Olympic Games
The modern games derived from the Ancient Greeks were actually quite different in style, meaning, and form of the individual events. Ancient Greeks also had a powerful love of competition and sport, and with those two hungers constructed the Olympic Games. The Ancient Olympic Games are traditionally dated to 776 BC; but we know that Greek athletic competition had a long history prior to this recorded date. Homer devoted much of Book 23 of the Iliad to an account of the funeral games, really just sporting events that Achilles gave in honour of his dead friend, Patroclus. In the Odyssey, competitive games are an important part of the welcoming ritual organized by the Phaiakians for Odysseus. The ancient competition, naturally, was significantly different from our modern sports events. There were far fewer athletic events and only free Greeks (and sometimes boys) were allowed to compete in the games. There was no team competition, and the stress on individual achievement through public competition was related to the Greek ideal of excellence, called Arete. Like our modern athlete, men who competed successfully would win fame, honour, and oftentimes rewards for themselves and for their city or state.
