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What was a Heraia?

Updated: 11/4/2022
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The Heraia is the annual festival of Hera, the ancient pre-Greek Mother of all.

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How was the Heraia different to the ancient Olympic Games?

the Olympics were only for men; the Heraia was the festival for women


What countries competed in the Olympics in ancient Greece?

It is unsure of exactly all the city states who participated, but here are a few:Rhodes, Croton, Sparta, Elis, Krannon (also known as Thessaly), Smyrna, Sybaris,Syrecuse, Heraia (also known as Arkadia), and Thebes.


Are there any festivals or celebrations for ares?

Hera was most important to the Greeks in their most archaic periods. Festivals in her honor, called Heraia, were celebrated in Argos, Mycenae and Sparta. The festival of the Great Daedalia, celebrated every 6 years, was also in her honor.The Romans, on the other hand, had more reverence for their version of Hera, Juno. The most important were probably the Juno Capitolina, celebrated on September 13th, and the Matronalia on March 1.


Are there any festivals or celebrations for Hera?

Hera was most important to the Greeks in their most archaic periods. Festivals in her honor, called Heraia, were celebrated in Argos, Mycenae and Sparta. The festival of the Great Daedalia, celebrated every 6 years, was also in her honor.The Romans, on the other hand, had more reverence for their version of Hera, Juno. The most important were probably the Juno Capitolina, celebrated on September 13th, and the Matronalia on March 1.


Could women take part in the ancient Olympic Games?

Women were not allowed to compete in the ancient Olympics, under penalty of death. Married women were not allowed to attend, also under penalty of death. Unmarried women were allowed to attend, as it was thought that the Olympics were a good place for young maidens to meet their future husbands.


Where women allowed at the ancient olyimpic games?

Never.There where 3 main criteria for participation in the games:FIRST you HAD to be male,SECOND you had to be Greek,THIRD you had to be a free MAN. Women slaves and foreigners where excluded.Although women were not allowed in the Olympic Games, they still practised sport. At Olympia (back then it was called Olympia not Olympics, young girls had there own games, the Heraia, in honour of the goddess Hera, the wife of Zeus. These competitions were held every four years and consisted of running races only.


What running events are there in the Olympics?

There were several ancient Greek foot races. The original Olympic Games began at Olympia in 776 BC with a single, one way foot race of about 200 meters, called a STADE and we derive our word STADIUM (Latin) from the Greek word STADION, as a track where this was run; Olympia seemingly the first one. A STADE became a Greek standard unit of distance measurement for around 200 meters. Later, around 724 BC the running event was doubled to the length and back again and was called a DIAULOS, around 400 meters. The next ancient running event to be added around 720 BC was a long distance foot race called a DOLICHOS, which was around 20-24 lengths or around at least 4000 meters. If a competitor won all three of these first foot races, he (or possibly she) would be called a TRIASTES, meaning "triple" winner. Other running events included the HOPLITODROMOS, a race run in armor. First run with bronze shields, helmets and shin guards, later possible armor races of 25 contestants may have carried only bronze shields; at Olympia these were all the same weight for uniformity and attached outside the Temple of Zeus. This event, starting around 520 BC, was often understood as simulating or preparatory for military action. The word derives from the Greek word for an infantry soldier (HOPLITE) and the Greek word DROMOS, roughly meaning a "pattern" or race. Other ancient foot races run at night with a torch passed like a baton (note the Greek word for "lamp" was also our word source) could be called LAMPADEDROMIA, possibly the origin of modern Olympic torch running to begin the games. These were not necessarily the only possible ancient Olympic races, but were certainly the most important and time-honored. Boys, men and women did not compete against each other; women had their own games at another time in honor of the goddess Hera, games that were thus called the HERAIA. Boys and men ran naked and barefoot where women ran barefoot but clothed, all at separate times. Greek myth says that the STADE length was determined by being the distance that the hero Herakles (Hercules to the Romans) could run in 600 steps and also the distance he could run in only one breath. We have experimentally shown both of these to be possible at Stanford University. Male athletes with about a size 14 shoe could walk 600 footsteps heel-to-toe in about 200 meters. This suggests the ancient model for Herakles would have to been fairly tall or have had very big feet! We also showed 200 meters could be run in one breath by having some of our swimmer athletes run with mouths shut but full of water and noses closed by tight nose clips (so they could not breathe through the nose) and then spit out the full mouthful of water at the end of the 200 meters. Our national champion Stanford synchronized swimmers could all do this easily, but most people probably cannot. Thus, there seems to have been some truth to the ancient myth determining length of the ancient STADION race track regardless of whether or not a real Herakles figure ever existed. Some of this Herakles myth research and experimental material is also published in Dr. Patrick Hunt's book MYTHS FOR ALL TIME (2007); the best accessible book on the subject of Olympic foot races is probably Dr. Judith Swaddling's THE ANCIENT OLYMPIC GAMES (first published in 1980 but now updated in later editions).