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Ancient Greece Sports

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Importance to the civilization.

Sports were important to the ancient Greeks because there were many ways they used sports to help them. Physical fitness was important in ancient Greece too. Sports gave something for everybody to do. Men trained and trained which helped them become fit to compete. Men went out to public gyms, for fun or for training. Some children trained as early as the age of 7! Most women took care of the house, but some women were able to go to gyms and train like men. The training of sports for women was also the same purpose of training men. Some of the prizes for winning events were fame, drachmas (money), statues or paintings of themselves. So some athletes became famous and rich just by being able to play.

Impact on the civilization.

One of the impact sports had on ancient Greece was warfare. Training and training for sports gave them strength, speed, stamina, and everything that would help them in warfare. Having this advantage, they gained more and more land. That built their civilization even larger. The ancient Greeks gained more land by destroying nearby countries with their advantage of being more athletic than their opponents. They even had games when you had to race in armor to be prepared to carry all that weight like you would in a war. Some sports such as running, javelin, and chariot races used armor or weapons that they would use in war. The running helped them cover more ground in less time, javelin would help then throw spears and carry heavy items, and chariot races would help them have balance while they’re standing on the chariot. Having strength would also help them carry heavy things like weapons, metal, and the stones that go in catapults.

Change the culture.

Sports affected the culture of ancient Greece because the culture of sports got more competitive and more entertaining to watch. Some of the people slept right outside of the stadium. When the games were on, food sellers would go and sell food to the people that were just awakening. They took the games so seriously, that some of them left their families just to go see a game. They cheered on their favorite athletes. Like they do at modern day arenas, stadiums, etc., they made statues of famous people. Another way sports changed the culture was the way that they ate. Not only athletes, but peasants tried to eat healthy so they could have good bodies. The peasant thought if they could become an athlete, they would eventually become a soldier, and I it would be an honor to protect their country. The athletes sometimes poured olive oil on themselves to show off their muscles and they were very proud of their bodies.

What part of society?

The part of society that participated in competitive sports were the young and ordinary people. Men were allowed to go to public gyms and train. They chose young people so that they could participate longer in the games. If an athlete was really good, the game makers could make even more money by selling autographs from the athlete. Also, if the athlete was young and good, they could take him to warfare and help them win wars. If you were very rich at the time, you could buy special equipment or to help you stay fit for a long time. If you were poor, you could still work out at gyms but you were limited to what you could use.

Most interesting part of research?

The most interesting part of my research was when I learned what they do with the cheaters or the champions. It depends on how badly they cheated, but they could be banned or killed. Today, they will take away your awards or ban you from the sport. But since they didn’t have steroids, or performing enhancing drugs, you could only be banned for cheating. Depending on how big the cheat was, they could be killed for cheating. Like today, champions were given lots of money, awards, or a trophy. Not only did they get plenty of money, they could have a statue or an honor for them. It also depended on what they did in the competition. Even if they didn’t win the game, they could win an award for good sportsmanship.

Compare and Contrast

There are many differences between modern sports and sports from back then. Some of them include rules, clothing, and awards. There are also many sports today, but we still use the ones that they used in ancient Greece. One of the most important sporting events today is the Olympics, started in ancient Greece. Some of the sports that are in the Olympics were played in ancient Greece: long jump, running, javelin, wrestling, boxing, and discus. Some of the equipment has changed also. Like, now we have boxing gloves but then they had wrapped some sort of leather that just made it hurt more when you got hit. Also, the long jump had these weights that help you swing your arms stronger, which made you jump further. The disc for discus was four kilograms heavier than modern day discuses. Some of the ways that they are the same are they are very big worldwide. Many countries have tried to make as great of accomplishments as the ancient Greeks, but they are the best in sports. As you can see, there are many differences between modern day sports and ancient Greek sports.

Bibliography

Nardo, Dan. Life in Ancient Athens .San Diego, California. Lucent Books, 2000. 55-66.

Nardo, Dan. The Ancient Greeks. San Diego, California. Juvenile literature, 2001. 61-76.

Ross, Stewart. The Original Olympics. Chicago, Illinois. NTC/ Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc., 1999. 4-47

“Ancient Greek Games”. History and Science for Kids: October 5th 2012. (Feb. 27th 2013).
http://www.historyforkids.org

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