Did you know that the Greeks used dust as anti-persperant? Or that chariot races begun as a mark of respect for important men at their funeral. Interesting facts like these and much more are part of a new exhibition The Games of Zeus celebrating the Ancient Games at the National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon.
To coincide with the exhibition, the museum is also hosting its own Ancient Games over Easter weekend, 6-9 April with athletic challenges, including an obstacle course in the Roman garden and an Easter egg hunt on Easter Sunday. So why not take part in the athletic challenge and see how fast you are around the obstacle course?
The Ancient Games were started by King Iphastos of Elis as the Oracle at Delphi told him that by holding games in honour of Zeus the terrible plague that tormented his kingdom would disappear…and it did! The Ancient Games took place in Olympia for 1000 years and when Rome conquered Greece the games continued until 394 AD. The first modern games took place in Athens in 1896 thanks to the Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin who believed they would help promote peace.
As well as including artefacts used in the games such as a helmet and coins, the new exhibition features fascinating information on the Ancient Games and Rome’s interest in them, and visitors can find out more using Bluetooth on a mobile phone and using the words that appear in blue as part of the exhibition.
Dai Price, Manager of the National Roman Legion Museum said, “We thought 2012 was the perfect time to put on an exhibition about the Ancient Games here at the National Roman Legion Museum. The Ancient Games began many years ago but we’re still celebrating them today as we can see from this year’s sporting events. There a fantastic opportunity for children to come and test their athleticism in our Easter weekend ancient games challenges so come along to step back in time and experience life as a Roman – it’s guaranteed to be a fun weekend.”
Entry to all Amgueddfa Cymru sites is free, thanks to the support of the Welsh Government.
