Bodily Physique Equals Perfection
Michael Friant
Mr. Sorensen
His 111 D02
11 December 2019
Bodily Physique Equals Perfection
While all religions regard spiritual perfection as the end goal, the Greeks often viewed bodily perfection as a way to outwardly show their spiritual perfection. They often viewed bodily perfection as being God-like. One way they determined who was worthy of the God-like status was through Olympic Games which were played during religious festivals. Many of the games were centered around activities performed on the battlefield. These competitions also served as an ultimate achievement of cultural status; for if an individual won, they got all the spoils, similar to a real war. For the ancient Greeks, physical perfection and war-fighting capabilities were both integral parts of their spirituality and religion.
While Zeus’s temple served as a place of adoration, it also served as a shrine of athletic and warfare superiority. Christopher Auffarth, in The Gods of Ancient Greece : Identities and Transformations, describes the uniqueness of the temple of Zeus who was the superior deity at Olympia as: “At no other sanctuary in the Greek world were athletic victory statues so prevalent, and their juxtaposition with military monuments is, I would argue, intentional and designed to underscore the similarities between athletics and warfare” (155). This embodies how athleticism and military victories were done as an expression of adoration to Zeus. Just as Zeus’s temple demonstrates the fact that he received all the glory from the warfare and doesn’t share it with any other deity, similarly the structure of warfare mirrors it. The victor of a war walks away with all glory and spoils while the vanquished does not receive anything.
Similarly to the structure of warfare, the Olympic games only had victors and the vanquished. Richard Polidoro and Simri Uriel, in “A visit to the centenary of the ancient Olympic Games,” describes the outcome of the competition as follows: “There were no second- or third place awards. The ancient Greeks worshipped success, and victory alone brought glory and prestige to the winner. Participation for its own sake was no virtue, and defeat brought undying shame to the athletes” (45). This is significant because the games themselves were like mini wars. They used the competitions, which were boxing, throwing the javelin, etc., to improve their skills which were undoubtedly used in time of warfare to defeat the enemy. The fact that there was only one winner and the rest were losers probably only motivated them to be the best at their particular sport. In turn, the Greeks probably had one of the best military organizations of its time. The reality that the winner was bestowed adoration and social influence mimics the social status the victor would be bestowed after a war.
The champions of the games would often be bestowed with cultural status which could be used to steer the political conversation of the day. In the article entitled “The Olympic Games In Antiquity,” the fifth and final day of the games is described as follows: “This day was reserved for honouring victorious athletes. They were covered in ribbons and received victory palms in the stadium, before a solemn ceremony in which they were crowned with olive wreaths. Finally, a banquet was given for them, together with the politicians and judges” (10). This is significant because the victors were basically hailed as very prominent individuals. It goes back to their dichotomy of physical perfection equals sound judgment on social and political beliefs. In reality, they could be illiterate and have the worst political views but still be considered a godlike figure. They could then use their status from winning a purely physical competition to influence the outcome of political and economic affairs in the society.
The duration of the games often served as the Greeks’s time to rejuvenate from their normal cares of life. Hugh M. Lee in “The ancient Olympic Games: Origin, Evolution, Revolution,” portrays the purpose of the games as “These festivals functioned like the Sabbath by providing opportunity for worship and respite from daily toils - a combination of holy day and holiday” (131). This is valuable because it shows how closely they viewed religion and sports associated with the games. In turn, it shows how much they value their readiness to go to war which was almost as important as giving praise to Zeus. Ultimately their zeal to practice and compete in warlike sport competitions even on these days meant for resting only increased their chances to be able to defeat the enemy in war which would bring Zeus ultimate glory and adoration.
The Greeks believed in intentionality at theses festivals. Jerzy Kosiewicz , in “ Western Sport and Spiritualism,” lays out the purpose of these festivals and competitions as follows: “Fitness and physical effort, sporting perfectionism, and advanced specialization were not ends in themselves, but only means – they enabled achievement of an end of strictly spiritualist, religious character” (77). This is useful because it demonstrates how the physical characteristics of the competitions were used as an outward expression and endeavor to become closer to Zeus. These competitions were a means through which the Greeks could take a rest from the cares of the world and bring themselves and their society as a whole into realignment with Zeus’s precepts and reign. In doing so, the Greeks not only made sure that they were in the good graces of Zeus, but also positively positioned themselves to be able to curry favor with Zeus when they were in the thick of war and needed a miraculous intervention to secure a victory.
The victors of the competitions dedicated their victories to Zeus. Hugh M. Lee, in "The Ancient Olympic Games: Origin, Evolution, Revolution," illustrates the complex relationship between the athletes and Zeus: “On the one hand, the athlete won for the god. He was willing to sacrifice a valuable prize in order to run in Zeus' honor. A bronze dedicatory figurine of a runner from Olympia dated to the first half of the fifth century B.C. is inscribed with the words, "I belong to Zeus"" (134). This is fascinating because while the athlete had to humble himself in order to participate as Zeus’s ambassador to the chance of victory for Zeus, he also had the prospect of declaring himself as one of Zeus’s. On top of that, if victorious, the athlete had the prestige of having a likeness of him placed in the the dwelling of Zeus himself. So, while athletes had to humble themselves, the social status badge they received from being the the victor pales in comparison and worth.
The games were only for the very best of Greek society. In the article entitled “The Olympic Games in Antiquity,” the types of persons who were allowed to participate are described as follows: “While we cannot really speak of amateurs or professionals as we know them today, only the best were allowed to participate in the Games” (6). This is very crucial because since the Greeks saw the games as an act of worship and adoration, doesn’t this mean that only the very best individuals were good enough to accepted as good in Zeus’s sight. This mentality probably only motivated the commoners to continually improve their skills to be able to perhaps participate in the games in the future. In turn, this harsh reality only probably made the whole Greek society a more wholesome positive place to live because everyone would be working towards the ultimate badge of honor and acceptance from their God Zeus.
There were certain portions of the games off limits to women. Pausanias, an ancient geographer wrote as follows concerning the games: “ It is a law of Elis to cast down it any women who are caught present at the Olympic games, or even on the other side of the Alpheius, on the days prohibited to women” (qtd. in “Ancient History Sourcebook”). This is important because if the games were an expression of worship of Zeus, then women were not viewed as being entirely capable of being able to worship Zeus. It also meant that women had rely on their fathers, husbands, or sons to be able to achieve their highest achievement of spirituality by proxy. This probably meant that the single woman’s lifestyle or a single mom was frowned upon and discouraged at all costs.
Auffarth, Polidoro, Uriel, the article entitled “The Olympic Games in Antiquity,” Lee, Kosiewicz, and Pausanias demonstrate the interconnectedness of the Greeks religion, physical appearance, warlike capabilities. They show how the Greeks utilized physical activities in order to master spirituality by training their bodies to be the best version of themselves physically. These activities were utilized in their time of war. While the Greeks often let physical physique dictate who and what has decent qualities, let us try to be objective and judge people based on their actions. Works Cited
Auffarth, Christoph. The Gods of Ancient Greece : Identities and Transformations, edited by Jan N. Bremmer, and Andrew Erskine, Edinburgh University Press, 2010. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cfcc-ebooks/detail.action?docID=581378.
Kosiewicz, Jerzy. "Western Sport and Spiritualism." Physical Culture and Sport, vol. 62, no. 1, 2014, pp. 73-82. ProQuest, https://login.proxy028.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1865294626?accountid=9875, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/pcssr-2014-0013.
Lee, Hugh M. "The Ancient Olympic Games: Origin, Evolution, Revolution." Classical Bulletin, vol. 74, no. 2, 1998, pp. 129-141. ProQuest, https://login.proxy028.nclive.org/login? url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/222231570?accountid=9875.
“The Olympic Games in Antiquity.” The Olympic Museum, stillmed.olympic.org/media Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/Documents/Document-Set-Teachers-The-Main-Olympic-Topics/The-Olympic-Games-in Antiquity.pdf#_ga= 2.175704865.220314531.1576099175 -688852200.1576099175. Accessed 11 Dec. 2019.
Pausanias, “Ancient History Sourcebook: Accounts of the Hellenic Games, c. 470 BCE-175 BCE.” Interned Ancient History Sourcebook, Paul Hasall, 1998, https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/ancient/greekgames.asp.
Polidoro, J. R., and Uriel Simri. "The Games of 676 BC: A Visit to the Centenary of the Ancient Olympic Games." Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, vol. 67, no. 5, 1996, pp. 41. ProQuest, https://login.proxy028.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/215769925?accountid=9875.