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'How do the Ancient Olympic Games differ from the Modern Olympic Games? Which do you think is more impressive?'
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| Submitted: Sun Aug 17 2003
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'How do the Ancient Olympic Games differ from the Modern Olympic Games? Which do you think is more impressive?' The main difference between the Ancient and Modern Olympics is that the former were religious and the latter were secular. This difference underlies almost every facet of the games. For the Greeks the Olympics, as everything else, were religious. "Almost every activity in the Greek world had its spiritual dimension" 1. There is in fact no ancient Greek word for religion. The Ancient Olympic Games were first and foremost a festival for Zeus. The games at Olympia were a small part of a larger religious festival, much like the dramatic competitions at the Great Dionsyia. An individual athlete might well compete on only one day of the five. The whole festival was steeped in religious ritual and myth. These included the procession along the sacred way, the funeral rites of the hero...
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