [5.8.8] At the eighth Festival after this they admitted the pancratium for men and the horse-race. The horse-race was won by Crauxidas of Crannon, and Lygdamis of Syracuse overcame all who entered for the pancratium. Lygdamis has his tomb near the quarries at Syracuse, and according to the Syracusans he was as big as Heracles of Thebes, though I cannot vouch for the statement.
continues to talk about how as time continued and more Olympics were held, more events were continued to be added on and gives names of the winners of each of the events.
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It is said that the victors proclaimed were: for the chariot and pair, Belistiche, a woman from the seaboard of Macedonia; for the ridden race,
Was the women rider only allowed in the games to race the horses? Since the riders/charioteers would not necessarily be considered victorious if they won is it only then that the woman was allowed. also discusses the addition of chariot races.
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Certain contests, too, have been dropped at Olympia, the Eleans resolving to discontinue them. The pentathlum for boys was instituted at the thirty-eighth Festival; but after Eutelidas of Lace-daemon had received the wild olive for it, the Eleans disapproved of boys entering for this competition. The races for mule-carts, and the trotting-race, were instituted respectively at the seventieth Festival and the seventy-first, but were both abolished by proclamation at the eighty-fourth.
talks of how some of the games that were added into the events were subsequently dropped as the Olympics continued.
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The contests for boys have no authority in old tradition, but were established by the Eleans themselves because they approved of them. The prizes for running and wrestling open to boys were instituted at the thirty-seventh Festival; Hipposthenes of Lacedaemon won the prize for wrestling, and that for running was won by Polyneices of Elis. At the forty-first Festival they introduced boxing for boys,
describes how what the ancient Greeks considered to be boys were allowed into the games at a later date than when the games originally started, and the events that the boys were allowed to participate in
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first the foot-race
marks beginning of the Olympics in 776 BC
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Afterwards, at the fourteenth Festival,18 the double foot-race was added: Hypenus of Pisa won the prize of wild olive in the double race, and at the next Festival Acanthus of Lacedaemon won in the long course.
talks of how more events were added once the games were again revived such as the double foot race and the long course.
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After the reign of Oxylus, who also celebrated the games, the Olympic festival was discontinued until the reign of Iphitus. When Iphitus, as I have already related,17 renewed the games, men had by this time forgotten the ancient tradition, the memory of which revived bit by bit, and as it revived they made additions to the games.
tells how the games were discontinued after rule of Oxylus but restarted once Iphitus came into power. Were the Olympic games discontinued twice then? Once during ancient times as mentioned here and then again before the beginning of the modern Olympics?
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So of old a competitor was permitted to compete with mares which were not his own.
tells how most competitors did not race their own horses but instead would have someone else race their horses for them.
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the games, and to have called them Olympic. So he established the custom of holding them every fifth15 year, because he and his brothers were five in number.
states that the Olympic games were once every 5 years originally
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Heracles, being the eldest, matched his brothers, as a game, in a running-race, and crowned the winner with a branch of wild olive, of which they had such a copious supply that they slept on heaps of its leaves while still green
describes how the winner of the match was given an olive branch crown as the prize for winning. could have possibly been where the olive branch crown "originated" or was believed to originate.
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By the time you reach Olympia the Alpheius is a large and very pleasant river to see, being fed by several tributaries, including seven very important ones. The Helisson joins the Alpheius passing through Megalopolis; the Brentheates comes out of the territory of that city; past Gortyna, where is a sanctuary of Asclepius, flows the Gortynius; from Melaeneae, between the territories of Megalopolis and Heraea, comes the Buphagus; from the land of the Clitorians the Ladon; from Mount Erymanthus a stream with the same name as the mountain.
describes all of the different tributaries or connections that the Alpheius is comprised of.
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But a law was passed that for the future trainers should strip before entering the arena.
After the situation in which the woman disguised herself as a gymnastics trainer in order to be allowed in to Olympia, they had to pass a law that trainers now must strip nude before entering to ensure they are not imitating the opposite sex.
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As you go from Scillus along the road to Olympia, before you cross the Alpheius,there is a mountain with high, precipitous cliffs. It is called Mount Typaeum. It is a law of Elis to cast down it any women who are caught present at the Olympic games, or even on the other side of the Alpheius, on the days prohibited to women.
Gives a mental image of how it would look to a person travelling to Olympia and passing Mount Typaeum. Also states that you are in Elis which is the region that Olympia was located in.
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