On July 23, 2020, local time, Tokyo, Japan, the countdown to the first anniversary of the Tokyo Olympics, a number of buildings lit up the five-ring Olympic lights.

  "Time will never go back, the past can only be recollected."

  This is how the song is sung, but 2020 will tell you that what makes you accustomed to reminiscing about the past is not just the time you can’t return, but the years that have not arrived as expected.

  According to the original arrangement, on July 25, 2020, that is, today, the world sports are supposed to usher in the passionate collision under the Olympic flame shining in the expectation of all people-this is the first schedule of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the original schedule. Match day. However, the sudden epidemic caused the world sports this year to press the pause button, including the Tokyo Olympics.

  It is precisely because the sports world has left a "blank" for blockbuster films, people can have a more complete aftertaste of the past.

The postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has left a large gap in the sports world.

  The "deep" recollection of the Olympic past, the memory can go back to 2796 years ago-on July 21, 776 BC, the first ancient Olympic Games was born in ancient Greece.

origin

The games dedicated to Zeus may be absent but not late

  According to data, the ancient Olympics were born in the 870s BC. To be precise, on July 21, 776 BC, the ancient Olympic Games were held for the first time.

  If we have a positioning of this time, about that time, Chinese history had just developed into the Western Weekend, when Zhouyou Wangji Palace was in power. In other words, in this story, while King Zhou You lit the beacon tower and joking with the princes, the remote Mediterranean coast may also be "playing with fire", but it was the Olympic flame.

  Paul Christensen, professor of ancient Greek history at Dartmouth College in the United States, once explained: "The essence of the ancient Olympic Games is a religious festival held in a religious sacred site."

The postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has left a large gap in the sports world.

  Indeed, there are many kinds of the origin of the ancient Olympics, many of which are related to ancient Greek myths and stories, the most famous of which is the story of Pelops.

  According to legend, King Onomars of Greece had a young and beautiful daughter. But the king received a prophecy that his son-in-law would take his throne in the future, and the king therefore offered a "competition" to the suitors, but at that time the competition was a chariot.

  The old king naturally came prepared, relying on the carriage and saddle presented by the god of war, he cut 12 challengers under the horse in a row. Until the thirteenth challenger appeared, he bought the king's groom and made hands and feet on the chariot, thus defeating the cruel old king and embracing the beauty.

Sculpture "Hercules the Archer". For picture

  In order to congratulate him, Hercules held a grand sports competition, thus creating a grand Olympic event. And this 13th challenger is Pelops, the descendant of Zeus.

  Myths are of course fictitious. Today, a more convincing statement about the origins of the ancient Olympics is that because ancient Greece was a city-state system, there were frequent frictions and even wars between city-states. Therefore, the ancient Greeks admired a strong physique and developed over time. There was a large-scale sports competition.

  On the other hand, the armistice during the Games symbolized peace and made people more yearning for the Olympics. As a result, the ancient Olympic Games were born and gradually flourished.

  It is worth mentioning that according to statistics, from 776 BC to 393 AD, there have been 293 ancient Olympic Games.

Data map. Video screenshot

  But in fact, the number of times the ancient Olympics were held is far less, because according to the regulations at that time, even if the competition was not held that year, it would still be counted as one. Therefore, even though the Mediterranean region experienced multiple trials and disasters such as the Great Plague of Athens during this period, the ancient Olympic Games did not postpone or cancel this statement.

development of

Barbecue at the bonfire at the "home" of the goddess

  For the ancient Greeks, the ancient Olympic Games that took place every four years were actually a grand event held every four years. At first, the Olympic Games only had one day. With the gradual development of the competition, starting from the 77th Ancient Olympic Games held in 472 BC, the competition period was extended to 5 days.

  The primary factor for people to enjoy the Olympics is of course the importance they attach to the Olympics. People have reached a tacit understanding to ensure a short-term peace during the Olympics. Beginning on the eve of the Olympics, even two city-states that are caught in war will reach a temporary truce.

Data map: People rush to the Olympic Games site. Video screenshot

  Christensen explained: “The armistice means that on the eve of the Olympics and during the Olympics, the Greek city-states agree to let anyone who wants to participate in the Olympics pass. So, for example, if the two city-states are on the road to the Olympics, and this The two city-states were at war at the time, so during the Olympics, they will usually truce, allowing even the enemy to pass through their own area and reach Olympia."

  Once people reach Olympia safely and Greeks from so many European countries gather so much, this place becomes a bustling market where people eat, drink, chat and do business together with friends, family and colleagues.

  "It was a grand performance." Christensen said.

Data map: People gathered together for the Olympics. Video screenshot

  The core of this performance is, of course, on the field. There was only one event in the first Olympic Games, that is, running at a distance of 192.27 meters.

  Later, when the season was extended, the Olympic Games added the opening ceremony, horse racing, chariot, pentathlon, wrestling, boxing and other strength competitions, as well as sacrifices and awards.

  It is worth mentioning that on this day, the sacrifice to Zeus was held first, and 100 cows were offered to him in front of the altar, followed by a grand parade. This is also the happiest moment for people participating in the Olympics.

  According to Christensen’s introduction, a grand barbecue feast came with the sacrifice.

Data map: Olympic flame collection.

  "The ancient Greeks usually didn't eat much meat because it was too expensive. Therefore, the way the Greek religion sacrifices to animals is to burn some of it on the altar, but leave most of it for barbecue."

  According to statistics, the ancient Olympics was a gathering that did not allow women to participate, because all athletes competed naked. Whether unmarried women is included in the female ban is still debated.

  But what is certain is that the priestess must not be within the scope of this ban, and the later Olympic Stadium was just built on the premises of the priestess.

inherited

National identity and self-realization

  Of course, the Olympic Games has been passed down to this day, and its attraction and value are certainly not just a barbecue feast or a sports competition. Since its birth, the Olympic Movement has contained extremely rich cultural meanings.

Ancient Olympic Games. Image source: International Olympic Committee website

  "Most ancient cultures are geographically close. Take ancient Egypt as an example. Their people are always concentrated in a small part of the Nile. But the ancient Greeks are strange because they have been geographically distributed from a long time ago. Scattered. In 600 BC, the Greeks were widely dispersed in the regions of France, Spain, Italy, Libya, Turkey, and Russia.

  Therefore, since then, many Greeks will have this question: What makes me a Greek? This is one of the reasons why they attach so much importance to the Olympic movement. In some sense, it is a cultural symbol that they share.

  During the Olympics, the Greeks scattered along the Mediterranean coast set off from different locations and gathered together. This is also an identification of self-identity. Scholars estimate that in the heyday of the ancient Olympic Games in the second century AD, more than 50,000 people may participate in the Olympic Games. Given that the population of the entire empire is around 4 million, this is already a high percentage of participation.

Ancient Olympic Games. Image source: International Olympic Committee website

  At the same time, during the development of the Olympic Games, business and culture have also developed.

  In addition to the competition, Olympia also has training. What followed was the cultural exchange and the technological development that resulted from architectural demands. The gym is also a center of ideological debate and learning. Philosophers and teachers teach young people a wealth of knowledge in the shade.

  In the event, it is also a good opportunity for ideas to collide.

  "Anyone who wants to attract an audience from the entire Greek world appears in Olympia. Painters, artists, and speakers all go there to show their works." Christensen said.

  At the same time, the ancient Greeks advocated equality and the spirit of competition, which not only exercised their physique, but also cultivated their sentiment. In the constant challenge to the limit of the human body, the mortal people were able to achieve at some point. At a moment comparable to the gods in the faith, the spirit of the Olympics has taken shape from the beginning. (Finish)