79. Ancient Olympics

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode explores the ancient Olympic Games as a deeply religious, myth-laden, and politically charged festival rather than a modern-style sporting event. The hosts contrast ancient and modern Olympics, emphasizing sacrifice, heroism, violence, elite status, and the sacred role of Zeus, while also highlighting famous athletes, women’s limited participation, and the Games’ long decline under Rome and Christianity.

Main Topics: Olympics as a sacred Greek festival (Priority: 5/5): The hosts argue that the ancient Games were fundamentally religious, tied to Zeus and other myths, and treated as one of Greece’s holiest institutions rather than mere sport. Mythic origins and heroic narratives (Priority: 5/5): They discuss competing origin stories involving Zeus, Pelops, and Heracles, showing how the Games were embedded in myth and linked to divine and heroic violence. Competition, glory, and elite status (Priority: 4/5): Ancient athletics are presented as a ruthless pursuit of victory and fame, with winners immortalized and losers shamed; the Games rewarded glory, not participation. Politics and the Olympic truce (Priority: 4/5): The episode explains that the truce functioned more like an armistice, allowing Greeks from rival city-states to compete while wars continued, and that politics often shaped participation. Women, class, and exclusion (Priority: 4/5): The hosts cover the exclusion of women from most competition and sacred space, while noting exceptions like chariot owners and Kyniska, and the elite/rich nature of many competitors. Violence, danger, and heroic death (Priority: 4/5): Boxing, wrestling, and pankration are described as brutal and dangerous, with famous athletes remembered for extraordinary strength and often grotesque deaths. Decline under Rome and Christianity (Priority: 3/5): The discussion ends with the Games’ gradual decline as Roman power, civil war, and Christianization eroded their religious and cultural relevance.

Key Arguments: The ancient Olympics were not primarily about sport for sport’s sake; they were a sacred festival dedicated to Zeus and embedded in Greek religion and myth. Greek athletic culture prized victory and glory above participation, with winners celebrated and losers publicly shamed. The Olympic truce did not end war; it created a protected space for pan-Hellenic competition and shared identity. Women were largely excluded from the Games, but chariot ownership created a loophole that allowed elite women like Kyniska to be recorded as victors. Ancient Olympic events were often violent and dangerous, especially boxing and pankration, reinforcing the Games’ connection to heroic and divine excess. The modern Olympics are portrayed as a poor analogue because they are commercialized and stripped of the ancient festival’s religious and mythic depth.

Data Points: Conventional founding date: 776 BC - Cited as the traditional date for the first Olympic Games, associated with early Greek chronology. Number of major crown Games: 4 - The hosts identify four crown-awarding festivals: Nemean, Isthmian, Pythian, and Olympic. Training period: 10 months - Athletes were said to train for ten months before competing. Training at Elis: 1 month - Competitors were required to train at Elis for one month before the Games. Distance from Elis to Olympia: 35 miles - The procession from Elis to Olympia was described as roughly 35 miles. Duration of journey: 2 days - The walk from Elis to Olympia reportedly took two days. Sacrificial oxen: 100 oxen - A hecatomb of 100 oxen was sacrificed to Zeus during the festival. Age category for boys: Up to 20 - The boys’ events were described as including competitors up to about age 20, though judges decided eligibility. Kyniska’s victories: 2 wins - The Spartan woman Kyniska won the chariot event in 396 BC and again four years later. Milo’s victories: 5 in a row - The wrestler Milo of Croton was said to have won five consecutive Olympic titles. Cleomedes’ status: Last hero - The Delphic Oracle reportedly declared Cleomedes the last hero after his violent and mysterious disappearance. Last recorded mention of the Games: 394 AD - The episode states the final recorded mention of the ancient Games is around 394 AD.

Pivotal Quotes: "They fight not for riches, but for glory." — Narrator quoting Herodotus: Introduces the contrast between Persian assumptions and Greek athletic values. "The Olympic Games are, the festival of the Olympics are on that level." — Tom Holland: Explaining Pausanias’ view that the Games were among the holiest institutions in Greece. "The ancient games are dark and terrible. And that's why they last as long as they do." — Tom Holland: Summarizing the episode’s central thesis about the Games’ power and longevity.

Implications: Listeners are left with a more complex view of the Olympics: as a religious, exclusionary, violent, and mythic institution that shaped Greek identity. It also suggests modern Olympic ideals are historically misleading and commercially detached from the ancient model.