The Olympic Games began almost three thousand years ago as an athletic contest held during Greek religious celebrations. The Olympics continued for over a millennium, setting a standard for athletic excellence that has lasted into the modern era. Eight hundred years into the Games, the historian Dio Chystostom dramatically expressed the enduring power of an Olympic victory: “You know that the Olympian crown is olive leaves, and yet many have preferred this honor to life itself” (The Rhodian Discourse 31.110).
While there is much we don’t know about the ancient Games and their context, there are many fascinating facts we do know, thanks to historical texts, archaeological finds, and depictions in art. As an Olympics fan, archaeologist, and specialist for academic audiences at the Getty Villa, I’ve used objects from our collection to illuminate salient and surprising facts about the ancient Games. (For a far less serious look, see this BuzzFeed video about the ancient Olympics.)
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