Welcome to ff GREEK ff MYTHOLOGY ‘cient Greek myths and lends have been tld through the writen word on the pages of great books, poems ply and film scrips, the imagery on pottery, artists’ canvases and sculptures and even through spoken word throughout history. The tales that have captivated many a mind have served a gest moral triumphs and Jessons and have highlighted the many pif, imperfections and crucial mistakes of the infamous gods, geldesses and heroes of whom they ae based upon. The Book of Greek Mythology will explore the origins of mythology in Ancient Greece and ow the belief systems in Greece shaped their society into one ofthe greatest empires Sn history. wil als look tthe influence an impact ofthe great legends on both the Ancient Greek people and the many great mings that have drawn inspiration from them in the thousands of yeas sine. Fac wil be separated from the fiction and the stores explored as we discover the legend of Mount Olympus andthe Underwot the divine deities; Zeus, Aphrodite. Hera, Hades and Persephone and the rat beasts: Seyla, Pegasus and Cyclops. Final, we wil find out how the all aes hive westhered over me with the intelectual breakthroughs in philosophy and psychology and exactly what their lasting legacy looks like today,4 L FUTURE 4 rGRE MYTNOLOGY[2/2 +)/SEe) SE) Se) SES) See) Se) See) + /Seele CONTENT eoeoooooooee BEE) [+See [+See 75 LIFE & SOCIETY 10 Map of Ancient Greece 12. The beginnings of Ancient Greece | 20. Everyday life in Ancient Greece 30. The Ancient Olympics 36 The art of architecture 40 Greek temples 42. The Greeks and their religion= oe GENDS 8. Greek god family tree 4 Dawn of Greek deities Olympus: Home of the gods The Twelve Olympians Death and the Underworld 74 Divinities of death 76 Greek legend 82. The lessons of Greek myths 92. Beasts of myth and legend 102 Secrets of the Oracle 108 The truth behind the Trojan War ART & CULTURE 118 The legend of Homer 122 Art and myth 128 The philosophy of Ancient Greece 134 Modern perspectives on Greek mythology 138 Legacy of the Greek myths Sere) [eet] ere [+] [ered |) [1LIFE & EIR iss a4 Discover how Greek society developed through the years to become one of the greatest empires in history 10 Map of Ancient Greece ORM ce we(crme sarin led PAV ecoecne 36 The art of architecture Ancient Greece 40 Greek temples DO Nes eVanCSUeetstaecced COMM VRE eR tloie itaryuo sreak QOO'Z JeA0 artdsut pure aouenyjul 0} sanuru0D a0eel5 JUSDUY ‘YONI Os POM dU} aAes Jey} PURT [[ELIS V HOAAWO LNHAHION V Jee) Fee) eee) eee) Fee) ems) eee) eee) -) eee) eee) [elol: 0Apo} I OU aM se PLIOM 3} Uo Jed esny e aAey O} UO O38 a P[NOM Jeu) Pury sIqexeWeIUN UY,+) SEIe) ble) [+] See) Ee) -) See) See) (+) eee) THE BEGINNINGS OF ANCIENT GREECE From the dark beginnings of human civilisation, understanding of sien diteren long been seen asthe rah Westen cvilisaton. Having raced the heights of almost al aspects a " the forall manner cf natural phenomena, and our Greece has been a fascinating country on the forefront of human development in the West ce, with its my would often find themselves isolated by the local topography, which then led to the formation yimpie Games nd historiography. tng that the A nd madi Found part ofthe Aegean cv n ad traders based out of the islands of for 3200 to 1100 onuinued bumLife & Sociely Sele) [+] See) [+] Sch SEE) +) See) (+) See) SEE begin spoaking Greek, om 1650 to 1200 BCE, "he So vast were the yclopean walls after the one-eyed mythical monster, asi thought only glans could have moved ‘vith a foundation on which they constructed their oor pantheon, and the creation myth ofthe began in this peo. a of the Mycenaeans came a period owas te Greek Dark Ages, an era that gained from aroun 100 to 800 BCE tl us what happened, I his time thatthe fabled Trojan War +, While the ety has ed, the exact deals ofthe actual ‘war remain fuzz, and are so interwoven with mythology thatthe two ave become almest e begin to find ciate with beng the orale at proninent feature n Grek than 1000 years, the orace would he ers of the varios sof war and plies ‘Only fv years later, 796 BCE the fest ‘olympic Games was held, Akhough a far cry rom ‘the modem version, and despite only having one lever. the event stared 2 competitive tation that woul as until te ath centr when i as A Romans ThThe beginnings of Ancient Greece Eealere|a[See}alereya[Sce yao Swe Bee] ing of some ofits most famous events. ‘Ths was also an age of colonisation forthe Greeks, with settlements eropping up in all the ilands of the Aegean Sea and the coastline of Asia Minor, in modern-day Turkey. Coionls further afield were also founded dtiven by the need for food, which ‘could not come from Greece ‘de to its lack of arable land ‘These incladed the southern tip of taly and Scythe cosine around the Black Sea, anda few cations onthe eran and Afcan coasts This was als the time wwhen Greek ces would ‘make the shi from ‘menarche into epbls, or poles, and they would contol the surtounding Land The two great ciystates, Athens and Sparta began their seo power ‘during this petod Sparta i famous forts linense militaristic society boasting to have created he toughest sods the word has ever seen, Meare Athens is seen as the birthplace of democracy at influential palosophers Next came the Classical period golden age of sorts, where grand ideas like Greek democracy really came to the fortron, and famcus buisings suchas the Acropolis and the Parthenon in “tens were bull was roughly stuated between the Persian invasions andthe nse and fall of ‘Alexander the Great. and the period OC host to many great names ike the philosophers Socrates, Plato ni Aristotle, However, tis was also a time of warfare. with the titanic Greco Persian Wars seeing the Greek archpelgo invaded by one cf the largest armies to have ever been recorded, and the Peloponnesian Wat which saw the great Athenian ani Spartan empires vie for supremacy overall of Greece ease! unl the ath century BCE that King Philip of Macedonia began tobind them into one cohesive unt, What Pip started would be completed by his son, Alexander known as Alexander the Great - who crushed Pera) Mati Fesstert Presi tity Ces enced Mediterranean triad: all resistance in is path In Alexander's short, Me be would carve out a vast empire that would ‘encompass al of Greece, moder-ay ra and Iran, the Levant, Egypt, and rach even as far 3s Indi Although the empire colapsed shorty after his ‘death, tdi herald the Hellenistic prio, in which (Geek culture was spread fr and wide throughout the known world at the time. ‘The fall of Alexanders ery subsequent carving up by his foundation forthe rise of Rome. Around 100 years aftr Alexanders death nthe 2nd century BCE, the Greek cystates would fall othe miltary right ofthe Roman Republe While Rome vasa foreign invader, much of Roman cukue, such as their pantheon of ands was borrowee from the GGreks, andthe Greek sil agely influenced the Romans during this time ‘But while this was the fll f mainland Greece, smal pocket of Hellenistic culture, the Ptolemaic ‘dynasty of Faypt, wasnt overthrown until 30 CE after the naval battle at Acta. So named after the Macedonian general Poly, the dynasty would fall ith Cleopatra VIL, who Would take her own fe vith her Rornan loves, Matk Antony. However, despite the apparent end ofthe Greek peoples as they were assimilated into Rome, Hellenistic culture stil spread throughout the Mediterranean and paved the way forthe evolution ‘f Wester evlisaton that we all now know today 5Life & Society SE) See) >) See See) - See >) See) See) See -)Seelee 8000-479 BCE react @First OlympicGames A 776 BCE 18000-1300 BCE = F riginating as festival to honour ‘ex, the chief of the gods, the ‘lym Games grow into a national stime that champions the competitive spit of the Greek people ‘Thefirst games only have cne event, which isa sprint near the sacrificial aa, bt san grow to inelude many tifferent sports, such as wrestling and chariot racing. Competitors and Eatly archaeological evidence points to numan habitation stretching back to the Neolithic period Through this and the Bronze Age. the Aegean Civilisation comes into being. This ‘sablanket term forthe diferent soups living on mainland Greece. ‘Aegean Islands and Crete historical ecrds for them, we ely ‘on archaeological ancl aeraph spectators flock othe sanctuary at E findings to gain an understanding Mount clympus every four years to However we doknow that ade nd watch this spectacle, ard itendures commerce payed alge ein thelr alms 1000 years unt ts outlawed survival With farmland being at by the Roman emperor Theodoss, premium in Greece the ait 10 who banned al pagan worship asthe Frade allows these civilisations to & | erpire converted to Christianity sustain themsoies Philosopher ‘i Cretan erty Orerecenetect! his follo Deru Petes sy Cone neeaty eae y oe 02mm SS A 2 meseapenlesspen & ndot yeni ciation 1400 BCE ‘The Mycenaean Gilston sa Precursor to Greek cision From ther citadel the elteof the Nyeengean society Nourshes. They alo have contact with the Minoans (of Crete, a the Mycenaean are inflaenced by the sland cule, pecially n the craton of at The (Geeks aren ave ofthe Mycenaeans and coupled with advanced drainage and inigation systems, the visation ‘conducts trade throughs the Mediterranean worl. ‘Tensions between Sparta and Messenia came ta headin the fst a seis of conflicts between the two ‘tystates, A ade deal tums bloc apd then escalates into a fullscale ‘war bur the Spartans achieve victory within a year gaining substantial wealth asa result. Meanwhile Messenia'sforably depopulata, with ts inabeants either wilingly ‘migrating or being ensiaved by the ‘Spartans. These slaves arty rebel against their masters but are swiftly eatThe beginnings of Ancient Greece le) [+] SSS) (+) See! [+] Sele) +) BES) +) See) [+] See) [+] See) (+) See! (+) See! in Athens 594 BCE Is the Athenian statesman Solon ‘who champions the beginnings of democracy in Athens. and by fextenson the Western world Such Ishi influence that he achieves an almose mythical status in ater years, and is regarded asa founding father ofthe ciystate Dring his fete Athens undergoes an econo rss ‘where much ofthe arable farmland is held bya smal group of aristocrats Solon Sets about restructuring the sia system so that assigns people to wealth rackets based on fncome, He also verses the creation ‘of new lav codes, making the system mach far fr the maj ofthe population. Asa result, Solon ‘successfully ys the foondations of a Political system tbat has since been ‘aloped all ver the word Battle of Plataea 479 BCE ‘While the Greeks had foughe bravely the year before they had been soundly eft. and Xenses looks poised to sweep over esistanceinthe 4 sumnmet of 479 BCE. On the potter plateau of Pataea ‘the ewo armies dra up ether wanting 0 crass aver in the mide of ‘hebttefid ad neal up their formations The Persians mistake a Greek reat fora route and charge across therier anu they are soundly defeated by te savage Spartan hopes. Many of the Petsian sides are laughter when Athenians attack their camp. and Persias Ambion of Greece are lost. ‘The precusor tothe Greco Persian wars the Ionian evo sce the Gres cconiee of sa Minar e up against tes Persian ‘overiords. Unpopular local tyrants and bundled itary operations set the soene, ‘with mainland Greece sending supplies and men toa their countrymen. The Teeians ae the fst to goon the offensive by burning Suds. an impetan cy in the Pessian Empire Then the Pasian military machine proves tobe too strong after five ‘years of defensive iting the fonians are besten into submission and come under the rue ofthe Persian kings ‘After te defeat at Marathon, the Persians regioup under King Xerses who launches another invasion of Greece. In an temps to head off the invaders, the Greeks muster a fet of mote than 200 ships in the uals ofArtemisium, The massive Persian fet, over 1.200 strong, loses roughly one thi ofits stent to stormy weather andthe Gree coastline, ba use ts numbers to force the Greeks back. lt allows the Greeks 0 gin valuable insights into Persian tactics and thus shatter te aura cof imincitaty ofthe Persian war machine 0Life & Sociely 479 BCE - 1896 ‘@ Victory or defeat 79 BCE ‘Aes the Grek victors gat the Persians char tha nan Geece is sf rom fate iva Of the back ofthis Athens forms the Dlan League smallanceofundreds of iy sates tat vl collboate and continue to the Persan Empire While neble cae fom a Grek perspective the Atherans soon begin wwe the navy tht the legue tad ered forts cm ses, The league essentially becomes the heron Ema 2s Aen now as henna might bully any wayward cysteine “This soon rns ent cont ath Saget (@ start of Peloponnesian War 431 BCE ‘The growing power of Athens sof reat concer to Sparta but the final saws ‘Aens' pln to rebuilt extensive harbour fotiatons that Sparta far wil push undecied ctstates overt the Athenian se “The spark that ignites the conflict is ver the cy of Petia wich fal under Sparta ard is Peoponnesan League’ sphere of inflaence Promising protection fom Athenian aggression, the station scales to open war After along cenit. the Spartans smash the ther vy St Aegepotams wth ancl help fem hee ld eneey Pes @ The King’s Peace 387 8ce ‘As the Peloponnesian War aw resentment against Athens as one ofits main ‘ass, othe Corinthian War was fuelled by anger against Sparta The conflict saw Sparta gain an early upper band on land but decisively got beaten at sea by Persian feet Subsequent erst gains by Athens caused the Pessans to ally th Sparta, which brought the remaining Gree ales tothe negciting table ‘The Peace of Anakidas ofthe Kings Peace. sees Persia tae cota ites in Asa Minor and places like Cyprus inthe Aegean. This ensures that the Pesan see of infhuence can ence agin interfere in Greek affairs a the peace accord almest ironically - does nt bring peace to mainland Grece where intermittent conflicts rage for years after. of the known world 336323 BCE Having inberted a vel trained and professional any from his father, a young Alexander turns his insatiable hunger fr conquest tothe entre known, world, Alexander hasbeen fe store of his divine status, an may believe himself to be a derigad His charisma and energy gun him many loyal followers and in sting of victories he conquers (Greece. Rgypt andthe Ptsian Empire His army, having marched thousands of klomettes from, home, revoks when it reaches India and hes forced to tur back. After a heavy drinking session that aves Alexander weak and fever ridden one ofthe greatest generals in history passes away aged only 2.Sree set eee log : in Ancient Greec ees Poet Greek allies, sees Macedon's sats BT ae 18a major power be stripped frequently curled way. Rha sided with the aan Sathaghans dng the Second Pun War sa paced dine 0 ee rome the te ot : Seg rercerens 2 cen Hae Barca sees Rame 30 BCE sph troops to ? When Alexander the Great dies one of his generals Ptolemy, ring to hee, Over a z z instal bimself as ruler of Egypt. From him springs the Ptolemaic rolonged conti, the + dynasty that ules the Ne fr close to 300 years While mainland facedonian phan (Grece firmly under the thumb of Rome, Egypt ts Grek proves no match forthe ruling cass sill has a measure of independence. This comes # Roman legion and by the : oan end with ts hs queen Cleopta, and bet doomed love nd century BCE, the on fas with both lls Caesar and Mark Antony to of the moet eat mation has been vied into Powerful men in the Roman Repubbc. After istigaing cil war he new Roman provinces of Achaea against Octavian, the sorso-be fist Roman emperor, Antony and ‘Ceepatra commit suicide ending the Greek: lineof pharaohs — <((— ee — . | Foundation ofthe Achaea 6 fae orca stenced iieenteatenensseay Feiner none : tispenet yates tom a rottn eines tegrde ebh & ‘Tamer toh sonnet ‘hey come cre win Sar. ‘Neto a itrRone a coereee ‘redox tae a pagan is, During the Fist Mitac Wa fought to sem the Ramans growing inence in a, Roman army’ under the command ‘of General Sl lays seg to ‘Athens. Stripping the surrounding ‘ourtzyside of wood and valuables ‘Theancien Olympics are finally revived, but the emphasis changes from the need to win at all cost ‘one of sportsmanship. A nev event s added that was conspicuously absere from the ancient games: the marathon named afte the Bate of Marathon ‘where a runner named Phedippides dha aced over 46 hlometrs to bring news ofthe victory to Athens, This reincaraticn abo ses Athens become the new seat ofthe games Olympia, no longer needed fr its eligious ssgnifcance, hasbeen sidelined ‘ens ssid to have been so great that blood was flowing inthe sees, “Theaftermath leaves no room for eT es ambiguity tis Rome. no Athens ie thats the cultural and political heart, ofthe Medteranean. 8Seep See) >) eel) See) (-) eel |) Sel) See) 20 EVERY DAY LIFE IN ANCIENT GREECE From the wealthiest citizens to the poorest slaves, discover what day-to-day life was like in the city-states ‘story often concentrates on the feats of great men, and that of ‘Ancient Greece i no diferent generations of historians have ‘written courless books about ‘Alexander the Gres, Homer and Socrates. But what about the average Greek who lived and die in the city-states ‘without evr leading an amy, penning an epic poem or founding anew Plullosopy? What did they do, where di they live, and what were they taught during this time? Fragnentary documents, ecards and archaeological evidence are providing the answers, ‘The musings of philosophers often shed light on everyday activities while epic poms describe the lives ofthe characters they feature Achaclogists have unearthed te foundations of houses and analysed them to werk out what happened inside, ‘The objects they have found also provide ches dacorated vases show household scenes, acd ‘discarded rubbish tells us about tool used in the workplace Soctal historians have pieced all together to plot the lives ofthe Ancient Greeks from cradle to grave ‘Clasial Athens left more sources of information than any other citystate~ its population was mote Irate than any oer inthe world and there is an abundance of archaeological remain, 0 much ‘of what we know about Ancient ece is based on these, But ko know plenty about he cnystate cf Sparta ~ although its population was famousy iterate -seneratons of historians have found the ware city-state tobe a fascinating study Elsewhere in ancient, Greece, sources are lacking: foretample our knowledge of everyday life in Macedonia before ‘Alexander the Gret is shrouded in the mists of milennt, Join us ona jourey to the pas to fnd out mare about Lycos the slave ceramics, Cephatus the Shield maker and Pasion the money lender. This is Tess of story about great kings and gest minds, and more about work, rest and play forthe average ‘Greek member of societyveryday life in Ancient GreLife & Society EEE eel See) >See) Stel) See) +) See) Stel See) e 2 ; = HOW WAS SOCIETY STRUCTU The hopes stood shoulder o shoulder ry 0 Steerer hy canted peal the ere a te ssa hi thatched with is nego to Create along wal. nial the spenmen wee vueabe Together they presenta united and Sto ont =the mere pl. “The socal sacar that defined the ity-tates cane ced bck tothe atin oder, tofuncin effect the plane equ 3 lage number soles who vere commited 0 rinnningthe formation Tech soir hey strep the cyte owe hy phe {hy would be ore He tsa song onthe tatfeld Tus the en Grek czas season ifevery man wa bod etn the Dilan on he butte they should alo be Sound to pol partition nthe cya Theroet demanding cy fr actizen was sevice inthe alan hen call pen =a consi tht most yt went o warn thie out of every fou ens they wa be cle pon fen but they aloha ev respensbiies They dose on men jue re 0 brevet any Biber theres ae mos Er calledtsrve on the Cou of 500, which was essential the government They would ceive Imoderate payment other dts Du ne mich roe than atoken gesture Wey eizens were pct py tat ies of emergency ich fs hrng the Peloponnesian Va an were aso Subject tours pay fr spec things Dethap ate asta ora new gyinasum, flowing the Pesan Wats ofthe ea Sth century These sponsorships werent sen as autdenand BCEas knlans ed toa place of safe They were diferent cies competed to provide te best fered to py a pol tx one acho pe month fetes rte se ce ne taaveeat unis contin’ RED? sa" ue — oe sees (ETRE) Ss svete liable for mitary werk dane by slaves enabled service, they didnot have cetizens to have the time to ctzenship and were unable ‘ake pat inthe democratic to vere ald office or own system, Save-owning was usally land. They di however, have the smal sale as lite proft vast be right to judicial representation made in the buying an seling of them, Despite the disadvantages of being 3 An unskila slave typically cost around 200 metic Athens received a floed of immigrants ‘rachmae. of 200 mes the amount ofa workers Creole)Everyday life in Ancient Greece Ele) [+See peril Cometic te Ci) “The spring festival in honour of Dionysus was particularly raucous’ oe male relatives Most of thei ie, weaving and playing lh se Since shopping honouring Demeter and the suoce pen was often ite better than The sping festival in honour of ion especialy in Athens, Weren «hed fem politcal participation, cc i property in their own ight and were re usualy dependent on ther husband father ce wide berthLife & Society EEE See) See) >See) See) See) +) See) See) See) e 24 WHAT WAS DOMESTIC LIFE LIKE? Eatly Greek houses tended tobe simple two-00m ) See) Stel See) +) Seal) See) eel] e 28 WHAT JOBS DID GREEKS DO? Formest Ancient Greek men, the eal vay to spend life was asa gentleman of leisure Released fom the need to work wv. sucha gentleman could dedicate himself to the politcal and socal jblgatons placed upon them bythe ctystate. If actzen was to play his oe in cect democracy to fal effect he should be wel informed and able to take part in the discussions and debates that mauled policy ‘Yet the vast majority of Greeks were not sou that they could spend thelr days gossiping in the agora Mote than half of Attica’ population worked in the countryside - although many lived inside the city wall for securgy- tending small pls of land that they either owned themselves or rented from ricer landlaeds in rerum fora pecentage of ‘the yield, Barley and wheat were the staple crops, supplemented bythe likes of olives, cabbage, ‘onions alte, For those who worked within the ety walls, the majority were tradesmen Who sata the day to ay needs ofthe population: blacksmiths sculptors, aloes, carpenters and so on. Many were cizens, ikhough undoubeedly ofa lower social class than ‘the gentry, but others wer foreign-born metic corslaves who were engaged in a ade cn behalf ‘oftheir aver. These slaves had a dace of independence n ther Ives compared to those who \wotked inthe house as domestic servants, but any ‘money they made would belong to their wer ~ akhough some were allowed to keep a small share Among the slave artisans who are known to have ‘worked in Athens was Lydos wio stamped ‘Lydos {the slave on any vases he produced. ‘Some tradesmen coud gnn extraordinary wealth through ther killed hands. When Demosthenes the knife maker led, he lft behind an estate equivalent to 220 times the annual salary ofa labourer. ‘When Cephalus of Syracuse secupashielé making, ‘wotkshop in Piraeus, his business grew tothe extent that he had 20 shves working under him. However, sucess on such a scale was rae and Demosthenes and Cephalus were exeptions. I wast Just slaves wibo were employed by the mote succesful sdesmen = poorer ctzens would be given obs in workshops oo, hough being in the employ of other Greeks was considered an embarassment. I waa satus pethaps even lower Pest mn discovered gue serene te Sotaecs ‘than that ofa lave, because at least a slave had a degree of ob secu, ‘4s trade routes developed, connecting Greeks to each ther and the wider world. inckading Perso India, Brain and China cty-states began to specialise in certain rads, Corin was ‘known forts ceramicists who crafted the pottery amiphora that cari ove oil and wine ‘actos Greece and the know weed, although ts coramicists Wete ater displaced by those fiom Athens, Carn later found anew speciality in metalwork winle the best textiles came from Miletus andthe best, parchment fom te ety of Keramelkos (One resi of increased trade and prosperity was the groweh of anew Industry hanking and money lending. Merchants wo could not afford large outlays of money would borrow using eters of cre repaying what they owed on the completion oftheir voyages. tle to the development of ‘complied financial system that requzed some Ionian city-states to employ financial advisers to oop track of the flow of money I also provided rae opportunity for advancement. In Athens, ‘ave called Pasion showed such wit when running a money lending table that he was ewarded with his freedom. He inberted his ol owners banking busines, established a shield factory and gifted L000 shields and triteme to the state for which be was rewarded with Athenian citizenship - 2 spectacular ise fora former slave ‘Aches offshoot from Athenian prospeity was an element of socal securty, one which allowed oor citizens tobe employe as rowers inthe navy and the eleryto serv a jurors. Tradesmen ‘were employed to build grand civic buildings lke {the Parthenon. Those working forthe state were paid one dtachma per day, no matter what the \wotk, and were expected to tol fom dawn to late aftemoon regardless ofthe season. ‘The one place where no Geek ever wanted 10 nd up working was the mines So harific wore ‘the conditions thee that slavery was almost ubiquitous - few free men would ever stoop so Jow. The slvr mines at Laurium and gold mines at Mount Pangaeus claimed many ives, including hose of young slave children who were tasked ‘with crawling through the smallest tunnels often 100 metres underground,Everyday life in Ancient Greece ES EES Ess EES ESSE GsS ees ESS eeS Tere ie Garnet ot yc anes teh re rturmngo ea age ‘om ste 23EEE See) See) >) See) Stel) See) >) See) Stel See) e 30 THE ANCIENT OLYMPICS Explore the origins of the Olympics, from the festival, athletes and events to the mythology very four years fom 776 BCE © around 425 CE competitors and spectators locked to a sanctuary in southern Greece to participate in one ofthe mast extraordinary events ‘fhe anient work twas a fesval in honour ‘oF Zeus, king ofthe gods, who rule fom the snow-capped peaks of Moune Olympus f3 othe roth, Indeed it was fom Olympian Zeus thatthe location ofthe sanctuary was named: Olympia, The festival had humble gins In its ently yeas, partcpants came manly from Els, the cy just under 65 kilometres away tha controled the sanctuary. On the maming following the August full moon they sang hymns, chanted prayers, ard sacrificed exen to Zeus, burning the bones and fat ‘on the altar as an offering before cooking the meat for that evening’ banquet As the mouth-watering arotnas filled the ait, many of those present made their way a ite tothe eas stripped down to thet Ieinclths- only from 720 BCE were competitors raked - and while the rest looked on raced back tothe finishing ine neat the altar. The distance, around 180 metres, was called in Greek a sade the eign of oar word 'staium: In 30 seconds the race was ove, and in 776 BCE the winner was rocaimed. He was a local baker called Coroebus, that years ony victor, for the foot race was the ‘oly contest. The Olympic Games began as one Olympic game So remained fortwo generations, but fom 724 BCE other events were introduced, and the reputation ofthe festival began to spread Coincidentally this was atime of new beginnings forthe Greeks, as many mainland cites sent shiploads of tizens to plant new settlements in foreign lands from Marseilles in the west t0 ‘Byzantium in the east, an rom Cyrene in Libya tw Bpidammnas in modem Albania. As the Geek fooeprint expanded, Greeks fla growing need to maintain, or create a cultural entity The sth century BCE historian Herodoms writes that what ‘united them was “kinship in blood and speech, the shrines of god the sacrifices that we have In common, and the salary of our Mest” He might have added ‘competitiveness, because inspiring almost every Greok was the advice given to Achilles in the lad. poer ike the Olympics with its roots in the th century BCE: Always to be best and to surpass ll thers: ‘AS the a witht ales of bravery clminating In funeral games for Parocus, was fuelling the Greeks imaginations, the seting where they could locate themselves asthe tru hers ofthe heroes cf the Trojan War was fst becoming recognised as Olympia and although other sports elated festivals speang up ~ notably at Delph, Corinth and [Nemes the Olympls reigned supreme. By the {th century BCE, competitors were ariving from allover the Greek weld and, whem in the eat Sth century mainland Greeks successfully Fought of the Persian invasions while Selian Gree defeated ‘he Carthaginlans and Eruscans twas at Olympla tha they made offering of thanks, As the festivals status gre the Games expand to cover five days. At the same time, ‘ew opportunities to display power through socrfce and banquets meant that Olympia wasLife & Sociely EEE See) >See) >) See +) Stel) See) +) See) See) eel] e 82 “Olympia was now attracting not just athletes but the rich and influential’ ow attracting not just athletes but the rich and Inui, a well as kings and politicians eager to sut the intemational stage, bold highteve conferences and nepcite high profile deals, Many were keen to compet inte chariot ace, the CCames' most expensive event. Among ther was Alexander King of Macedon, hese people many considered not to be pure Greeks. In 504 BCE, he succesfully proved his eligi by tracing his ancestors back othe Peloponnesian city of Ars. ‘Almest a century later in 416 BCE, the Athenian playboy politician Alcbades too use the Olympic Chart rae to proclaim his wealth and power by entering an unrivalled seven teams, Unsurprisingly he won, and to celebrate he entertained the spectators toa banquet. pai orn prt by his ‘wealthy backers from the Aegean islands of Chios and Lesbos ‘Meanwhile, asthe numbers of attendees swelled, others were attracted, too not just merchants hoping to make valuable sks, but wnters Sach as Herodotus, wo read his Histories from the portico of Zeus temple; artists such as Zeus, the inventor fof rampe fol, who wafted round OWmpa in a cloak advertising his name n golden eters; and Poets ike the paise-singer Pindar, eager to win ‘commision fom victorious athletes, Although the farseeing orator Isocrates used the panhllenic sathering to make hearfk plas for Greek unity in the face of strong aggressors they fll on dea ers. At he battle of Chaetona in 238 BCE, Philp Ito ‘Macedon defeated the mainland Greek states and ‘marked his victory by erecting his Pulppeton =a round temple containing sates of himself and his family ~at Olympia next to the Tempe of Hera. wile of Zeus Under the Reman Empite the Olympics continued to tv, though ocrasonally an emperor might bend the rules, In 67 CE, Nero not only rescheduled the Games to alow him to take pat he aso tied to show his prowess by driving his own ter horse cao. But nothing went to| plan. His biographer Suetonius records: "He fl from his chariot and was heped back i, but he could ‘ot continue and gave up before the end. Even so be won the victo’s cw Atlast Christianity put pa tothe Olympic Festiva. Afterall twas honour ofa pagan god (Outlawed in 391 CE by the Cristian Emperor ‘Theodosius, the Olympics struggled on for anater 30 years, however, by 425 CE the Games MYTHOLOGY All asia accounts of the Olympics ergins ‘involved mythology Some maintained that it was at Olympia that Zeus defeated his father Cromis and assumed control of gods ate mortals Others ‘aimed that Heracles established the fist Games to celebrate his victory over the lca King Augeas, ‘who Tad refused to pay the hero for one of his 12 Tabours cleansing the royal stables Sill others disagreed, For them, the founder ‘ofthe Games was Pops an Ionian prince from Pocaa (modesn Foca in Turkey). Leaming thatthe wealthy Greek King Oenomacus was offering his daughter, Hippodamia in marriage to ‘whomever beat him in a chara race, Peops was ‘determined to win. Eventhough he possessed ‘team of magical horses asf from the ged Poseidon he tok no chances He brbed the chariot technician, Myraus, to remove the lynch pins from Oenemaeus wieels and subsite them with ‘wax replicas. AS the wheels rotated ever faster, the friction made thes lynch pins mel the charct collapsed and Cenomaeus was dragged to an ‘excruciating death. However instead of honcuring his side ofthe agreement to lt Myris sleep ‘with Hippodamia Pelops threw him offa cif But Myris ghost haunted Peps, and the ony way he could appease it was by performing funeral ‘ames the fire Olympic Games, ‘The influence of ll three fcundation myths ‘were fet at Oympia. Dominating the Als was a magnificent Temple of Zeus, within whose incense Jaden inner chamber was a stunning statue of the seated god wearing the olive crown, awarded to victorious athletes. Crested in a specially built ‘onsite workshop by the Athenian sculptor Phils, itwas 12 metres high and faed in gold and ory, the only cme of the Seven Wonders ofthe ancient ‘Werld located on Greek so Sach wa its minous ‘beauty that even the 2nd-centary Ste philosopher Epictetus enthused that ‘people would conser ita great msortune to de without ever seeing if Transported to Constantinople by rapacious Romans, the statue was destroyed by fie in 462, ‘but we can sill appreciate its power Byzantine iconographers used it as their mode for the face of Goa.‘Meanwhile aston’ throw from Zeus temple to the north, Pelops gave mound was the ste of one ofthe festivals most sclemn ceremonies, when a black ram was sacrificed tothe dead her while Heracles, sai oe the isto make this saci, was praised for Something akgether more prosaic. ‘Legend told that thanks to his sactifice tothe very specficlly named Zeus ‘who banshes flies, Zeus ‘Apomus, he caused Olympia tobe fy-ree Spectators had epod reason tobe thankful especialy sinae the Games were celebrated in the scorching heat of August when conditions could be horrendous. For the fe days surrounding the new _moon, tase tens of thousands of spectatrs, who ‘ould not afford to tay at the Leonidaion - ote bul by a farsighted enerepenear in 360 BCE pitched tents o slept rough outside the sanctuary ‘with litle running water and no sanitation, jostling mae of increasingly rank bodies For ‘some, such as Epictetus, the abn memory was “the sunburn and the ith. the cacophony, the din the jostling the shoving. the crowding. and ‘0 many peopie each absorbed in doing his own ‘thing: However even be amited “think youre The Ancient Olympics Eel See See) >) See) See) >) See (See) eel) See [eel happy to put up with al of this when you think of the splendour ofthe spectacles” ATHLETES Being a masculine religious festval in honour of dead heroes and the great god Zeus women, with the one exception ofthe Priestess of Demetes, were forbidden to attend the Games - though apaalle fouryearly women’ festival was beld at Olympia in honour ofthe epeidess Hera. Gender was noe the only restriction. No convicted murderer could enter unless they had fist undergone a lengthy The sanctuary of Olympia in the 2nd century Bartling with statues of vietorius athletes, Olympia wi separated from the sanctuary by an artifical rise Phiippeion dominated by the marbleroofed Temple of Zeus. Beyond Pelops grave-mound, the original wooden columns of the Temple of Hera (700 BCE) were gradually replaced in stone, while to the northeast the stadiun was (Grave mound of Pelops Temple of Hera stadium To Hippodrome es Scene erences een Renate park vad, Tete eg peso, Ritpivscarye” feta boat futon ioe mwrehite strc" Sanwa mete Seite fnomesaces™ i coh Tromeaeiesais, — Eddwacamn nm emerge Saihewenttehoss ete bea SMe RG Rice Riteresdsanan rattan eteawine ence ‘eel rae ata ‘ton oye tee ‘coord 8, La Temple of Zeus cee cet pene aos aoa es Leonidaion ‘Bouleuterion Pieqareatcnarnd Siam pe Stoa of the Echoes Cinco ay Skea stclahate — Reaste trent ‘ehsestmoae eae team ms tory Corwen van es ‘Sing oman ory stooge aeLife & Society Eee See) >) eel) Sel) Seel |) eee) 4 puriftcation ritual and al participants were requied te speak fluent Grek: Theoretically, any freeman could take par. irrespective of socal status. Indeed, the flamboyant Alebades refused to participate in any sport except chariot racing, the preserve of the rch, because i would mean competing with people of alower cass. The ony other category involved age. There were a handful of contest fer boys: boxing wrestling, the Stade race. are for one year ony n 628 BCE- the persathion Fox every other competion, athletes had tobe be adults ever 20. month before the Games began all were required to gather at Elis the ct that contolled the Festiva. Hee, they were compelled to train and compete in initial heats under the stern atch ofthe Hellanokki (lriges ofthe Greeks), while decisions were made about who should compete in wich event Tewas now, to, that age categories were decided, something that without supporting documentation could be very sensitiv. Sometimes, judgements sce eee incarg me peratin {a wesing 708 BCE Timeline Dime Festa el wnt comet, very tara tal, Coeur le “he! Craps of Mea Des Seba dey mace her ste were controversial In 468 BCE, Phsias of Aegina ‘was prevented from taking part inte mens ‘wrestling because he looked too young, Another contestant, Nieasyles of Rhodes, was so wel ‘developed that he was made to wrestle as an adult leven though he was only 18, He won his match, as wel as others elsewhere, but so brutal were the ‘ontess that he die at 20, "was participants in contact sports who attracted the greatest interest ane controversy Perhaps dhe most frmous was the wrestler Mo, etarious at five successive Olympics over 20 years. Stores about his sength were numerous, and when a neighbouring city attacked his hometown of Croton in south aly, Milo dressed ‘na hn skin and strode out to meet them ‘wielding a cub. Believing him to be Heracles ‘eincamated, the invaders fled Even Mics death was sensational The travel writer Pausanias reports hat Somewhere in the Crotonianterttory he came across a tee of dry weed split open and eld froma dated foes Shorten Tenge af Zi carte Taito rte als oat Heads tong ns ‘with werges. Milo decided to put is bands inside the tre, but the wedges sipped and he was eld fas. Then the weives found him, These bass ae paticulaly abundant in the tertory’of Croton” Buti was a boxer who fist brought the Games toto distepute. Al participants were requited to meet in the Olympic Council Building to swear an ‘oath over the body of boar that they would nek cheat. However in 388 BCE, Eupols of Thessaly was found t have bribed thee opponents. The ellanodikat fined all four men and wit the money se up four statues of Zeus, the so-called anes onthe path down to the stadium with inscriptions naming ad shaming the guilty partes. “The bases of 16 such Zanes can sl be seen today ‘Amore coveted memerial was awarded 10 the winner ofthe stade race Indidual cies ‘were usually named each year after thei chief agitate, often leading to confusion fr anyone trying to compile more repional chronologies. In the ate th century BCE, the philosopher Hiprias (of Eis wishing o create a universal dating sytem, invented a souon He named 776 BCE the year ‘ofthe fist Omplad, when Coroebus of Elis won the sade 772 BCE the year of te fist Olympiad ‘eigen Parthenon). lest reo outed he veaingal te ‘Dette toa baneThe Ancient Olympics Eel See) See) See Seel >) Seal (See) eel) eel [eel ‘when Antimachus of Elis won the sae, and so on, with the intervening years numbered accordinaly ‘the second, third and forth year ofthe Olympiad! His system was acopted. From then on, the Grecks effectively began thelr historical era with the ist, (Olympiad, and the winner of the Olympic Stade race and his city were immortalised throughout the Greek-speaking weld, EVENTS although the stad was the fst competitive ‘event, afer the introduction ofthe diauos in 724 [BCE others followed sly, Mostly these were fof thice types the fist being running sade, liaulos daichos (45 lalometres) anda stade ‘ace in armour. The second consisted af tals of strength: boxing, wrestling, pankration a deadly combination of barbaric brawling and bare knuckle fighd, a well as throwing the veln and discus. ae we to ug ath ene ant aund toes ‘Spunshnert ese “nde re ote, Peon cemmersrates nadenal Gee ‘ith the third comprising equestrian sports horse races and races for two fo an ten-herse chariots as well as a mule-cart races In addition, the pntathlon combined elements ‘both stength and speed. Once they were Inoduced, some evens such as the stad race, Iased forthe entire ie of the Games. Others, such as the mule-car race, were quietly dropped. Unlike at other international festivals, such asthe Pythian Games held a Delph in hanourof Apollo ote Panathenalc Festal at Athens the Olympics ‘contained no formal cultural or artistic element But there were two curious contests that had litle to do with sporting prowess. ntraduced in 396 CE, the competitions for trumpeters and heralds became particulaly poplar when they found a ew home ina celonnade bul after the stadium was relocated more than 80 metes to the east of the Temple of Zeus, Te acoustic ofthis socalled st see ee Bete este ne Nebula palace ta vuntal eh fea th pcre ‘rong terns iting ate ong to etre esa Seto Rome bt they es ueaty ‘Bowe cana Hom Soa o the Echoes caused any sound to reverberate no les than seven times, ‘One event conspicuous by ts aboence isthe ‘marathon, thich was inspired by an Ancient Greek alec feat In 490 BCE, the runner Pheidppides raced to bring the news ofthe Geek victory over the Persians fom Marathon to Athens, a distance ‘of ust over 46 llometres. The race was created forthe fist medem Olympics of 1886, bed pot Olympia but in Athens, the new capital ofa Proudly independent Greece marked the dawn ‘ofamodem Olympic era, secular games that would be largely unrecognisable to Greece's classical forefathers, not lease because of thei ethos, Where previously athletes had strive always tobe best row, 5 the new fourver Baron de Coubertin proclaimed: ‘Whats important in fe not © trump, but to take part what i essentials otto have won bat to have fought well ‘ne satu of aus, removes startle 390 CE Sesvoyedby fe bt ae Seemaliyentce frecrene Ener Teves tors ‘pa noni tthe Sapam dene ret ‘Sonam sane fom vant ae oe guanine SPs 3SEE) See Stel See) +) eel) See) (+) Sel] 36 THE ART OF ARCHITECTURE The Greeks didn't just build some of the world’s most iconic buildings; they inspired future generations to build even more cre than 2000 years after Greeks also invented types of buildings such as the heyday of thoi ancient stadiums and theaes. Even balldngs that dont cwlsaion, Greek and Greele Jock obviously ‘lassca often obey the rues af ‘influenced buildings are instantly proportion tat the Greeks established recognisable Many are onic, ‘The classical Greek style is mest often seen in ike the s@ltal remains on the Acropolis, framed public bullngs, and this snot by chance. The against the Athenian skyline one of the mest, classical Geek world roughly from 500 BCE to famous modern etyscapes. the time of Alecander the Great in the ate Auge number of public structures 4th century BCE had few mansions In the Western world fom the or palaces, The aristocracy and Renaissance onwans are very rich didnt vein ately sree influenced by Domes or anything sila, classical rook architectural Oren that was to come later, syle. ineuding famous aim wiemicamn What we think of as tenneitcens (2) aes lee facade in London, the Meee and pubic buildings randeninarg Gate ent ‘These structures were fn Bevin, andthe = onications of gods and ‘United Sites Capo a cites, even if they w in Washington. DC. The HL also glofications of those characteristic columns and who paid for and bul her pediment arranged with by extension faeful attention to symmetry and ‘This public character explains ropattion ate ebvious and distinctive one ofthe peculiarities of the time. ‘wherever they apps. They are emblemar of Abough the Greek countryside was full of the ancient Mediterranean civilisation people in the classical period - by the standards of ‘The legacy isnt only physical Greek architectural the timeit has almost no notable architecture. For principles were the foundation for Roman ‘the mest part. there only the odd isolated ral fd then later Westom - theory and practice, temple. By fr the greatest number of important’ ‘in particular for pubic architecture, while the "typical buildings were in urban centres.Life & Sociely EEE eel) See) >) See) Stel) See) +) See) See) eel] e The Greek wonders of ane world lt fever = poss tore. eee hat row The. he empl as comple in 530 bumed at the our, syne hat by destroy the woud cam everstg ame vas ice rebut but estoyed forever in 401 CE ‘cansucton ot The of | ometines cae the Pace tna al on the and of f Paro the ighthouse was torrets by Ay and reg yh. by Pom | Sotr sud 280 BCE twas damaged in seer crthquats, ond by 180 had gre, 38 In fact as time went on, the centres became Jnceasingly crowded and even jumble, ‘especialy in the more prosperous cites. This raised ently tour: planning arguments, with some people proposing and puting into ractie organised city layouts co a recangular gridiron pattern and others claiming that this ‘way of doing things was fundamentally un-Greek ‘The philosopher Aristotle \were largely construct from wood, rubble and lay As so often, the Greeks then leaned a tick ‘orrather 3 lot of tricks fom the Feyptian Started to use finished stone This evolutionsed Greek architecture, and the temple a ater bed ‘This emphasis on religious Duikngs accounts fr one of te defining features of Greok public architecture. Their ‘temples were not churches, n argued that ‘ot even cathedrals they sprawling centres and ‘were nat meant to be haphazard streets were worshipped in. They were quite tray houses for sds. inside miaht be the cul statue and past cferings tothe god - quite sumptuous treasure or even the city’ financial reserves in 1a few relatively good defence aginst ‘invaders, because they ‘were confusing Given how ten the Greek cies were at war, especialy with each ‘ther, this was no sal pint Ie ras unt the Hellenistic ag, after Alexander the Greats conquests, ar would be outside that town planning would come int its own, the temple. Temples were designed oe lecked at ‘All ofthe eal "prestige uildings were temples, fom the outside not actualy used, and thoughout the early and classical pesiod, ‘they woul remain pre-eminent At fist they This might explain why you cn call Greek builngs many things - elegant. imposing. na “Their temples were not churches; they were not meant to be worshipped in. They were quite literally houses for gods" aaaThe art of architecture “Tt wasn't until the 6th century BCE that non-religious public buildings started to be constructed in Ancient Greece’ aaa ‘magnificent - but not comfortable or lived in They are there to sre ave: tobe gazed on and admired. This tendency persisted toa large ‘gree with secular public buings until in the Hellenistic period architects began to also give the neglected interiors their fll attention. Greek architectural ties ae traditionally spit tothe orders: Dori sonic ae Conran, The Doric erder was developed inthe Ploponnese peninsula in southern mainland Greee in the 7h ‘century BCE. The lnc err flied in the century and criginated east ofthe Aegean Sea, while the Corinthian order is essentially ater offshoot ofthe oni, and didnt become important ‘ntl the Roman peiod. Doric the etiestand most popular corde, was especially importa in mainland Greece andthe western colonies. twas abo a tanstional style of sont, taking the old ‘wooden architecture and familar syle of public buldngs. Leading achteets and sculptors- who were closely involved in architecture, with sculptures and fieges being an itera part of public buildings - aveled widely and freely between all ofthe tes. Ther treat deal of variation and individuality in the oe ‘but the estential someva in the Hellenistic perio, focus and purpose in architetu st —_commuty tind Etehtectte The cca perio ‘the public period, where gree buildings were temples or civic structures 2. There we remaking t with stone Tonic was alight and Later, after the conquests ‘of Alexander the Gre the re-estabishment of monarchy the Geek world and close contact with the east. this changed and the emphasis the pubic to the individual. There was greater divest of bulking types and styles Nonetheless the results were still stionabiy recognisable as Grek’ (One of the remarkable features of asia architecture wa its spread ast was over the mainland and islands, Asia Minor Sly and mainland Ral, and Spain, A Cttizen from Syracuse in Greek Silly could travel ‘o Corinth and in the Peloponnese and find una Eble) [+)See) =! The new and | previ § Frey) ry iy The mest obvious legacy was seen n Reme. The Romans absorbed, earned from an expanded the arctecturl principles ofthe Greeks, Tei superior ‘engineering sil - and pethaps their cnfidence oying arches, vaults and domes ‘and ulimately ‘even further nly physical, of couse Greek were the very four practice in particul devery time we take a archreetural pr for ster Western theary for public architecture satin. stadium or theatre we are sting ina what was fst a Greek invention, 33