Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
The olive wreath, also known as kotinos (Greek: κότινος), [1] was the prize for the winner at the ancient Olympic Games. It was a branch of the wild olive tree [ 2 ] Kallistefanos Elea [ 3 ] (also referred to as Elaia Kallistephanos ) [ 4 ] that grew at Olympia , [ 5 ] intertwined to form a circle or a horse-shoe.
Wreaths and crowns in antiquity, including the laurel wreath, trace back to Ancient Greece. In Greek mythology , the god Apollo , who is patron of lyrical poetry , musical performance [ a ] and skill-based athletics, is conventionally depicted wearing a laurel wreath on his head in all three roles.
In classical and late antiquity wreaths or crowns (Ancient Greek: στέφανος, romanized: stéphanos, lit. 'wreath', 'crown'; Latin: corona, lit. 'wreath', 'garland', 'chaplet') usually made of vegetation or precious metals were worn on ceremonial occasions and were awarded for various achievements. The symbolism of these different types ...
Along with the fame and notoriety of winning the ancient Games, the athletes earned different crowns of leaves from the different Games. From the Olympics, the victor won an olive wreath, from the Pythian Games a laurel wreath, from the Nemean Games a crown of wild celery leaves, and from the Isthmian Games a crown of pine. [6]
IOC President Thomas Bach stated that the award reconnects the Olympics the ideals and values of the Ancient Olympic Games. [2] The trophy features a laurel wreath and the Olympic rings which are made out of Fairmined Gold and the base is a stone from Ancient Olympia. [3] [2]
During the 2004 Summer Olympics, the medal winners received a crown of olive branches, which was a direct reference to the ancient games, in which the victor's prize was an olive wreath. The various elements of ceremonies are mandated by the Olympic Charter, and cannot be changed by the host nation.
He repeated this feat in the three subsequent Olympics, in 160 BC, in 156 BC, and finally in 152 BC at the age of 36. Leonidas's lifetime record of twelve individual Olympic victory wreaths was unmatched in the ancient world. [5] [6] [7] His record was broken in 2016 CE by swimmer Michael Phelps. [8]
While a martial truce was observed by all participating city-states, no such reprieve from conflict existed in the political arena. The Olympic Games evolved the most influential athletic and cultural stage in ancient Greece, and arguably in the ancient world. [69] As such the games became a vehicle for city-states to promote themselves.