The First Olympics
The early Greek games were not as pristine as we like to imagine
Some modern scholars have argued that the Greek custom of disrobing before engaging in athletics hearkened back to hunters' rituals. Others believe that it was symbolic of the democratic nature of Greek sports. "But only recently have we begun to admit that ancient athletics had an erotic dimension," comments Donald Kyle, professor of history at the University of Texas-Arlington. The Greeks not only competed in the buff; they oiled themselves beforehand until they glistened. Not surprisingly, gymnasiums, to which most freeborn Greek men belonged, were prime pickup spots, where older men chased buff, beautiful youths.
Few athletes stayed gorgeous for long, however. Boxing and the pankration were particularly brutal events. Ancient bronzes and reliefs of competitors depict facial gashes, cauliflower ears, and bloodied, broken noses. In Olympic boxing, most blows were directed to the head, and contestants wore a tough, laminated "glove" designed to protect the hand rather than face, reports Stephen Miller in his recent book Ancient Greek Athletics. Matches had no rounds or time limits--contests ended when one man couldn't continue or signaled defeat by raising a finger on one hand.
During one infamous match that had dragged on into early evening, the contestants, Damoxenos of Syracuse and Kreugas of Epidamnos, agreed that each would accept an undefended blow. Kreugas went first, delivering a punch to his opponent's head. Still standing, Damoxenos jabbed Kreugas with his fingers straight out, piercing his rib cage. Damoxenos yanked out his intestines, killing him on the spot. Damoxenos was expelled, although seemingly on a technicality: The judges deemed the disemboweling to be several blows (one for each finger) instead of the single agreed-upon blow.
The pankration , the most popular of the contact sports at Olympia, was a vicious mix of wrestling, boxing, and street fighting in which punches, kicks to the groin, shoulder and ankle dislocations, and chokeholds all were allowed. Only biting and eye gouging were forbidden. One famed pankratiast at the 364 B.C. Olympics, who specialized in breaking his opponents' fingers, earned the nickname "Mr. Digits."
The dramatic and often-lethal four-horse chariot race must have had much the same lure for the ancients as stock car racing has for spectators today. Forty teams with brightly painted chariots crowded the track, known as the hippodrome. The race consisted of 12 laps around the course--and two turning posts, the loci of innumerable spills and collisions. A passage by Sophocles paints a lurid picture of one crash: "As the crowd saw the driver somersault, there rose a wail of pity for the youth, as he was bounced onto the ground, then flung head over heels into the sky. When his companions caught the runaway team and freed the blood-stained corpse from his rig, he was disfigured and marred past the recognition of his best friend."
Paid amateurs. The idea that the ancient Olympics took place under amateur rules is "nonsense," according to David Young, a professor of classics at the University of Florida and author of A Brief History of the Olympic Games. First of all, victors profited royally from their wins. Many cities gave them free meals and front-row seats at local sporting events for the rest of their lives. They were also presented with oxen, generous pensions, huge cash prizes, and even slaves. By the early sixth century B.C., Athens awarded victors 500 drachmas--the equivalent of $700,000 today. The money was a form of insurance as well as a reward for a job well done: Athletes usually competed for their native cities, but some accepted money to switch allegiances--not unlike free agency today. Astylos of Kroton, for instance, won in 480 for Syracuse after winning in 488 and 484 for Kroton.
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