1895 to 1905: The New Century Begins

Survey 6 – The Quick-paced Revolution

In this survey we mostly studied the evolution of art and design in the 10 short years from 1895 to 1905, and the impact these revolutionary changes had on the world. We saw the birth of Art Nouveau and the artists such as Alfons Mucha Gismonda that epitomized the style, as well as its transformation into something close to modern art by the Glasgow Four and Talwin Morris. The translation of Art Nouveau to architecture as well as poster design, advertising and erotic art by people such as Hector Guillmard, Ethel Reed and Aubrey Beardsley was also significant. Art styles and trends were being created and dropped more quickly than ever before, and scientific and technological innovation was advancing at the same unparalleled speed. Thomas Edison’s phonograph and moving picture quickly evolved into the first publicly released movie in 1895 by the Lumiere Brothers, and Ferdinand Zeppelin showcased this first passenger-carrying blimp only months later. Progress ranging from the first trans-atlantic message being sent in 1901, to the first successful plane test by the Orville Brothers four years later was being made at this time. However, the advancements being made in the domains of art, science and technology have not yet reached the stiff aspects of victorian society at this time. The change is imminent; the suffragette movements all over the world following the success of women in New Zealand have only just begun, and views on race, sexuality and nationalism will also begin to change in the near future. Breathe the air of revolution!

The Ancient Olympic Games

The ancient Olympic Games started as a part of a religious festival in honour of Zeus, the father of the Greek gods and goddesses. The festival and the games were held in Olympia, a rural sanctuary site in the western Peloponnesos.

The Greeks that came to the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia shared the same religious beliefs and spoke the same language. The sanctuary was named after Mt. Olympus, the highest mountain in mainland Greece. In Greek mythology, Mt. Olympus was the home of the main pantheon of Greek gods and goddesses. The athletes were all free male citizens of different statuses from the city-states from around the Greek world, coming from places such as Spain in the west and the Turkey in the east. The competitors ranged from Kings such as Alexander I of Macedonia, to philosophers such as Democritus and shepherds such as Polymnistor. Participants came to compete for honour, symbolized as a laurel wreath, and large monetary prizes were also allocated to winners. There was no such thing as second or third place in these games. Anyone who did not win was considered dishonoured.

Modern Artist’s Impression of Ancient Olympia.


The ancient Olympic Games may have begun in 776 BCE, when the cook Koroibos from the city of Elis won the 600 feet stadion track race. It is possible, according to some sources, the stadion race was the only athletic event of the festival for the first 13 Olympic Games (until 724 BCE). From their beginning in 776 BCE, the Games were held in Olympia every four years for almost 12 centuries.

It is also possible, according to other literary and archaeological evidence, that the games may have existed at Olympia much earlier than 776 BCE, Going as early as the 10th or 9th century BCE.

The marathon, contrary to popular belief, was not an event of the ancient Olympic games. It was introduced for the Modern Olympic Games of Athens in 1896. It was a race from the town of Marathon (northeast of Athens) to the Olympic Stadium, a total distance of 40 km.

The race (now called the marathon) commemorated the run of Pheidippides, an ancient “day-runner” who carried the news of the Persian landing at Marathon of 490 BCE. to Sparta (a distance of 149 miles) in order to enlist help for the battle. According to the fifth century B.C.ancient Greek historian Herodotus, Pheidippides delivered the news to the Spartans the next day.

The distance of the modern marathon was standardized as 26 miles 385 yards or 42.195 km in 1908 when the Olympic Games were held in London. The distance was the exact measurement between Windsor Castle, the start of the race, and the finish line inside White City Stadium. 

Let’s Look at Nudes… Nudity. Nudity at the Games. 

In the late days of the ancient Olympics, nudity was common for the contestants. But how did this tradition start? There are two stories, or explanations as to how nudity was introduced at the games. One states that it was the runner Orrhippos of Megara who, in 720 BCE, was the first to run naked in the stadion race after losing his shorts mid-race. Another tradition is that it was the Spartans who introduced nudity to the Olympic Games in the 8th century BCE. as it was a Spartan tradition. It is not known whether the first recorded victor at Olympia, Koroibos (winner of the stadion race in 776 BCE) was nude or not. 

Rebirth 

The ancient Games were took place in Olympia, Greece, from 776 BCE through 393 CE. 1503 years later, the now modern Olympics returned to Athens, Greece, in 1896. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a Frenchman, presented the idea in 1894 and is considered responsible for the rebirth of the tradition. He originally imagined that the modern Games would first take place in Paris in 1900, but delegates from 34 countries were so eager that the date of the Games was moved up to 1896, and Athens was selected to serve as the first host.

The Olympic Flame: A Modern Spark 

The idea of the Olympic Flame of Torch was first unveiled in Amsterdam’s 1928 Olympic Games. This was a completely modern idea, as no such ritual had been followed in the ancient Olympic Games. Torch relays were, however, held in several other ancient Greek athletic festivals, forming the basis of the idea of the Olympic Torch. The modern Olympic torch relay was first instituted at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, shortly after the introduction of the Olympic Oath in 1920. 

A relay runner carries the Olympic flame before the start of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

Women at the Games? 

In the ancient Games, married women were not allowed watch to participate in any of the events. Unmarried women were allowed to attend the competition, and the priestess of Demeter (goddess of fertility) was considered an honourable guest and was offered a privileged position next to the Stadium altar.

While women weren’t allowed to compete at the ancient Olympics, there was a separate festival in honor of the goddess Hera in which unmarried girls could participate in footraces. The festival is thought to be as ancient as that of the Olympic Games.

Fun Fact!

The Pankration, a sporting event of the ancient Greek Olympic Games introduced in 648 BCE, was an empty-hand submission sport with almost no rules. The athletes were allowed to use boxing and wrestling techniques as well as any others such as kicking and holds, locks and chokes on the ground. The only things not acceptable were biting and gouging out the opponent’s eyes. This event was often a fight to the death.

The Pancrastinae. This is a Roman statue portraying the pancratium, an event identical to the Greek Pankration. This statue is a Roman copy of a lost Greek original, c. 3rd Century BCE.

Cited:

Wikipedia, Ancient Olympic Games: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Olympic_Games

Wikipedia, Pankration: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pankration

Penn Museum, the Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games: https://www.penn.museum/sites/olympics/olympicorigins.shtml

Penn Museum, The Women: Were the Ancient Olympic just for Men?: https://www.penn.museum/sites/olympics/olympicsexism.shtml

Time, The Olympic-Torch Relay: http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1932160,00.html

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