Hansen/Curtis, 1/e, Ch



World History in Today's World: The Olympics

This activity corresponds to the "World History in Today's World: The Olympics" feature in your textbook. Once you have answered the Comprehension questions, submit your answers and move on to the subsequent questions included in the Analysis and Outside Sources sections. Each section is designed to build upon the one before it, taking you progressively deeper into the subject you are studying. After you have answered all of the questions, you will have the option of emailing your responses to your instructor.

Introduction

In the world of the ancient Greek city-states the Olympic Games were one of the few sources of unity. Most of the time, the city-states regarded each other suspiciously, each treating the others as rivals in trade, cultural achievement, and military and political dominance. However, once the games were established as a central rite of the Greek world, every four years, the city-states would accept the ekecheiria, the Olympic truce. Under this truce, for the duration of the games, wars were suspended, armies were prohibited from entering the area of the games, and legal disputes and executions were forbidden. In other words, for the period of the games, all the competitiveness of the city-states was subsumed into athletic competition, in which athletes strove to win glory for themselves and their city. Use the questions and links below to learn more about Olympic Games.

Comprehension

1. When did the Olympic Games formally begin?

2. What did victors in the games receive?

3. When and why did the ancient Olympic Games cease to be held?

Analysis

1. Reread "Athens as a Center for the Study of Philosophy" in Chapter 6 of your textbook. In what ways could the Olympic Games be understood as an expression of the Greek concept of aretê?

2. Reread "Politics and Culture in Athens, 480–404 B.C.E." in Chapter 6 of your textbook. What factors would have permitted Athens to be so generous to its victorious athletes?

3. Review "The Rise of the Greek City-State, 800–500 B.C.E." in Chapter 6 of your textbook. From what sector of the city-state population do you think Olympian athletes came? Why?

Outside Sources

1. collected excerpts from ancient accounts of the Olympic Games. Of particular interest is that of the Athenian historian Xenophon (use the link to go down to his text). What was Xenophon's attitude toward the games?

2. includes information and ancient Greek images of Olympic events. What are those events? Which ones have modern equivalents, and how were the ancient versions different?

3. is devoted to the history of the ancient Olympics. Read the introduction: what happened at the first recorded games in 776 B.C.E.? Use the links to learn more about the athletes, women, and other topics.

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