The Centuries in Between Olympiads

After the end of the ancient Olympic games, the buried but still smoldering ember of Olympic athleticism burst into flame once again at the revived Games in Athens in 1896. But what happened to the Greeks and the Olympic spirit during the 1,504 years between the ancient and modern Games?

Above: The remains of a 5th-century Byzantine church. It was built on the foundations of Pheidias's workshop at Olympia.

Byzantine Greece (395-1453 AD)
How did ancient Greek society go from democratic self-rule and mythic-religious worship of the Pantheon of Greek gods to being Romanized and Christianized in the Byzantine Empire? The first major event was the fall of the city-states of ancient Greece to Roman conquerors in 146 BC. When the Roman emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in AD 312, he was aggressive in pro­sely­tiz­ing his newfound faith and in stamping out all trace of the ancient Greek "pagan" religion. Then, in AD 330, Constantine created a new capital for the Roman Empire, named Constantinople, on the site of Byzantium, a Greek city. When Rome split in the 4th century AD, Greece became part of its eastern half, the Byzantine Empire.

Orthodox Christianity was the dominant religion and Greek the dominant language of the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Empire (or Byzantium) slowly formed a synthesis of late Roman institutions, orthodox Christianity, and Greek language and culture.

In an effort to wipe out all traces of the pagan religion of the twelve gods, the Parthenon in Athens was transformed into a church of "Holy Wisdom" (Saint Sophia). Similarly, the historic workshop of sculptor Pheidias at Olympia was transformed into a church in the 5th century AD (see photo above).

In addition, the Church did not encourage athletic activities, which it claimed weakens spiritual activity (Coubertin encountered similar ideas in 1880 France). The ancient Olympic games were scorned as glorifying a pagan culture.

Byzantium was a stronghold of intellectual development in a time when the rest of Europe was immersed in the dark Middle Ages. The preservation of ancient Greek manuscripts and culture by Byzantine scholars were the most important contributions of Byzantium to posterity. Intellectual life gathered at religious centers such as Mt. Athos and Meteora.

The golden age of the Byzantine Empire gradually lost its luster. Officially, the Byzantine Empire ceased to exist on May 29, 1453 AD when the Turkish sacked Constantinople, its capitol. After a glorious thousand-year span, the Byzantine Empire came to an end.

Under Ottoman Rule (1453-1921 AD)
The Byzantine intellectual tradition did not die in 1453: many Greek scholars fled to the cultural centers of Europe. Several Italian universities gained Greek chairs, which exerted a strong influence on the Italian Renaissance. Elements of Greco-Roman classicism were reexamined and revived. Ancient Greek artifacts became sought-after collector's items. An extensive underground trade of Greek art was established. Coins, jewelry, statues, pediment reliefs, etc. made it to foreign museums and private collections. At the same time, governments, universities, and wealthy researchers sponsored excavations in Greek territories. As a result, ancient Troy, Mycenae, and Olympia was unearthed and discovered. The reports from these sites fueled Coubertin's interest in reviving the Olympic games.

Although Ottoman rule was arbitrary and inefficient, the Greek populations of the Ottoman Empire generally enjoyed freedom of religion and considerable autonomy. Many educated Greeks held key positions in the Turkish government. Others prospered in shipping and international commerce. Tens of thousands immigrated to Egypt and established a vibrant Greek community. George Averof , the Greek benefactor who later paid for the renovation of the first Olympic stadium ( Panathenaic stadium ) was the product of the Greek community of Alexandria, Egypt.

On March 25, 1821, the Greeks revolted successfully against the Ottoman Empire. The 19th century saw the beginning of a new era in Greek history.

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