The Ancient Olympics

The news is full of items about the Olympic games which have just started in Beijing China.  People enjoy watching the numerous sports events and various ceremonies but few realize that the Olympics were begun by the ancient Greeks to honor  their gods especially Zeus. 

The ancient Olympics, the largest event in the ancient world, were held in Olympia which was one of the oldest religious centres in the ancient Greek world and was easily accessible to other areas by water.  Any free-born Greek in the world could compete in the games and there were separate divisions for men and boys.  Women could not compete, however, they could enter events through ownership such as owning a chariot or horse that was competing.

Married women were not allowed to attend any of the events although unmarried women were.  Women would disguise themselves as men in order to watch the Olympics.  Priestess were present at all the games as the games involved religious ceremonies.

Victors at the games were given a crown of olive branches and were entitled to have their statue erected at Olympia.  In addition when they returned to their native cities they were treated like celebrities and often given rewards.

A truce was declared throughout the Greek world and all wars had to stop during the games.  No weapons were allowed in Olympia.

For the first 13 Olympic games the only event was a footrace called a stade which was about 192 metres long.  In the 18^th game the pentathlon and wrestling were added.

The ancient games were first recorded in 776 BC but they may have began even earlier.  They were held every 4 years and the reason they were started is unknown although there are many myths surrounding their origin.  One school of thought is that the rise of city-states in different locations created a need of supremacy within each and that athletics were the means to gain that supremecy.  Each city-state would send athletes to Olympia to become supreme in physical competition.   Another school of thought is that the games were an excellent way to get men fit especially with the development of military training.  The athletes had to prove that they had trained for 10 months prior to the games in order to qualify to be a participant although most athletes trained from the time they were children.

Any athlete caught cheating at the games was disqualified and were fined.  Those fines were used to erect statues of Zeus along the passageway that led to the stadium.  All athletes had to pass the statues on their way into the stadium and would be reminded or the consequences of cheating.

As time went by the power of Greece diminished and that of Rome increased .  Gradually the lists of victors started being incomplete as the games were discouraged by the Roman emperors who had become Christians and considered the games to be a pagan religious event. Greece still had the prestige of holding the Olympic games until or 394AD when they were abolished by the Roman emperor Theodosius.

Nationalism, politics, commercialism were all part of the ancient games.  Have the games actually changed that much?

August 09 2008 | General Religion | No Comments »

Saudi Arabia

The Sydney Morning Herald recently published a story about Saudi Arabia.  It wasn’t about oil or the desert but was about cats and dogs.  Saudi Arabia’ religious police in Riyadh, the capital city, have banned the selling of cats and dogs as well as banning exercising them in public.  The reason…..men are using them to make passes at women which disturbs families.

There are approximately 5000 religious police or clerical police in Saudi Arabia and they are also known as the Mutaween.  The role of the Mutaween is to enforce the ancient religious laws.

They have the power to arrest unrelated males and females caught socializing or arrest anyone engaged in homosexual behaviour or prostitution.  They enforce Islamic dress-codes and store closures during the prayer time.  They enforce Muslim dietary laws and seize banned consumer products.

It seems extreme to be sending notice to shop owners that no cats or dogs can be sold leaving children and families without  pets.  All of it is being done in the name of religion.

The practice of any religion other than Islam is forbidden in Saudi Arabia. Meetings held privately in people’s homes, among friends, are also banned.

August 02 2008 | General Religion | No Comments »