The creation of the Ekecheiria, the Olympic truce, lies within the traditional story of the founding of the ancient Olympic Games. Two warring kings of the area around Olympia, Iphitos and Cleomenes, joined with the Spartan lawgiver Lycurgus in an agreement to hold the Games and to enact and publicize an Olympic truce. Before every Olympiad, then, heralds from Olympia moved around Greece inviting participants and spectators and announcing the truce. Contrary to what many have thought, especially some modern Olympic officials, the Greeks did not cease their wars against one another during the Games or the Olympic truce. Rather, the truce, besides protecting Olympia from invasion, forbade any individual or government to interfere with anyone traveling to and from the Olympics. There is only one known case of the truce being invoked, and then the complaint came from Athens, not Olympia. According to Brittanica
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 05:16:30 +0000
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