Description: Kotinos - Olive Wreath - Prize for the Winner at the Ancient Olympic Games - Marble Base - Reproduction - pure bronze statue Condition: New, Made in Greece.Material: Pure BronzeHeight: 17 cm - 6,7 inchesWidth: 21,5 cm - 8,3 inchesLength: 4,5 cm - 1,8 inchesWeight: 430 g The Olive wreath also known as kotinos was the prize for the winner at the ancient Olympic Games. It was a branch of the wild olive tree Kallistefanos Elea (also referred to as Elaia Kallistephanos) that grew at Olympia, intertwined to form a circle or a horse-shoe. The branches of the sacred wild-olive tree near the temple of Zeus were cut by a pais amphithales (a boy whose parents were both alive) with a pair of golden scissors. Then he took them to the temple of Hera and placed them on a gold-ivory table. From there, the Hellanodikai (the judges of the Olympic Games) would take them, make the wreaths and crown the winners of the Games.According to Pausanias it was introduced by Heracles as a prize for the running race winner to honor his father Zeus. In the ancient Olympic Games there were no gold, silver, or bronze medals. There was only one winner per event, crowned with an olive wreath made of wild-olive leaves from a sacred tree near the temple of Zeus at Olympia. Olive wreaths were given out during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens in honor of the ancient tradition, because the games were being held in Greece which was also used as the official emblem.Herodotus describes the following story which is relevant to the olive wreath. Xerxes was interrogating some Arcadians after the Battle of Thermopylae. He inquired why there were so few Greek men defending the Thermopylae. The answer was "All other men are participating in the Olympic Games". And when asked "What is the prize for the winner?", "An olive-wreath" came the answer. Then Tiritantaechmes, one of his generals uttered: "Good heavens! Mardonius, what kind of men are these against whom you have brought us to fight? Men who do not compete for possessions, but for virtue."'Aristophanes in Plutus makes a humorous comment on victorious athletes who are crowned with wreath made of wild olive instead of gold:Why, Zeus is poor, and I will clearly prove it to you. In the Olympic games, which he founded, and to which he convokes the whole of Greece every four years, why does he only crown the victorious athletes with wild olive? If he were rich he would give them gold.The victorious athletes were honoured, feted, and praised. Their deeds were heralded and chronicled so that future generations could appreciate their accomplishments. In fact, the names of the Olympic winners formed the chronology basis of the ancient world, as arranged by Timaeus in his work, The Histories. ΣΕΜ 217100140101 KOTINΟΣ ΧΡ- 31 *********************
Price: 169.9 USD
Location: Piraeus
End Time: 2025-01-26T10:58:21.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Artist: Handmade
Unit of Sale: Single Piece
Size: Small
Item Length: 1.8
Region of Origin: Europe
Listed By: Artist
Format: Statue
Year of Production: 2023
Unit Type: Unit
Original/Licensed Reproduction: Reproduction
Placement: Table
Item Height: 6.7
Style: ancient greek
Features: Limited Edition
Culture: Greek
Item Width: 8.3
Handmade: Yes
Time Period Produced: 2020-Now
Color: gold
Title: Kotinos - Olive Wreath - Prize for the Winner - Ancient Olympic
Material: Bronze
Subject: Kotinos - Olive Wreath, Prize for the Winner, ancient greece, craft gift present, history mythology, olive tree athena zeus, olympic games olympia
Type: Statue
Theme: Art, History, Inspirational, Mythological, Nature, Religious, Sports
Production Technique: bronze
Country/Region of Manufacture: Greece
