Who has won the most medals in one Olympics?
- Ireen Wust (Netherlands, 13 medals)
- Birgit Fischer (East Germany/Germany, 12 medals)
- Jenny Thompson (United States, 12 medals)
- Isabell Werth (Germany, 12 medals)
- Dara Torres (United States, 12 medals)
- Natalie Coughlin (United States, 12 medals)
- Allyson Felix (United States, 11 medals)
- Vera Caslavska (Czechoslovakia, 11 medals)
Which country won the first Olympics?
The first known Olympics were held in the summer of 776 B.C. at Olympia, a site in southern Greece where people went to worship their gods. In fact, the Olympics were created in honor of ancient Greece’s most famous god: Zeus, king of the gods. Athletes prayed to Zeus for victory and left gifts to thank him for their successes.
Who was the first person to win the Olympics?
The Olympics in Ancient Greece The first written records of the ancient Olympic Games date to 776 B.C., when a cook named Coroebus won the only event–a 192-meter footrace called the stade (the origin of the modern “stadium”)–to become the first Olympic champion.
Who was the women who won the most Olympic medals?
- Marit Bjorgen (Norway, 15 medals)
- Birgit Fischer (East Germany/Germany, 12 medals)
- Jenny Thompson (United States, 12 medals)
- Dara Torres (United States, 12 medals)
- Natalie Coughlin (United States, 12 medals)
- Vera Caslavska (Czechoslovakia, 11 medals)
- Ireen Wust (Netherlands, 11 medals)
- Isabell Werth (Germany, 10 medals)
- Agnes Keleti (Hungary, 10 medals)
When were the first Olympics?
When were the first Olympic Games held?
Why did Pelops organize chariot races?
How many contests were there in the Olympic Games?
What was the most infamous event in the history of the Olympics?
What happened to the Olympics after the Roman conquest of Greece?
Why was it important to root the Olympic Games in mythology?
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About this website
Top ten facts about the ancient Olympic Games
3 - An Olympic Truce between Greek city states. Prior to the Games, messengers called ‘spondophoroi’ were sent out across the Greek world to announce the Olympic Truce or ‘Ekecheiria’. Each participating city-state had to sign up to the truce, which meant that no war was permitted and no arms could be carried into Olympia.. This in turn facilitated the safe passage of athletes and ...
Ancient Olympic Games - World History Encyclopedia
The ancient Olympic Games were a sporting event held every four years at the sacred site of Olympia, in the western Peloponnese, in honour of Zeus, the supreme god of the Greek religion.The games, held from 776 BCE to 393 CE, involved participants and spectators from all over Greece and even beyond.. The Olympic Games were the most important cultural event in ancient Greece and they ran for ...
First modern Olympic Games - HISTORY
On April 6, 1896, the Olympic Games, a long-lost tradition of ancient Greece, are reborn in Athens 1,500 years after being banned by Roman Emperor Theodosius I.
When were the first Olympics?
First games. Aristotle reckoned the date of the first Olympics to be 776 BC, a date largely accepted by most, though not all, subsequent ancient historians. It is still the traditionally given date and archaeological finds confirm, approximately, the Olympics starting at or soon after this time.
When were the first Olympic Games held?
They were held in honor of Zeus, and the Greeks gave them a mythological origin. The first Olympic Games are traditionally dated to 776 BC.
Why did Pelops organize chariot races?
After his victory, Pelops organized chariot races as a thanksgiving to the gods and as funeral games in honor of King Oenomaus, in order to be purified of his death. It was from this funeral race held at Olympia that the beginnings of the Olympic Games were inspired.
How many contests were there in the Olympic Games?
Apparently starting with just a single foot race, the program gradually increased to twenty-three contests, although no more than twenty featured at any one Olympiad. Participation in most events was limited to male athletes, except for women who were allowed to take part by entering horses in the equestrian events. Youth events are recorded as starting in 632 BC. Our knowledge of how the events were performed primarily derives from the paintings of athletes found on many vases, particularly those of the Archaic and Classical periods.
What was the most infamous event in the history of the Olympics?
One of the most infamous events of Olympic history occurred under the rule of Nero. He desired victory in all chariot races of the Panhellenic Games in a single year, so he ordered the four main hosts to hold their games in 67 and therefore the scheduled Olympics of 65 were postponed. At Olympia he was thrown from his chariot, but still claimed victory. Nero also considered himself a talented musician, so he added contests in music and singing to those festivals that lacked them, including the Olympics. Despite his terrible singing, he won all the contests, no doubt because judges were afraid to award victory to anyone else. After his assassination, the Olympic judges had to repay the bribes he had bestowed and declared the "Neronian Olympiad" to be void.
What happened to the Olympics after the Roman conquest of Greece?
During this period, Romans largely concentrated on domestic problems, and paid less attention to their provinces. The fact that all equestrian victors were from the immediate locality and that there is a "paucity of victor statues in the Altis" from this period suggests the games were somewhat neglected.
Why was it important to root the Olympic Games in mythology?
To the Ancient Greeks, it was important to root the Olympic Games in mythology. During the time of the ancient games their origins were attributed to the gods, and competing legends persisted as to who actually was responsible for the genesis of the games.
Who was the daughter of a Spartan king who won the Olympic Games?
There was, however, a loophole to this misogynistic rule – chariot owners, not riders, were declared Olympic champions and anyone could own a chariot. Kyniska, daughter of a Spartan king, took advantage of this, claiming victory wreaths in 396BC and 392BC.
How many centuries did the Ancient Games take?
A magical collection of characters light up the accounts of almost 12 centuries of action at the Ancient Games. Huge, heroic men caught the attention with the stars of the combat sports particularly adored.
What was the center of Greek civilization?
As a sacred place used regularly in religious ceremonies, as well as playing host to the Ancient Games, Olympia was at the centre of Greek civilisation. Renowned expert Paul Christesen gives Olympic.org a unique insight into Olympia and how the site changed as the Games grew.
Why were the Olympics created?
In fact, the Olympics were created in honor of ancient Greece’s most famous god: Zeus, king of the gods. Athletes prayed to Zeus for victory and left gifts to thank him for their successes. A marble statue of Zeus, king of the ancient Greek gods. Photograph by abxyz, Shutterstock. Please be respectful of copyright.
When were the Olympics banned?
TAKING HOME THE GOLD. The Romans eventually banned the Olympics in A.D. 393, after Rome conquered Greece in the second century B.C. But the games were revived in 1896 in Athens, Greece, and have been celebrated every four years since.
Where is the torch lit during the Olympics?
A fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. In today's modern games, a torch is lit in Greece before being transported to the city where the next Olympics are being held.
Who was the first to write the Olympians?
History. The sophist Hippias of Elis was the first who drew up the list of Olympians in his work "Olympians inscription", based perhaps on the records of Olympia, and the oral tradition memories of the older Olympiads were still live in Olympia. Conventional beginning was considered the Olympiad of 776 BC, when Coroebus ...
Who is the author of the chronicon of the Greeks?
Eusebius of Caesarea. Chronicon: Olympiads of the Greeks. Schoene-Petermann. pp. 191–220.
When were the first Olympics?
First games. Aristotle reckoned the date of the first Olympics to be 776 BC, a date largely accepted by most, though not all, subsequent ancient historians. It is still the traditionally given date and archaeological finds confirm, approximately, the Olympics starting at or soon after this time.
When were the first Olympic Games held?
They were held in honor of Zeus, and the Greeks gave them a mythological origin. The first Olympic Games are traditionally dated to 776 BC.
Why did Pelops organize chariot races?
After his victory, Pelops organized chariot races as a thanksgiving to the gods and as funeral games in honor of King Oenomaus, in order to be purified of his death. It was from this funeral race held at Olympia that the beginnings of the Olympic Games were inspired.
How many contests were there in the Olympic Games?
Apparently starting with just a single foot race, the program gradually increased to twenty-three contests, although no more than twenty featured at any one Olympiad. Participation in most events was limited to male athletes, except for women who were allowed to take part by entering horses in the equestrian events. Youth events are recorded as starting in 632 BC. Our knowledge of how the events were performed primarily derives from the paintings of athletes found on many vases, particularly those of the Archaic and Classical periods.
What was the most infamous event in the history of the Olympics?
One of the most infamous events of Olympic history occurred under the rule of Nero. He desired victory in all chariot races of the Panhellenic Games in a single year, so he ordered the four main hosts to hold their games in 67 and therefore the scheduled Olympics of 65 were postponed. At Olympia he was thrown from his chariot, but still claimed victory. Nero also considered himself a talented musician, so he added contests in music and singing to those festivals that lacked them, including the Olympics. Despite his terrible singing, he won all the contests, no doubt because judges were afraid to award victory to anyone else. After his assassination, the Olympic judges had to repay the bribes he had bestowed and declared the "Neronian Olympiad" to be void.
What happened to the Olympics after the Roman conquest of Greece?
During this period, Romans largely concentrated on domestic problems, and paid less attention to their provinces. The fact that all equestrian victors were from the immediate locality and that there is a "paucity of victor statues in the Altis" from this period suggests the games were somewhat neglected.
Why was it important to root the Olympic Games in mythology?
To the Ancient Greeks, it was important to root the Olympic Games in mythology. During the time of the ancient games their origins were attributed to the gods, and competing legends persisted as to who actually was responsible for the genesis of the games.
