Next came the stadion, which was the sprint event. Needless to say, it was one length of the stadion. The winner is listed as Torymmas of Thessaly. More than any other event, to win the stadion race was to win immortality, because most Olympics were uniquely named by the stadion winner.
Then came the diaulos, which was two lengths of the stadion. Winner unknown.
In the evening a massive barbecue feast was held of the ox meat and, at this particular Olympics, also the bread ox of Empedocles. (Yes, that really happened.)
Day 4
Wrestling
The winner of the wrestling was Amesinas of Barce, who trained by wrestling with a bull while he tended his cattle. He even brought the bull with him for extra practice.
Boxing
winner unknown
Judging of the Murder Investigation event
The winner is listed as Nicolaos, son of Sophroniscus.
Pankration
The winner was Timodemus, son of Timonous.
The hoplitodromos: the race in armor
winner unknown
For the hoplitodromos, competitors ran two lengths of the stadion in standard soldier kit. Nico misses this event, of course, because at that moment he has Timo slung over his shoulders and is racing for the aid station.
Day 5
Closing Ceremony
GLOSSARY
Agora. The marketplace. Every city had its agora, and so too must have Olympia during the Games.
Amphora. The standard container of the ancient world. Amphorae come in many sizes. An amphora vaguely resembles a worm caught in the act of eating far too big a mouthfuclass="underline" wide at the top, tapering to a pointy bottom. Amphorae are used to hold wine, oil, water, olives, you name it. Tens of thousands of ancient amphorae have survived to this day.
Attica. The area of southern Greece controlled by Athens. Most of Attica is rural, very hilly, farmland. When Gorgo says she would cheer on her men as they laid waste to Attica, she means to the farmland that fed Athens. It was a common strategy in those days to destroy the enemy’s food production.
Aulos Pipes. A recorder-like musical instrument, but with two pipes which form a V at the mouthpiece. Music was played during some Olympic events, such as the long jump.
Bouleterion. Council house. Boule means council. Olympia had a bouleterion, which was the administration center during the Games.
Chaire! “Rejoice!” Friends who met each other on the street would call out, “Chaire! I rejoice to see you!” In the Bible-clearly at a much later date-chaire is the first word spoken to Mary by the angels.
Chiton. The chiton is the usual garment of a wealthy citizen. The chiton is a large rectangular sheet, or two sheets pinned together, wrapped around the body from the right, wide enough to cover the arms when outstretched and fall to the ankles. The sheet is pinned over both shoulders and down the left side. Greek clothing is neither cut nor shaped; there’s a lot of spare material below the arms. The chiton is belted at the waist so the extra material doesn’t flop around. The chiton is worn with a himation, a bit like a stole, across the shoulders. The chiton is for men with no need to labor. A middle class artisan might wear an exomis.
Deme. A deme is like a combination of suburb and sub-tribe. All of Attica is broken up into demes. When an Athenian introduces himself to a stranger, he always gives his name, his father’s name, and the deme in which he lives. Hence, “Timodemus, son of Timonous, of the deme Archarnae of Athens,” or, “Nicolaos, son of Sophroniscus, of the deme Alopece of Athens.”
The patronymics and the demes I used above are totally correct. This was the standard way of naming. Even in writing, there are many real people mentioned in classical sources about whom we know almost nothing, except who their father was, and where to find their house. A man took the same deme as his father.
Demeter. The goddess of the harvest. She’s also the goddess of fertility, which makes it so appropriate that Klymene is her priestess. No one knows why the priestess of Demeter had to observe the Sacred Games; not even the ancient Greeks could remember the reason, and that makes the tradition very old indeed. Some scholars have speculated that, because of this rule, the Sacred Games might have begun as funeral games to celebrate death and rebirth.
Drachma. The standard coin of Greece. The average workman earned about a drachma a day. One drachma is worth six obols. Every city minted their own coins, which created the need for moneychangers and exchange rates. At an event like Olympia, every coin imaginable changed hands in trade. It must have been chaos for the stallholders (and for the pornoi too!).
Exomis. The exomis is the standard wear of middle class artisans. The exomis is a sheet of linen wrapping around from the right, slightly wider than the shoulders of the wearer and falling to knee length. The corners are tied over the left shoulder, which is all that prevents the exomis from falling off. This leaves both arms and legs free to move without hindrance.
Sophroniscus wears an exomis every day when he sculpts, and therefore feels uncomfortable in the more restrictive chiton. Pericles, on the other hand, wouldn’t be seen dead in an exomis. He always wears a chiton and drapes around him a himation of fine wool.
Genos. A family bloodline. It’s the same as gens in Latin, and the origin of the word genus in English. The genos Timonidae was a family in ancient Athens who produced sports stars over many generations. Timodemus and Timonous were both members of the genos Timonidae.
Gymnasium. Gymnasium is a very Greek word. I’ve used the Latin form for familiarity. The Greek is gymnasion. The gymnasium at Olympia is Roman. In Nico’s day there were very few permanent buildings, and there’s no known gym from that date. I consider that impossible, so I’ve placed a temporary wooden structure where the Roman gymnasium was later built.
To the Greeks, the gymnasium was not only a place to exercise, but also a social center and where boys went to school. Both meanings survive to the present day. In German, a gymnasium is a high school.
Hellanodikai. The Judges of the Hellenes. Dikai means judges. The hellanodikai were men of outstanding integrity who were selected to run the Olympic Games and adjudicate disputes. Considering how desperate everyone was to win, I don’t envy them the job.
Hellenes. The Greeks. They never called themselves Greek. They called themselves Hellenes. To this day, in their own language, the word for Greece is Hellas.
Hetaera. A courtesan. Diotima might not be pleased about her mother’s salacious past, but the hetaerae were high class, well educated, and capable of holding their own at the highest levels of society.
Himation. A stole or cloak worn with a chiton. The himation is made of wool and worn across the shoulders and down an arm.
Hydria. A ceramic jar used to store water. Whence all the modern words beginning hydro, such as hydroelectric.
Hippaphesis. It means horse-starter. The hippaphesis at Olympia was the world’s first starting gate for horse races. It worked as Nico describes in the book-a V-shaped device that enforced a staggered start, with the outer wings of the V going first and the apex of the V last. The hippaphesis was invented by an Athenian named Kleotas.