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MYTH #5
The Greeks were the first to introduce athletic training and competition
in the history of the ancient world.
REALITY #5
The Greeks were not the first to introduce athletic training and competition
in the history of the modern world. The Sumerians, Babylonians and Egyptians
were known to have training and competition in a number of events including
wrestling and boxing and possibly running as early as the third millennium
B.C. or approximately 2000 years before the beginning of the ancient Olympic
games. It is very likely that Greek athletics were influenced by the accomplishments
of these earlier civilizations.
MYTH #6
Ancient Olympic athletes were amateur.
REALITY#6
Ancient Olympic athletes were neither amateur nor professional. The word
athlete is a Greek word that means one who competes for a prize
and is related to two Greek words, athlos meaning contest and athlon meaning
prize. Greek athletes routinely competed for prizes at athletic festivals.
Some of the prizes were symbolic, for instance the wreath of olive leaves
at Olympia, and others were material prizes worth money, for instance
bronze tripods, or amphoras filled with olive oil.
MYTH #7
Ancient Olympic victors received only a wreath of olive leaves as a prize.
REALITY #7
Although Olympic victors did receive an olive wreath as a prize at Olympia,
it is known that victors commonly received other more lucrative
rewards when returning to their home city. For instance according to Plutarch,
Life of Solon 23, an Olympic victor who was a citizen of Athens could
expect to receive in the year 600 B.C. a cash award of 500 drachmai, a
literal fortune.