The Greek Spartans, were the Hellenes,
who used Oil to Rub and Massage them selves
while Exercising in the Gymnasia.
The Practice, served to Eroticise,
and high light the Beauty of the
Male and Female Body. From it's very Beginnings,
Early in the Seventh Century BCE,
the decorative use of olive oil, then
quickly spread to ALL of the Hellenic
City States, together, with NAKED
appearance of Athletes, and Lasted
Close to a Thousand Years, despite
it's GREAT Expense.
About 2,300 years ago, a zealous fan scratched "Akrotatos is beautiful" into the walls of a stadium's entrance tunnel. Or maybe it was the athlete himself, memorializing his own accomplishments.
www.nemea.org This block shows the name Telestas, a boxing champion at Olympia. Above it is written: 'I win!'
The rest of the graffiti is "basically people writing their names and occasional comments about others," says Stephen Miller, a University of California-Berkeley classics professor who has directed excavations at ancient Nemea, located on the Greek mainland west of Corinth, for the past 26 years.
Famed in mythology as the place were Hercules slew a lion known for its impenetrable skin, the site is one of the four, including Delphi, Isthmia and Olympia, that hosted the ancient precursor to today's Olympics: the Panhellenic Games.
The tunnel at Nemea has shed new light on the tunnel at Olympia. The Nemean tunnel dates to the Greeks, while the tunnel at Olympia had been thought to be a Roman addition. A more recent theory: Romans only remodeled the Olympian tunnel. The Nemean tunnel has also spurred an interest in finding a similar structure at Isthmia.
The original games around the 5th century B.C. lasted for five days with ten events:
RUNNING In the beginning, the only event PENTATHLON Jumping, running, javelin, discus and wrestling JUMPING Similar to long jump, but accompanied by flute music DISCUS One of the Greeks' favorite events JAVELIN Two events, target and distance BOXING WRESTLING PANCRATION A combination of boxing and wrestling CHARIOT RACING HORSE RACING
Miller's work at Nemea has not only added to the base of knowledge of the games, but he is also leading the charge in bringing the spirit of the ancient games back to life. "Most of us believe in the notion of the games, but we can't participate," he said.
So in 1994, when the excavation of the stadium was almost complete, he decided to hold games at Nemea. In 1996, his Society for the Revival of the Nemean Games hosted the first games at Nemea in over 2,000 years. This past June, 762 people from 45 countries participated in the second modern Nemean Games.
Shoeless - but Dressed
In keeping with tradition, athletes run in bare feet and place their toes in the same grooves that ancient runners used to mark their starting position. The athletes do, however, wear togas unlike the Greeks, who competed in the nude.
Ancient Nemea's main building is a limestone, Doric-style Temple of Zeus, where sacrifices would be made prior to the start of the games. This was the most solidly built building; the rest of the site, according to Miller, "was lightly constructed, and would just get a whitewash every two years."
www.nemea.org The Nemean tunnel is about 120 feet long and dates to approximately 320 B.C.
Constructed solely for the games, in off years Nemea would have been something like "a state fair during the winter," said Miller. The stadium complex includes a running surface of packed yellow clay, rough stadium seating carved out of the bedrock and the tunnel that leads to a locker room where athletes would undress, oil up and prepare mentally for the competition.
One of the main differences between the games today and the ancient games, according to Miller, is that in "the games at Nemea competition was individual and the winner " there was only one winner, no second or third places " was determined by objective criteria." Judges saw who ran or threw the javelin the farthest, "there was no point system involved, no subjective idea of who won."
While figuring out who won may have been different, the atmosphere outside the games was very similar to what a spectator might experience today.
www.nemea.org The stadium, seen from the northwest, is carved into a natural depression between two hills.
"People came from all over the [Greek world]," says Miller. At the time, the Greek world extended as far as Asia, Africa and Sicily. The games offered a place for cultural exchange and booths where hawkers sold souvenirs, and artists could offer to immortalize a victor in stone or poem. The celebrated ancient historian Herodotus is said to have gained a wide audience for his Histories by reciting portions of the work at the games.
But along with the more commercial aspects of the games was religion. They began with a sacrifice to Zeus and the athletes took an oath to compete with honor and respect for the rules. The games signaled a true coming together of the Greek world and warring sects agreed to a truce for their duration.
It was a time for the Greeks to display their arete, or virtue and excellence; a concept primarily associated with winning athletes that could be applied to all people.
www.nemea.org Coins found at the stadium pointed to cheering sections for rival city states. Argives gathered on the east side while, Corinthians were on the west.
Miller, who is currently overseeing restoration of the Temple of Zeus, hopes "to have the whole façade up" by the time of the games in 2004." Those games will begin " two weeks before the modern Olympics in Athens " with the second full moon after the summer solstice (July 31).
The date is true to the timing of the original games, and in keeping with Miller's goal of allowing athletes of all abilities to experience the spirit of the ancient games.
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Nemea Excavations Uncover
Spirit Of Greek Games Of 500 BCE
By Wilson Valentin
http://www.foxnews.com/science/092900/nemea.sml09-30-2000
