The ancient Olympics got its start as a religious ceremony whose origins are veiled in mythology. On the other foot, the Olympians were ALL out in the open. The Greek tradition of athletic nudity began at the Olympic Games in 720 BC, possibly introduced by those whacky Spartans.
Sparta men were no strangers to disrobed athletic prowess. Spartan state messages were special delivered by nude runners who ran between the city-states. They ran naked to travel light, and to prove they carried no ill will, save the message. The trusted messengers might run 100 miles in a single day. The FTD fleet of ancient times was well compensated for their speedy delivery.
The ancient Greek athletes trained in the gymnasium for a month prior to the Olympics. The word “gymnasium” stems from the Greek word “gymnos” meaning “naked”. Competing naked was seen as a tribute to the gods and appreciation for the male form.
Nudity in the Olympic Games was also viewed as a way to insure that women disguised as men were not participating. (Women did not get out much in those days.)
Unlike the modern starting race position, twenty racers started in a fully erect standing position with their arms stretched in front of them. They would receive another shot at posterity if there were a tie, as the race would be re-run. Let’s go to slow motion!
The ancients managed to bring about peace during the Olympics when we cannot accomplish today. During the Olympic Games, all of Greece was under a truce called an ekecheiria, which means “holding of hands.” Capital punishment, wars, and threats were temporarily halted. This was in order to ensure the safety of competitors and spectators.
Another reason behind nude participation in Olympic competition was so that all weapons would be out in the open as the games indicated a time of peace not war.
While most jocks were naked during the Olympic Games, some wore a kynodesme, a thin leather strip tied tightly around the part of the foreskin that extended beyond the glans. Ancient Roman and Greek cultures did not put much emphasis on the girth of the ‘kavli’ or penis. They placed much more significance on the size of the scrotum, equaling it to the potency of the male.
Not all events were carried on in the buff. Introduced in 520 BC to the Olympics was the hoplite foot race. Olympians would run 800 yards in full body armor. This was a means of handicapping the men in a display of strength paired with speed. The ancient Olympic Games were beneficial training for the physical demands of warfare.
In the 2nd century AD, Pausanias wrote, “Virgins were not refused admission to the Olympic Games as spectators, but married women were not admitted on pain of death.” The punishment for married women found watching the ancient Olympics was to be thrown off the cliff at Mt. Trypeum.
Callipateira was the only woman to have been caught and allowed to live after sneaking into the stadium as a man. As a widow, she dressed herself as a gymnastic trainer, to enter her son, Peisirodus, in the Olympics. Peisirodus was victorious, and Callipateira, excitedly jumped over the enclosure, baring the fruit of her true nature. The officials let her go unpunished out of respect for her father, brothers, and her son, all Olympic champions. A law was passed that future trainers should strip before entering the arena.
The only events women ever entered were horseracing and this is because the owner did not race. Cynisca was the first woman breeder of horses and the first woman champion. She was a Spartan princess who lived in the fourth century BCE. After her horses won, she was not allowed to be present to collect the prize.
Philostratus tells that during Ancient Olympic Games, athletes drank herb-based tea and they ate mushrooms to improve their performance. The drugs of the day, alcohol and opium, were depressants that could be used to slow down your opponents.
Judges carried a switch to beat any cheaters they were able to catch. The judges set the penalty and could fine or expel those caught cheating, including penalties for bribery and fixing of bets. Much corruption was investigated, and the suspects involved in scandals were severely punished. When some commended the people of Olympia because they were very just in conducting the Olympic Games, a Spartan said, “What marvelous accomplishment is it if they practice justice on one day only in four years?”
The athletes did not usually receive monetary rewards. They officially received a laurel wreath, a symbol of pride and glory for themselves and their city. Bronze tripods, woolen cloaks, olive oil, and vases were sometimes given out as prizes.
Star athletes in ancient Greece were traditionally honored as national heroes in their cities, given parades and special favors. All Greek city-states were allowed to enter, although only men who spoke Greek could compete. Politicians paid their athletes to participate, and often sued if they did not like the outcome. Athlete is from the Greek word for contestant.
Olympic heroes attended such gala events as parties given in their honor naked. Notice a bare thread running though here?
Aristophanes wrote these words, which remains relevant –
In no uncertain terms I must reproach you,
both sides, and rightly. Don’t you share a cup
at common altars, for common gods, like brothers,
at the Olympic Games?
I needn’t list the many, many others.
The world is full of foreigners you could fight,
but it’s Greek men and cities you destroy!
The ancient Olympics were abolished in 393 A.D. after lasting a record twelve centuries. All idol worship sanctuaries became strictly forbidden. The destruction of the monuments followed suit in 426 A.D.
The Olympic Games were resurrected in 1896 after the ancient ruins were excavated, rekindling interest. It would be amazing to resurrect the male nudity tradition in the modern Olympic Games. I would book my ticket now for the upcoming 2012 London Games.
In more recent history, during the 1900 Paris Olympic Games, man’s best friend was included in being stripped down. A French farmer’s wife clipped 17 poodles in two hours to win the Gold medal. Somebody get those dogs a poodle skirt!
An obscene amount of money is pumped into the Olympic Games. Many claim it still manages to be the most mind-numbing event on earth. Three and a half billion people cannot be wrong. You cannot be truly American and resist a giggle at the news of the 2008 US sweeps over the Chinese in Women’s fencing. The newscast reported- the room went totally silent.
Sources:
Leder, Jane Mersky, Grace and Glory: A Century of Women in the Olympics, Triumph Books, Chicago, 1996
Golden, Mark, Sport and Society in Ancient Greece, Cambridge University Press, 1998
http://www.fjkluth.com/olympic2.html
