Carrying the Olympic Torch

Penn Museum archaeologist Sarah Linn shares the long history behind today's Olympic games with elite Penn athletes Aliya Garuzzo and recently named Olympian Isabella Whittaker.

By Sarah Linn

July 30, 2024

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Penn Museum archaeologist Sarah Linn (left) tours the Greece Gallery with Penn Track & Field alumnae Aliya Garozza (a 2024 Olympic Trials Competitor), Isabella Whittaker (who will compete as a 2024 Olympian), and NBC10’s Aunyea Lachelle. Watch the video.

Every four years, as the Summer Olympics ramp up and we begin to see videos of athletic trials and the lighting of the torch, we also commonly see reminders of the antiquity of these games. Images of the ancient site of Olympia with its gigantic ruined Temple to Zeus and the remains of the original stadium. Ancient Greek athletes boxing, wresting, and running preserved on red and black figure vases. As an archaeologist who studies ancient Greece, I delight in these moments.

These references invite us to tell stories about ancient people and, most importantly, to consider these points of connection between ourselves and people of the past. Earlier this summer I had the wonderful opportunity to share some of the Penn Museum’s objects depicting ancient sports with two Penn track and field athletes, Aliya Garuzzo and Isabella Whittaker, who was recently named a 2024 Olympian!

The first recorded ancient Olympic games took place in 776 BCE at the site of Olympia in Elis located on the Greek Peloponnese. While that is the date typically given as the start of the games, archaeological evidence at the site suggests that the games likely began earlier, perhaps in the 10th or 9th century BCE.

They were, first and foremost, part of a religious celebration. The site of Olympia was sacred to the god Zeus and these games were played in his honor. The Temple of Zeus once held a colossal gold and ivory statue of the seated god that was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. In his hand he held the winged goddess of victory, Nike, the namesake of the famous athletic brand. Some suggest even that the Nike swoosh replicates the goddess’s wings!

aerial view of Ancient Olympia, a green stretch of land with trees, mountains and old buildings — Aerial view of Ancient Olympia with the stadium in the upper left, Temple of Hera in the lower left, and Temple of Zeus in the lower right; photo by Panosgti34.

a drawing of a the god Zeus seated at Olympia — Drawing of the colossal chryselephantine statue of Zeus at Olympia by the Greek sculptor Phidias; panel from the Penn Museum, after E. Curtis and F. Adler, Olympia I (1892), pl. 1.

An ancient Greek vase showing two people running — Drawing of the colossal chryselephantine statue of Zeus at Olympia by the Greek sculptor Phidias; panel from the Penn Museum, after E. Curtis and F. Adler, Olympia I (1892), pl. 1.

We know a great deal about these games because of the remarkable archaeological remains at the site, but also from textual evidence. People wrote about the games and their origins, and many inscriptions have been discovered recording the names and city-states of the winners.

What is less commonly known is that Olympia was by no means the only ancient site for important games. Athletic competitions took place at several famous sanctuaries and in honor of other gods—Apollo at Delphi, Athena in Athens, Zeus at Nemea and Mount Lykaion in Arcadia (not far from Olympia). Games also seem to have been part of early funerary activities.

Like today, athletics were not limited to the exceptional athletes who participated in these important games and many people trained and competed in their local gym. Gymnasium is actually from the Greek word for “naked” as that was how these games were played.

A closeup picture of a vase with people wrestling on it — Kylix with several athletes, including two youths wrestling and their trainer, identifiable by the long stick he holds out toward the wrestlers. 490-480 BCE; PM MS2444.

two ancient Greek vases feature people boxing and people throwing javelins — Left: Amphora depicting two bearded men boxing. Their hands are protected by *himantes* (leather wrappings that functioned like boxing gloves) and a youth stands nearby with an additional pair in his hands. The trainer stands to the left with his stick. 510–490 BCE; PM MS403. Right: Amphora illustrating three bearded men—one holds two javelins in his left hand, another in the center holds a large white discus, and a third is likely a trainer. 510–490 BCE; PM MS403.

ancient Greek vase with a man riding a horse — Pyxis lid decorated with images of men racing horses bareback. 530–500 BCE; PM MS4845.

These sports are frequently depicted on vases like those on display in the Penn Museum and it is clear that athletics were an important aspect of Greek culture. We find images of men running, wrestling, boxing, and preparing to throw a discus or javelin. Many of these sports are still played in the modern Olympics, though they might look very different.

There is also a great number of images depicting horse races, which were a staple of the ancient games. Some races were conducted bareback while others involved a team of horses pulling a chariot. The four-horse chariot race was the most dangerous and often teams did not complete the course.

an ancient Greek coin with a chariot race on it, a man riding with four horses pulling his cart — Silver coin from Syracuse depicting a four-horse chariot with Nike flying above to crown the victorious charioteer. 405–345 BCE; PM 29-126-41.

In many ways these ancient games would not be recognizable to us today—almost no women and many competitions done in the nude. But I think the feeling of the games would be relatable. The wonder at the great gathering of people from near and far (the games were panhellenic, meaning that people from all over the Greek world were invited to compete, which included athletes from what is now Sicily, Spain, Turkey, Cyprus, and North Africa). The swell of pride and sense of awe as athletes from your home put on a remarkable performance. These are things that resonate with us today likely in much the same way as it would have for ancient Greeks.

Best of luck to all the 2024 Olympians, including the six Penn athletes representing Team USA!

Sarah Linn, Ph.D., is the Assistant Director of the Academic Engagement Department.

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