Ancient Greece:
- Types of sports: Various -The ancient Olympics included various lengths of foot racing, chariot wrestling, boxing, wrestling, and several others.
- Characteristics: The games were a part of a five-day festival (three days for competition, two days for religious ritual). The winner of each event would receive an olive branch, as well as lots of money and olive oil from their home village (comparable to modern-day endorsement deals).
- Role in society: Mostly entertainment, but with political and religious elements as well -politicians would use the games to announce alliances, and ritual sacrifice was used by priests to aid their country’s athletes.
- Participant demographic: free men only
Ancient Rome:
- Types of sports: Various – gladiatorial combat, beast fighting, chariot racing, naval battles, hunting, wrestling
- Characteristics: Many games and sports were a part of the Circus Maximus, which featured a variety of entertainment in the old Coliseum. They would occasionally flood the stadium for actual naval battles called Naumachia, which sounds like an awesome sport. The ancient Romans had a test for pretty much every type of athleticism they could think of.
- Role in society: Mostly entertainment. Many historians have said that the Circus was a major contributor to the downfall of Roman society as the often extremely violent games distracted citizens from Rome’s many growing issues. While this may be an exaggeration, sports were certainly a vital part of Roman society, much as they are in the modern-day.
- Participant demographic: Free men (in the mostly non-lethal events), women (ball sports and swimming), and criminals (all the lethal sports, also handy for public executions in other parts of the Circus)
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