Did Women Compete in the Ancient Olympics?
The Story of the Heraean Games
Cynisca, the first woman to compete in and win at the Olympic Games , found a loophole to the Olympic rules. Other than Cynisca and the few others who were able to find this loophole, women were forbidden to compete in or attend the Olympic Games. Girls and women were otherwise limited to a few female only competitions. One of the most prestigious of these competitions was the Heraean Games, or Heraea. Like the Olympics, the Heraea was also held every four years in Olympia. Beyond that, there were few similarities.
Competitors in the Heraea
Only unmarried virgin girls were allowed to compete in the Heraea. The games consisted of only one event – the footrace down the ancient Olympic stadium. They competed on the same track as the men. Their starting line, however, was several yards ahead of the men’s, making the girls’ race shorter by one sixth of the stadium. The girls were divided into three different age groups – children, adolescents and young women.
Except in Sparta, women in ancient Greece were not encouraged to exercise and keep fit. According to Sarah Pomeroy in her book Spartan Women, girls in ancient Greece were devalued and no attention was paid to their athleticism. For this reason, and because of Sparta’s dominance of Elis in the archaic period, Pomeroy believe the Heraea was established along Spartan principles and that the majority of competitors and victors were Spartan girls.
When competing, the girls were required to wear their hair down, letting it flow behind them. They were also expected to wear short tunics that came approximately to their mid-thigh. The tunics revealed the girls’ right shoulders down to their breast. Baring a breast represents femininity, sexuality, and motherhood. All girls ran barefoot.
Prizes at the Heraea
The winner of each age group received olive branch crowns and a share of the heifer meat dedicated to the goddess Hera after the competition. The girls were also allowed to dedicate portraits of themselves with their names inscribed to the Temple of Hera.
Heraea Facilitators
The Heraea was founded by sixteen Elean women (women from the city Elis, located a few miles away from Olympia). So in keeping with that tradition, every four years sixteen Elean women organized the Heraea. As part of their duties, they shared in the role of weaving a peplos or cloth garment for the goddess Hera. During the opening ceremonies of the games, the peplos is dedicated to Hera’s statue, which resided in the Temple of Hera.
Although the Heraea was the most well known and prestigious religious festival for women in ancient Greece, it was not the only set of women’s races in antiquity. Spartan women, in particular, had several other opportunities to compete during local religious events such as the Hyacinthia.
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