Historical Nonfiction

The Olympics Exposed

In ancient Greece, the Olympics were competed completely in the nude. Originally, the athletes wore shorts. Then one guy tossed his trunks to run faster, and after he won, everyone followed suit (according to one ancient writer, Pausanias, anyway).

Women were banned from the games. Supposedly this had something to do with the religious aspects of serving Zeus. If caught watching, they would be thrown headfirst off the cliffs of Mount Typaeum. But women had their own games in honor of Hera, where they got to be just as naked.

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   This does not surprise me at all. There has always been a double standard when it comes to men’s nudity versus women....

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    Those Greeks, always having...the nude. Crazy exhibitionists.

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