Sport in the Ancient World

The first recorded sporting events in Greece were brief races between several naked men. However throughout the centuries sports began to be added for men, boys and horses. These events included the triple jump, the javelin, and the discus. There was also wrestling and chariot races as the event became bigger and bigger. Apart from these strength and skill competitions there were combat sports such as wrestling. The Romans on the other hand preferred there sport to be more about combat and often times death. Spectators would watch gladiators fight to the death. Most of these gladiators were either slaves, criminals, or prisoners of war. They were trained as gladiators before each would enter the Colosseum or whichever other stadium they were required to fight at.

The Greek sports were similar to the modern day Olympics. There were judges that would deliberate and choose a winner after every individual competition. The rules and regulations were much like they are today, and they even included opening and closing ceremonies like the modern day Olympic games, however unlike today, women were forbidden from both spectating and participating in the games. In Rome on the other hand sports had much less structured rules. Much of the spectator sports involved combat to the death in an arena with no rules. The object was to kill your opponent by any means possible.

Most of all these sports were meant to entertain the spectators. In Greece the games at Olympia were a huge deal. It was more than just sport, it was a huge celebration of the gods and of human athletes. In Rome Romans were obsessed with gladiator fights. The people of the republic loved to watch men duke it out and kill each other in the arena. Apart from entertainment purposes the games in Greece had religious purposes as well. These men were competing to please the gods with their human triumphs and accomplishments. The gods of Greece were one of the main reasons the games even began.

Sports have changed a lot over time. We no longer compete in the nude, nor do we spectate people killing each other and consider it a sport, however we have taken some aspects of these games and use them today. The arenas that were used for gladiator fights are the blueprint for several modern day stadiums. Many events from the Greek games at Olympia are still Olympic sports today and many of the rules and techniques have survived these thousands of years.