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130th Olympic Games
The
Greek Journal
This imaginary
news site focuses on Ancient Greece, which many historians regard as the
start of modern, Western civilization. Organized, systematic thought is
one of the great legacies of ancient Greek culture. The Greek Journal
aims to convey the nature of organized thought about history and other
topics which developed in Ancient Greece. It ranges from about 3000 B.C.,
when Greek civilization started on the island of Crete, to the A.D. 300's,
when a great Greek cultural festival--the Olympic Games--ended.
Go to The
Greek Journal in Surf the Ages.
More information
on subjects mentioned in this imaginary site is in the following World
Book articles: Greece,
Ancient | Crete
(History) | Olympic
Games (The ancient games)
The
Academy of Plato
Overview:
The Academy, in Athens, was one of the earliest centers for higher education.
Founded in 387 B.C. by the great Greek philosopher Plato, it existed for
more than 900 years. In A.D. 529, the Academy, as well as all other schools
of philosophy in Athens, were closed by Justinian I, an orthodox Christian
ruler of the Byzantine Empire. Justinian accused the schools of teaching
paganism.
Much of Plato's
work incorporates the views and philosophic style of Socrates, his friend
and fellow philosopher. A highly original thinker, Socrates became the
first philosopher to focus on a consideration of moral problems and how
people should best live their lives. Unfortunately, Socrates engaged his
fellow Athenians in extended conversations often exposed the confusion
and contradictions in their moral beliefs. Unfortunately, this practice
earned him widespread hostility. Socrates also antagonized Athenian political
leaders by criticizing some aspects of the city's democratic system.
In 399 B.C.,
an Athenian court condemned Socrates to death for rejecting Greece's established
religion and for corrupting the young by teaching them to question values
accepted by society. Although he could have escaped from prison, Socrates
calmly accepted his death sentence as a moral obligation.
Go to The
Academy of Plato in Surf the Ages.
More information
on subjects mentioned in this imaginary site is in the following World
Book articles: Aristotle | Greece, Ancient | Philosophy | Plato | Socrates
Glossary
for The Greek Journal
Plato,
who lived from about 427 to about 347 B.C., was one of the most important
thinkers and writers in the history of Western culture.
Socrates,
who lived from about 470 to 399 B.C., ranks as one of the most original,
influential, and controversial figures in the history of Western thought.
He became the first philosopher to make a clear distinction between body
and soul and to place higher value on the soul.
Athens:
During the 400's B.C., Athens became the most successful democracy of
ancient Greece as well as the world's most powerful and highly civilized
city.
rhetoric:
The art of using words in speaking or writing to persuade or influence
others.
dialogues:
A literary work structured as a conversation between two or more people.
Plato's dialogues are actually dramas that are concerned primarily with
the presentation, criticism, and conflict of philosophical ideas. The
characters in his dialogues discuss philosophical problems and often argue
the opposing sides of an issue.
planets:
The Greeks named seven planets. The Sun and moon were set apart as the
"greater" planets. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn were the
"lesser" planets. (Earth was not a planet, but the center of the universe.)
Aristotle:
Plato recognized Aristotle, who lived from 384 to 322 B.C., as the Academy's
brightest and most learned student, calling him the "intelligence of the
school."
Socratic
method: The question-and-answer method used by Socrates to get a
definition or precise view of some abstract idea. It became the model
for philosophic methods that emphasize debate and discussion.
women:
Very few girls in ancient Greece attended school, but some others learned
to read at home.
sophists:
Sophists traveled from city to city teaching young adults for pay in the
city-states of Greece during the second half of the 400's B.C. Their main
subject was persuasive public speaking, though they also taught grammar,
political theory, and many other subjects. They also claimed to teach
virtue, which they defined as being successful in the world.
Volume
kappa, number eta: Volume 2 number 8 is expressed using the Greek
letters kappa and eta. Number 8 would have been the letter eta using the
ancient Greek numeration system. This system used the first 9 letters
of a 27-letter Greek alphabet for the numbers 1 through 9. The next 9
letters stood for tens, from 10 through 90. The last 9 letters were symbols
for hundreds, from 100 through 900. Arithmetic was almost impossible using
this system.
city:
Socrates taught in the streets, marketplace, and gymnasiums of ancient
Athens.
Oracle,
in the ancient Greek world, referred to a shrine where people came to
seek advice from prophets or prophetesses. These sacred persons were believed
to have the power to reveal the will of the gods and to foretell the future.
The word oracle also refers to the prophet and prophetess and to
their prophecy.
Delphi:
A town situated on the southern slope of Mount Parnassus that had the
oldest and most influential religious sanctuary in ancient Greece.
Aristophanes:
The greatest ancient Greek writer of comedy, Aristophanes wrote some of
the earliest and best examples of political and social satire.
piety:
The quality or character of having reverence for God (or the gods) and
a devotion to religion.
Agora
The open area at the center of a Greek city that served as a marketplace
and meeting place.
Men
only: The ancient Greek city-state of Sparta was the only place where
girls engaged in physical competition, an idea shocking to other Greeks
in Plato's time.
The
130th Olympic Games
Overview:
The first
Olympics were held in 776 B.C. In ancient Greece, announcements of upcoming
Olympic Games were spread by messengers wearing wreaths of olive branches,
not through the Internet, as presented in this imaginary Web site. Like
the modern Games, the ancient Olympics aimed to promote unity among
political groups as well as the competitive spirit and physical accomplishments.
And like the modern Games, the ancient Olympics were marred by commercialism,
bribery, political rivalry, and even acts of violence.
Perhaps
the main difference between the ancient and modern Games was religion.
For the ancient Greeks, the competitions were the central element in
their most important religious festival, held to honor Zeus, the king
of the gods. Over time, however, competitors came to view their victories
as a personal accomplishment rather than as a sign of the gods' favor.
After the
Romans conquered Greece in the 140's B.C., slaves and gladiators replaced
the amateur athletes who originally had dominated the Games. Finally,
in A.D. 393, the Roman Emperor Theodosius I abolished the Olympics as
part of his campaign to ban all pagan (non-Christian practices) from
the Empire.
In 1875,
archaeological excavations at Olympia inspired Baron Pierre de Coubertin,
a French educator, historian, and politician, to organize a modern international
Olympics. The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece,
in 1896. Greece will again host the Games in 2004.
More information
on subjects mentioned in this imaginary site is in the following World
Book articles: Greece,
Ancient | Hercules
| Marathon
| Mythology
[Greek Mythology] | Olympic
Games
Glossary for
the 130th Olympic Games
Hellas:
The name the ancient Greeks used for their land.
Married:
Married women who attempted to watch the men's events or even the Maidens'
Race could be punished by being thrown off a nearby mountain. The ancient
Greek historian Pausanias wrote of a widow named Callipateira who escaped
this fate, however. Desperate to watch her son compete at the Olympics,
she disguised herself as a male trainer. When she was discovered, the
judges freed her out of respect for her father, brothers, and son, all
of whom had been victorious there. Following this, however, the judges
required all trainers to strip before entering Olympic arenas.
Barbarians:
The ancient Greeks thought of themselves as superior to all other peoples,
whom they called barbarians. The word barbarian comes from the Greek
word barbaros (stammering), which at first meant simply a person
who spoke a language the ancient Greeks could not understand. But the
Greeks soon began to use the word insultingly to refer to foreigners.
130th
Olympic Games: Held in 258 B.C.
Zeus was
the ruler of the gods in Greek mythology. Zeus was a sky and weather
god, especially associated with rain, thunder, and lightning. The Greeks
believed he was all-knowing and all-seeing. The Greeks considered Zeus
a father figure and a protector, especially of guests and strangers.
Hellanodikai:
Men chosen from the city of Elis to organize and judge the Olympic Games.
Their name meant "judges of the Greeks."
Hellene:
The ancient Greeks called themselves Hellenes.
Olympia:
A beautiful valley in northwestern Peloponnese in southern Greece, Olympia
was used only for the Olympic Games.
City-state:
Independent cities or towns and the villages, farmland, and colonies
dependent on them.
Elis: A
city-state in southwestern Greece that gained control over Olympia and
the Olympic Games in 572 B.C., after a long struggle with the nearby
city of Pisatis.
Italia:
The ancient Greeks' name for Italy.
Gallia:
An ancient name for an area of western Europe that included what is
now France.
Hispania:
The ancient Greeks' name for what is now Spain.
Libya:
The ancient Greeks' name for Africa.
Anatolia:
A large mountainous peninsula now occupied by the modern country of
Turkey.
Thrace:
A once-independent nation on the Balkan Peninsula now occupied by the
modern countries of Turkey, Greece, and Bulgaria.
Pontus
Euxinus: The ancient Greeks' name for the Black Sea.
Mare Internum: The ancient Greeks' name for the Mediterranean Sea.
Air
Herakles: Herakles is sometimes credited with being the first person
to use a javelin.
Javelin:
A javelin is a light, slender spear thrown for distance in track and
field meets. In ancient times, the javelin was used as a weapon of war
and for hunting. Unlike the modern javelin, the ancient javelin had
a leather thong for the athlete's fingers attached to its center of
gravity to increase the distance and accuracy with which it could be
thrown.
128th Games:
Held in 266 B.C.
Athletes:
The word athlete comes from an ancient Greek word meaning one
who competes for a prize.
Hippodrome:
An ancient curved arena for horse and chariot races first designed and
built by the Greeks. The seats surrounded a long race course, and curved
around one end of it. A wall in the center divided the course. It was
usually from 600 to 800 feet (180 to 240 meters) long.
Discus:
A round plate thrown for distance by the ancient Greeks. It was originally
made of stone then later of bronze, iron, or lead.
Altis:
The most sacred area of Olympia, it included the Temple of Zeus and
the Temple of Hera.
Stade:
A sprinting race of one stadion--630 feet (192 meters)--that was the
only event in the Olympic Games from its official beginning in 776 B.C.
until 724 BC.
1-stade-long:
A distance equal to 630 feet (192 meters).
20 times
the length of one stade: A distance equal to approximately 2.5 miles
(4 kilometers), though the exact distance is not known.
Oxeis
himantes: A type of glove made of hard leather strips worn by Greek
boxers. The gloves, which featured an inner protective layer of wool,
left the fingertips free.
Poems:
Winning athletes at Olympia were often immortalized in poems, called
epicinians, that they, their family, or their city-state commissioned
from some of Greece's most famous poets.
Kithara:
Also known as a cithara, this ancient musical instrument resembles
a lyre, with a soundbox of wood and 5 to 11 strings.
Skin: Greek
athletes protected their exposed skin from sunburn by first applying
a layer of oil, followed by a coating of sand. This treatment also helped
keep athletes cool in hot weather and warm in cold months.
Hebe:
A goddess in Greek mythology who served nectar to the gods and goddesses
on Mount Olympus. The name Hebe comes from a Greek word meaning youth
or prime of life.
Founded:
Some Greek myths credit Herakles with founding the Olympic Games. Others
credit a Greek warrior named Pelops, who entered a chariot race to win
the hand of a beautiful princess. In order to succeed, however, Pelops
had to kill the princess's father. According to Greek mythology, Pelops
founded the Games either to thank the gods for their help in his victory
or to make amends for the killing.
Herakles:
Also known by the Greek name Heracles or the Roman name Hercules, he
was was one of the greatest heroes of Greek mythology.
past: Historians
believe the ancient Greeks first organized athletic games as part of
funeral ceremonies for important people. This practice probably existed
by the 1200's B.C. Later, games became part of religious festivals honoring
the gods.
Oracle
at Delphi was the most important of all the ancient Greek shrines where
people came to seek advice from prophets or prophetesses believed to
have special powers to speak on behalf of a god. The oracle at Delphi
was dedicated to the god Apollo.
524 years ago: The first Olympics were held in 776 B.C.
Olympiads:
Beginning in about 300 B.C., the ancient Greeks figured time using the
Olympiad, the period of four years that elapsed between two successive
celebrations of the Olympic Games. All events were dated from 776 B.C.,
the start of the first known Olympiad.
Strigils:
Metal scrapers used by the ancient Greeks and Romans after a bath or
gymnastic exercise to remove oil, sweat, and dirt from the skin.
alpha:
The first letter in the Greek alphabet.
omega:
The 24th and last letter of the Greek alphabet.
Mount Olympus:
The highest mountain in Greece, Mount Olympus was the home of the gods
in Greek mythology.
Minotaur:
A monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man, the Minotaur
was the offspring of a bull and the wife of King Minos of Crete.
Girdle:
A belt, sash, or cord worn around the waist.
Pillars
of Herakles: The ancient Greek name for two huge rocks that sit on either
side of the Strait of Gibraltar, a narrow body of water that connects
the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Hesperides:
In Greek mythology, the Hesperides were nymphs who lived at the western
end of the world. They guarded golden apples that the goddess Gaea (Earth)
had given to the goddess
Hera: when
Hera married Zeus, king of the gods, Ladon, a sleepless dragon, helped
the Hesperides guard the apples.
Pyre: A
pile of wood for burning a dead body as a funeral rite.
Rhabdos:
A forked wand used by athletic trainers to point out correct body positions
on their pupils.
Spartan:
Sparta, the strongest land-based power in ancient Greece, and Athens,
the strongest naval power, remained rivals, and often enemies, for hundreds
of years. The Peloponnesian War fought by the two city-states from 431
B.C. to 404 B.C. devastated Greece and contributed to its conquest in
338 B.C. by Philip II, king of Macedonia and father of Alexander the
Great. women Spartan girls engaged in athletic competitions, a practice
shocking to most other Greeks.
Statue:
Perhaps the most famous statue in the ancient world, the Statue of Zeus
at Olympia now ranks as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Made in about 435 B.C. by the Greek sculptor Phidias, the statue stood
approximately 40 feet (12 meters) high and showed Zeus on his throne.
Zeus's robe and ornaments were made of gold and his flesh was ivory.
The statue was destroyed by a severe fire in about A.D. 475 after it
had been transported to Constantinople (now Istanbul).
The third
year of the 107th Olympiad: The ancient Greek equivalent of the modern
Western date 350 B.C.
Hoplitodromos:
An ancient Olympic event in which competitors ran two lengths of the
stadium wearing full battle dress--a helmet and shinguards--and carrying
a shield.
Pentathlon:
A competition in the ancient Olympics with five events--the discus throw,
the javelin toss, the long jump, running, and wrestling-- added in 708
B.C.
Standard:
To insure fairness in the Olympic's discus throw, the organizers kept
an official set of discuses of equal weight.
Pankratiast:
A participant in the pankration, a brutal ancient Olympic event combining
kick-boxing and wrestling. Pankratiasts were allowed to attack their
opponent in any way they wished, except by biting and gouging the eyes,
ears, and nose.
Marathon,
a coastal plain in Greece, was the site of one of the most important
battles in the history of Western civilization. There, in 490 B.C.,
a Greek army defeated an invading army of Persians and saved Greece
from becoming part of the Persian Empire. The modern marathon, a race
of 26 miles (42 kilometers), was never an event in the ancient Olympics.
Run to
Sparta: The Battle of Marathon took place in 490 B.C. Phidippides' 36-hour
trip from Athens to Sparta was about 149 miles.
The 62nd
Olympic Games: The ancient Greek equivalent of the modern Western date
532 B.C.
66th Olympic
Games: The ancient Greek equivalent of the modern Western date 516 B.C.
During
the 77th Olympic Games: The ancient Greek equivalent of the modern Western
date 472 B.C.
78th Olympic
Games: The ancient Greek equivalent of the modern Western date 468 B.C.
Pindar,
(518?-438? B.C.), was the greatest lyric poet of ancient Greece. He
became famous for his stately, intricate poems praising victorious athletes
at the Olympic Games and other ancient Greek competitions. Pindar's
fame was so great that when Alexander the Great burned Thebes, the poet's
native city, to the ground, Pindar's house was the only one spared.
Maidens'
Race: The Maidens' Race was not an official event in the Olympic Games.
racecourse:
The racecourse for the girls' competition was 5/6 the length of the
men's track, about 528 feet (160 meters).
Peplos:
A thick tunic or outer garment usually worn like a shawl by women of
ancient Greece.
Tunics:
Contestants in the girls' race wore a tunic hanging almost to the knees
that covered only the left shoulder and left breast.
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