The Glory of the Olympics

Our last port on the Peloponnesus is Katakolon. It is a small quaint 3 street town that has more than its share of souvenir stands. It is not surprising since 2 to 3 cruise ships invade here almost every day. But they don’t come for the town of Katakolon, they come to visit the ancient site of the Olympic games. We jumped on a small train that took us inland about an hour to the rambling pile or rocks that was once the organized site of the Olympic games for over 1000 years. At the height of the games between 150,000 and 200,000 people would attend. This event, held every 4 years, was so important that no matter who was fighting, a truce was honored for a month while athletes and spectators could make their pilgrimage to the games. It was a contest of athletic prowlness that only men could compete or for that matter even watch. If a woman was caught watching the games, she was thrown off a cliff to her death. Yikes, that is pretty strict ticket enforcement. In order to participate, you had to confirm that you had been training for at least 10 months and were of upright character. Only Greek citizens were allowed to participate. Because this was as much an athletic event as a spiritual event celebrating the human form, yes, all athletes performed naked. No Nike logos were to be found on the entire field. Winning an event made you a legendary hero in your hometown. It was the highest honor a human could have bestowed upon him. In fact, some of the Greek gods were legends that came out of the early Olympic games. The victors were only awarded a palm branch and olive leaf crown. It did however come with the benefit of never having to pay taxes again for the rest of your life. As the games continued, city-states would award athletes with large cash prizes as well.