The time a battle broke out during the pentathlon. The time a Roman dictator hijacked half the events. The time Nero ruined the chariot race. This video discusses three of the lowest points in the thousand-year course of the ancient Olympics.
For much more on the ancient Olympics and ancient athletics, check out my book “Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans.”
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0:00 Introduction
0:33 The Olympics that got invaded
2:46 The Olympics that were stolen
4:06 The Olympics that Nero ruined
6:42 Conclusion
Thanks for watching!
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Are the Olympic antics of Nero's recorded in trustworthy history, or are the tales told by less-than-contemporary historians holding a grudge towards Nero or his family?
I love compilations such as this (being a failure myself, I like the company), but I know that history itself is a bit of a failure in the Roman empire (or, perhaps, not invented as an academic discipline). Hence the question. (I would LOVE for it to be true. Mad emperors are such fun – a couple of millennia afterwards.)
I know you have a doctorate in this but the pronunciation that I have learned from other scholars of Latin is "SOO-luh" not "Suh-luh" for Lucius Cornelius Sulla (my favorite dictator for some reason, I don't know why because he was thoroughly unlikable character). With his famous red hair and flawless white skin that would turn purple when he was angry (like mulberries in oatmeal so his contemporaries would say), he was pretty memorable just from looks alone but when you look at his back history (it's pretty sordid) and his military history, he was actually fairly remarkable. He was one of a few men who won the Corona Graminea (grass crown) for valor in battle and was very charismatic, much like his nephew Julius Caesar. Caesar had some interesting uncles. One was Sulla but the other was probably the Roman Republic's greatest general, Gaius Marius. Tough acts to follow but Caesar kind of blew them out of the water…but I digress….
Edited to add that if I ever get my hands on a flame-point Siamese cat, you can count on me naming him Sulla. Call me weird, you won't be the first. LOL 🤣
The idiot thought there was no history and he would stay as an Olympian but he stayed as a mama's boy
Donald J chump has had a long series of predecessors in the game of stolen and undue credit.
Nero was a infamous self tanner and never lost a golf game…. oh wait hmm
Nero is a legend! ❤
6:00 I vivdly imagine a conversation between two spectators:
— I pray to gods everything is well!
— So do I brother, so do I.
They should make a movie “Nero Goes to Greece” – it would make for a great comedy
I can’t get enough of this channel
Living during Nero's time would have been wild. 👍👙👍
if u think times now are crazy, imagine starting a war over a football game lmao
"to the surprise of no one"
i wonder how they handled gambling when an emperor was involved in the games 🙂
The Arkadians were asshats for even going near Olympia.
The horses were probably afraid to trample Nero, that's how he managed it.
Homie really tried bringing 10hp to a 4hp race
It's good to know that we have progressed since then. Nowadays we wait until after the Olympics before starting a war.
And the current 2022 Winter Olympics will go down as the Worst (Modern) Olympics Ever.
Nero is what i call, unconserned with convention
Bad romans, no killing of greeks.
10 horse chariot DAMN
Nero the G.O.A.T.
my man nero out here running cheat codes