Origin of Olympic games

OLYMPIA, Greece – In a lush valley in the western Peloponnese, almost 170 miles from Athens, lies one of Greece’s most important archaeological sites. It is a place of myth and might, where the Olympic Games were birthed almost 3,000 years ago.

For the last 130 years archaeologists have systematically worked the site, and their findings have taught us much about the athletic events, the people who played them and the heroes and gods they worshipped. Stories of Hercules and Zeus still resound here.

But the stones have coughed up tales of less heroic deeds, too.

Just outside the gate to the ancient stadium lies a row of 12 weathered stone pedestals that once supported statues of Zeus.

The pedestals bear faint inscriptions revealing that these statues were financed by fines levied against those who had cheated in the games. Listed are the names of the dishonored, a description of their transgressions, their fathers’ names and the names of their home regions.

Cheating was not suffered lightly in ancient times.

Olympia is a sprawling site, encompassing perhaps 40 acres, and the remains of buildings in various states of ruin and restoration only hint at the splendor that once rose from this landscape.

There were temples to Zeus and to his wife, the goddess Hera. There also was a large gymnasium, the stadium, a hippodrome and dozens of smaller buildings and baths. Very little of these structures remains, and a visitor should not expect to see buildings as well-preserved as, for instance, the Parthenon in Athens.

The most prominent feature of Zeus’ temple is a row of toppled columns. But lying like tumbled towers of tires, they clearly show the work it took to build them. Circular stones — perhaps 2 feet thick and almost 8 feet in diameter and each weighing tons — were stacked atop one another before being sculpted into shape.

Restoration efforts in Olympia picked up over the last several years in preparation for the modern version of the Olympic Games, which opened in Athens on Friday. The traditional Olympic torch run began here and one event, the shot put, takes place here on Wednesday.

One of the most striking areas at the site is the gymnasium, where dozens of smaller columns, each about 20 feet tall and 2 feet in diameter, stand like silent sentinels in a field of Judas trees.

“This entire area was a sacred place,” Niki Vlachou, a tour guide from Athens, explained on a walk through the site. “It was chosen because it is close to two rivers, and a grove of olive trees was viewed as a blessing from Zeus.”

Some of the finer statues salvaged at the site are housed in a museum on the grounds, including statues of Nike, Hermes and Demeter, as well as some of the intricate frieze work. The most important sculpture, however — a four-story-high, gold-and-ivory statue of Zeus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world — was destroyed by fire in the second or third centuries after being transported from the site.

The first recorded games at Olympia were held about 770 B.C., but some historians think the games date back hundreds of years beyond that.

One mythological story links Hercules to the first event — a foot race, which he won, naturally. Afterward, the story goes, he declared that every four years the contest would be held again in honor of Zeus.

Since the scientific excavation of the site began in 1871 a fairly clear picture has emerged of the early games and their times.

For hundreds of years, the various regions of Greece would send their best athletes to compete in wrestling, in throwing and running events and tests of horsemanship. If wars were being fought — and there was always war — a truce would be declared for the games, and for a short while at least the Greek states were unified.

“Only 100 percent Greek men were allowed to participate in the games, and they competed without clothes,” Vlachou said.

“Women were not even allowed to watch. Except one. She was a worshipper of Demeter, the goddess of fertility, and she took part in the stadium ceremony. Lucky girl.”

The winners of the athletic events would be crowned with an olive branch cut from a tree near the temple of Zeus, and they would return home as heroes. The losers often took the long road home, and the cheaters didn’t dare take even that route.

The games endured through wars and conquest. When Greek glory faded and the Roman Empire rose, the Romans adopted Olympia for a while. They built significant additions to the site and erected their own monuments.

Records indicate that the Roman emperor Nero participated in the Olympics, winning two events — one for singing and the other for a chariot race in which he fell from his chariot twice. Did he cheat? Impossible to say, but his name does not appear on the pedestals outside the stadium.

With the rise of Christianity came the fear of idolatry and paganism, and the games were disbanded about A.D. 400.

The site was abandoned and part of it destroyed by Roman decree. What could burn was burned. The statue of Zeus was carted off and eventually lost.

Nature supplied the finishing blow. The valley was racked by flooding, and a series of earthquakes toppled the weakened pillars of the temples. Trees grew up around the stones, and the place was forgotten for hundreds of years.