The Political Importance of the Olympic Games

The celebration of the Olympic Games in ancient times was an occasion for citizens of scattered Greek city-states to come together. At the Games they discussed important political issues, celebrated common military victories and even formed political and military alliances.

But the Games were not only a place in which to discuss political events; they were also the cause of political conflict.

Control of the Sanctuary and the Games brought with it prestige, economic advantages and, most importantly, political influence. As early as the 7th century BC we hear of arguments of who should control the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia. These arguments were between the city of Elis (30 miles to the north) and the small neighboring town of Pisa.

In 665 BC, according to Pausanias (a 2nd century AD Greek traveler), the powerful tyrant of Argos (named Pheidon) was asked by the town of Pisa to capture the Sanctuary of Zeus from the city-state of Elis. Pheidon, with his army of well-trained hoplites (armed soldiers), marched across the Peloponnesos, captured the Sanctuary for the town of Pisa, and personally presided over the conduct of the games. But Pisa's control of the Sanctuary was brief: by the next year Elis had regained control.

The Olympic Truce was introduced by the city-state of Elis to protect against fighting which interrupted the Games. Every four years, special heralds from Elis were sent out to all corners of the Greek world to announce the approaching Olympic festival and games. Along with this news, they would announce the Olympic Truce, which protected athletes, visitors, spectators and official embassies who came to the festival from becoming involved in local fights or battles.

Any violation of the Olympic Truce was punishable by a huge fine to Olympian Zeus. The 5th century historian Thucydides gives us details of such an case:

In 420 BC the Spartans brought soldiers into the territory of Elis during the Truce, using 1000 hoplites. As a result, and according to law, the Spartans were fined 200 drachmai per hoplite, a total of 200,000 drachmai. The Spartans refused to pay the penalty, claiming that their soldiers had finished and gone before the Olympic Truce was officially announced. As a result, the Spartans were not allowed to compete in the Olympic Games that year.

Perhaps the most notable example of a military incident occuring during the ancient Olympic Games was in 364 BC. In that year, Elis had again lost control of the Sanctuary of Zeus to the neighboring town of Pisa which was directing the festival and the Olympic Games. Elis chose precisely this time to attack the Sanctuary of Zeus. Xenophon, a contemporary 4th century historian, gives us a firsthand account of the situation:

The horse race had been completed, as well as the events of the pentathlon which were held in the dromos. The finalists of the pentathlon who had qualified for the wrestling event were competing in the space between the dromos and the altar... The attacking Eleans pursued the allied enemy... The allied forces fought from the roofs of the porticos... while the Eleans defended themselves from ground level. --Hellenica

What followed was a day-long battle involving thousands of soldiers.

Although Elis eventually regained control of the sancturary, the Olympic Games of 364 BC didn't count as far as the Eleans were concerned since the Sanctuary had been in the hands of the Pisans during the festival.

Later, political tyrants of the 7th and 6th centuries BC attempted to achieve influence by more peaceful means. They participated in the athletic and equestrian contests of the Olympic Games and gave enormously expensive offerings to Olympian Zeus at the site of the games.

How political were the ancient Olympics? You decide!