INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY 7th JOINT - IOA

victory in the chariot race that was the most sought after by elite
individuals and their communities.
For it was generally the elites, the aristocrats, the nobility, who
dominated the political affairs of their archaic and classical
communities. Broadly speaking, tension between the individual and
his wider political community underpinned the development of Greek
city-states. For individualistic elites had both the most to gain and the
most to lose from their acquiescence to a common political identity.
Inevitably, conflict arose such powerful and wide-ranging individuals
elites over just who access to power over the wider community. Their
struggles resulted in political infighting and factionalism, which in
many Archaic and even Classical poleis resulted in the establishment
of one-man rule, or tyranny.
As a pan-Hellenic centre, Olympia was particularly important to
the developing poleis and there are two broad reasons why. First, it is
clear that by the opening of the 8 th century, the sanctuary at Olympia
was already a focal point for Greeks from across the western and
northern Peloponnesus. In fact, archaeology shows that Olympia was
the centre of cult activity from at least the 10 th century. Also, like
Delphi, Elis was a good area for stock breeding, and so conducive
with major sacrifices. Secondly, Olympia’s location was ideal. It was
accessible yet remote and it remained an essentially neutral place of
common interest and value at a time when Greek culture was
developing and expanding at a rapid rate. Moreover, early on Olympia
was removed from the main communication routes of the
Peloponnesus, and was relatively free from the overt control of a
nearby expansionist state. As a peripheral state on the Greek mainland
whose territorial interests ranged only as far as the north-western
Peloponnesus, Elis was considered a harmless enough community to
run and organise the Games at Olympia. Sparta’s nominal political
control over the area was not apparently overt enough to deter athletes
from all over the Hellenic world participating in the Games.
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