Guided Sleep Meditation & Sleep Hypnosis from Sleep Cove - Exploring Ancient Olympia - Guided Sleep Story

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Starting point is 00:00:46 please go to sleepcove.com slash support. That's sleepcove.com slash support. If you can't support the show right now, please subscribe with the bell to get alerts on all new free content thank you have you ever gazed in wonder at the great pyramid have you marvelled at the golden face of Tudankhamun

Starting point is 00:01:16 or admired the delicate features of Queen Nefertiti if you have you'll probably like the History of Egypt podcast every week we explore tales of this ancient culture The history of Egypt is available wherever you get your podcasting fix. Come, let me introduce you to the world of ancient Egypt. Hi, welcome to Sleepco with Christopher Fitten, the place to get a great night's sleep. Please listen to this recording where you can safely go to sleep. I hope everyone is tucked to in bed, ready to take the adventure tonight to ancient Olympia.

Starting point is 00:02:05 well we'll meet and see some famous athletes and see the Temple of Zeus, one of the seventh ancient wonders of the world. If you like this recording, I've also done recordings where we visit ancient Sparta, ancient Greece and Athens, as well as reading some ancient Greek myths. I'll leave a link for these episodes. in the notes. And let's begin. To begin with, we're going to be doing a couple of deep breaths in and through the nose,

Starting point is 00:02:51 finning the stomach and then hold at the top of the breath for two seconds. And take another deep breath in. Hold for a couple of seconds more. And then gently relax out and exhale. Always making sure the exhale, is longer than the inhale. So we can equalize our breathing and come back to a good level of...

Starting point is 00:03:34 You feel so relaxed. As you drift back in time, you drift to the year 396 BC to the site of Olympia in ancient Greece. And we are going to visit the Olympic Games. and you find yourself standing on Mount Cronus, surveying ancient Olympia below you. The Ionian Sea is shimmering in the distance,

Starting point is 00:04:17 as the sun dances. On the gentle waves, the sun is against a deep blue sky with scattered fluffy clouds, and you feel the slight breeze off the sea. You start to follow a small, track down the gentle slope of the mountain. It winds down and down. Through the olive trees, which grow on the steep slopes and provide shade, and you walk in and out of the sun. And the shade

Starting point is 00:05:05 of the olive trees, at this stage, the games have been in progress since 776 BC. for nearly 400 years, and they have become one of the most important events in ancient Greece, both spiritually and politically. The victors gaining glory and prestige, not just honour to themselves, but they also bring honour to their cities, with spectators visiting from not just all over ancient Greece, But the whole of the Mediterranean world, thousands of people, young and old, wealthy and poor, would camp in the searing heat to see these games. For just two days every four years, the sanctuary at Olympia would be alive with people.

Starting point is 00:06:11 The temples full of offerings, the sporting facilities being used by the greatest athletes in order. all of Greece and the streets streaming with people buying precious objects from the market stalls, food and wine from tavernas, and listening to the poetry of the most celebrated poets of the day who recorded the monumental victories forever. You enter the town of Olympia, as you wander the streets, you can hear excitement, coming from towards the river from these and aside to walk in that direction in front of you is a medium-sized statue of Zeus of the Oath

Starting point is 00:07:04 Here you see many athletes participating in a swearing-in ceremony for the Olympic Games The participants swear that they will follow the rules and the judges swear that they will be fair and unbiased. As you thread your way through the crowds of people, you start to admire the brightly-cutted robes of a young noble woman. The beautiful red and purple silks are so rich and ripple in the breeze.

Starting point is 00:07:47 They are held together at her shoulder by an intricate gold-brilts, a dawned and dazzled with deep blue lapis lazuli. The jewels are also used in the fine gold necklace and earrings, along with emeralds which glittered in the sun. Her hair was styled up and held in place with beautiful jeweled pins. jet-black curls cascading down her back. With her was her husband, equally grand and elegant in his matching robes and brooch on his wrists, his golden cuffs and his sandals are made from the finest leather.

Starting point is 00:08:45 In the whole of Olympia, there are so many visitors who are wearing their finery. the Olympic Games is the place to see the sights and also be seen in the high social circles of Greek society. The couple start to look at some shrinkets at a market stall and you continue to walk towards the east. Just ahead you see the elegant columns of a large square building nested amongst the plain trees. There is an inner and outer square of columns, forming a porticole under which small chambers are found,

Starting point is 00:09:35 circling a perfectly square in a courtyard. Inside the courtyard, you can hear a commotion and the sounds of cheery. Walk through a passageway and into the central courtyard and you find yourself in the... the palestra, the ancient training ground for martial arts in Olympia. You see the athletes

Starting point is 00:10:03 practice their wrestling and boxing, their supporters cheering them on from the shade of the portico. The atmosphere here is playful and light. The athletes are enjoying the opportunity to practice before the major competitions to come. Either skills or the wrestlers as different men lose and win their bouts. As you leave the palestra, you walk south.

Starting point is 00:10:43 There seems to be more people joining the celebratory atmosphere at these games. The streets of market stores and entertainers, poets and artists. You realize that you feel hungry and stop at a small tavernor. You sit outside at a rustic table under the shade of the vines, which have wrapped themselves around the wooden begola. A serving girl comes over and pours you a cup

Starting point is 00:11:23 of red wine from a terracotta jug where wine is sweet and rich. Just a minute later, she hands you a small platter of food. You can see the soft white feta cheese, stuffed fine leaves, fat green olives and beautiful baclava oozing with honey. The food is just as delicious as the wine and you savour each bite as you head back into the sanctuary of Olympia You see a mass of people surrounding the grandest and most elaborate building at the site. Right in the center of Olympia of Zeus draws your attention. These games are in honour of Zeus and this is his temple and the crowds are amassed outside

Starting point is 00:12:33 with visitors presenting offerings to the mightiest of the gods. And inside this temple, there is a wonder of the ancient world. And over many Greeks, this would have been the largest building they would have ever seen in their lifetime. In fact, the Pantheon in Athens was built to outdo this temple. It is so huge. You see the huge triangular pediment of the western side of the temple. resting on six collars, this is the western entrance, the white marble of the pediment, is intricately and beautifully carved, depicting a battle between centaurs and men as you circle your way to the east side entrance of the building, the main entrance.

Starting point is 00:13:42 The pediment here features a chariot race as you ascend the stairs to the entrance of the temple. you can see the exquisite detail of the carvings. The horses in the chariot race seem to be almost alive as he stepped under the pediment and into the temple. As you look up, from here inside, where you're standing, you see that the marble roof tiles have been carved so finely and from such perfect marble The light of the sun is glowing through the roof

Starting point is 00:14:26 illuminating the temple inside inside the temples in the sanctum inside you can smell incense burning and see jars containing offerings around the base of a statue you look up and before you is the most enormous statue

Starting point is 00:14:54 that you have ever seen one of the seven ancient wonders of the world seated on a throne of cedarwood is Zeus the god of thunder and the throne is intricately carved and painted with vines and plants

Starting point is 00:15:18 as well as animals and dancing nymphs it is adorned with jewels gold ebony and ivory and sat upon this throne is Zeus himself The statue was made from ivory and gold and stands an imposing 13 metres high

Starting point is 00:15:41 His robes look so realistic Like silk And in his hands It's a golden staff Topped with an eagle You can see Zeus's face The curls of his hair Fall so realistically

Starting point is 00:16:01 Over his shoulders And his laurel wreaths crown is painted green. You look at his face. His strong square jaw and beard, which look noble and strong, fierce and fair. And you stare and wonder at this monument.

Starting point is 00:16:24 The scale and the spectacle is breathtaking. Unlike anything you have seen before, as you leave, you are swept up with a crowd outside the temple. The atmosphere is excited and full of anticipation, as the first of the games is about to start amongst the crowd you hear the different dialects of Spartans and Athenians, Thevens and Corinthians. The conservative and dour clothing of the Spartans contrasting with the brighter and more refined fashions of the Athenians. no doubt the Spartans feeling superior to the richly dressed Athenians. Which was their manner, the crowd begins to slowly move towards the hippodrome. Young and old, rich and poor, rubbing shoulders and enjoying the sense of celebration in the air.

Starting point is 00:17:37 As you walk along the hot and dusty path to the hippodrome, you see the wide and dusty track up ahead on a large flat plane, vast in size and scale. The seats are already beginning to fill. When you spot an empty space nestled under one of the canopies and take your seat for the first event at the far end through a large tunnel, some exquisite chariots, each pulled by four of the most beautiful adored horses begin to arrive and do a lap of the hippodrome, firing up the crowd.

Starting point is 00:18:24 The hippodrome is a long oblong course with a very thin central raised area. That is as long as the course with five huge columns in the centre of the central area. This makes the oblong track which the chariots race around. The four-horse chariot race was known as the most exciting and spectacular event, and there are soon no spaces available in the grandstands. Each chariot is carved and painted elaborately. The horse bridles made from the finest leather and adorned in intricate metal work, as each competitor arrives in the arrangement.

Starting point is 00:19:19 the chariots begin to line up. The chatter of the crowd begins to fall silent as the sense of anticipation where the start of the race builds suddenly a huge bronze eagle, symbolizing the god of Zeus is lowered, indicating the start of the race, the horses bound around the course, and the wheels of each chariot spinning so quickly, they become a blur as each chariot approach the turns. The drivers held on with the mega-strength they feel they got from the gods. As the first lap was completed, a bronze dolphin, the symbol of Poseidon, was lowered and some of the competitors began to fall behind. At the front, three chariots are battling out for first place. At the front is a chariot painted in deep green, with gold leaf trim.

Starting point is 00:20:39 Behind battling to overtake it are a red and a sky blue chariot. As they approach the turn, the leader does not slow down and continues to pick up base. The chariot cannot stay on the track and crashes into the wooden barrier and the driver lands in the sand. The chariot is destroyed and the horses are let away from the track as the bronze dolphin is lowered a second time. It's neck and neck between the red and the blue chariot for first place. The crowd is fixed on this battle as each driver tries to edge past the other. The third, fourth and fifth laps go by

Starting point is 00:21:33 until we reach the sixth and final lap. And the blue chariot has finally pulled ahead seems almost straight. The red chariot begins to pick up pace. The crowd falls silent. The horses are so fast and so insane, They appear to be flying as they race towards the finish line.

Starting point is 00:22:05 Last few metres, the Red Chariot manages to do the impossible and passes its competitor to win the race. The crowd explodes into a rapture of celebration. But above all the other spectators, the Spartans are the loudest and most exuberant. Their red chariot was one of their own competitors. Suddenly, from the seating area, reserved for nobility and competitors, a woman makes her way through the crowd to the victory ceremony. There were audible gasps, as many in the crowd were shocked to see a woman claim victory in this race,

Starting point is 00:22:56 as this would be the first time ever that a woman had won an Olympic event. This was Siniska of Sparta. She owned and personally trained the horses which had won the event. Women were not allowed to compete at the Olympics, but as the owner of the horses won the prize in these times, Siniska used this loophole to enter her horses and chariot into the race. As you watch her receive her laurel crown. a victory. You realise you have seen this woman before. She is the beautiful and fashionable

Starting point is 00:23:40 lady you saw earlier today in the market and now looking even more radiant in her victory. Next it is time to go to the stadium for the final events of the day. You turn towards the stadium and you see up ahead a gentle mound rising from the flat ground and as you can hear the chatter of thousands of people in the air from this mound. Ahead a large stone rises. This is the gateway to the stadium. You pass through the archway, through a stone tunnel, and before you, opens up the enormous arena,

Starting point is 00:24:29 over 200 metres long and nearly 100 metres wide, with rows upon rows of seats, encircling the track below. Again you take your seat. It was time for the final match of the wrestling tournament to begin. The two finalists emerge from their respective tunnels. A huge sparsed man at least six foot four with a chest the size of a barrel.

Starting point is 00:25:02 His long black hair plattered down his back. The second finalist is a small, smaller, wiry, bronzed Thebon, still large and strong, but dwarfed by his Spartan counterpart. The match begins and the winner is the first competitor to pin his opponent three times. The Spartan is using his sheer size and weight to overcome his competitor, grabbing and throwing him to the ground twice in quick succession. Like he weighed no more than a child However by the third game

Starting point is 00:25:47 The Spartan is beginning to slow down The heat and the exertion Taking its toll on his huge frame Theban sees his chance He is light-footed and dances around his competitor Tripping him up as he lunges to try and win his third game The Spartan falls to the ground his shoulder making contact with the floor and handing a point to the Theban.

Starting point is 00:26:17 The next game goes to the Theban too, so the fifth and final game is for the win. Both competitors are now exhausted and the crowd is unactrified. The final game begins. The Theban dancing around the Spartan. A Spartan reaching for victory. The Spartan manages to grab his competitor. He begins to grapple him, and it seems as though there is nothing the Theban can do.

Starting point is 00:26:55 However, as quick as a flash, the Theban shift as weight, and the Spartan tumbles, unbalanced by his own huge size. He crashes to the ground, and the Theban claims the Laurel Crown. You now watch some of the field events, where the early classic games of discontal.

Starting point is 00:27:17 and javeling throwing were taking place, as the competitors used their strong physiques to hurl the ancient equipment, which are still used today in the modern Olympics, after the field events finish. There is one final event which is named the Stade, as the race takes place the length of the stadium, which is about 600 Greek feet. The 15 athletes line up, and there are silence in the crowd as the judge starts the race and then a fast sprint to the end of the stadium to finish. The crowd is excited and cheers on their heroes and the local spectators are elated for they can cheer their own man on. The sun is high in the sky now and you head towards where the feasting hall is being held in the Brightanion, where the last day.

Starting point is 00:28:27 of celebrations are. You walk past the gilded statues of former winners of the Olympics. The Greeks believed the Olympics was the highest honour a mortal man could achieve, sometimes even paid for their own statues to be immortalised. You go into the feasting hall and take a seat. There is merriment and dancing. And you now hear the music from entertainers who are playing instruments and are singing victory odes that the winners have commissioned themselves. You drink and eat the delicious Greek delicacies and talk and speak with the winners and finish the night dancing to the entertainment.

Starting point is 00:29:26 It has been a long day and now you have decided to go to your quarters and you walk out into the courtyard, where they have the fire of Hestia. It is a huge fire. Set in a cauldron, the fire is a light day and night, and the fire is taken from here to light the fires all around the city. This is where the tradition of carrying the sacred Olympic torch originates. Within the outer building, you find your sleep. quarters. A bath has been drawn already for your arrival and you climb in the marble bath

Starting point is 00:30:19 that is warm and clean yourself and get rid of the stresses of the day in this hot bath as you relax and remember. You dry yourself with the cloths provided and get ready for bed. Get cozy and comfortable on the cotton sheets. You've had a great day and you'll going to make it a tradition to come back every four years to watch and celebrate the Olympic games in ancient Olympia. But for now you decide to fall asleep and dream of the magnificent sights you have seen.

Guided Sleep Meditation & Sleep Hypnosis from Sleep Cove - Exploring Ancient Olympia - Guided Sleep Story

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