In 776 B.C.E., spectators gathered in Olympia, Greece, to watch a simple footrace. Thus began the ancient Olympics.
Within a few hundred years, the Olympics expanded far beyond a single running event: More sports were added, and Olympia established strict rules and regulations for the increasingly popular competition. Every four years, ancient Olympians competed in wrestling, javelin throwing, boxing and long jumping; unlike today’s athletes, they also raced to the finish line in chariots.
The ancient Greeks were quite accustomed to public nudity, including at sporting competitions. The practice especially suited the Olympics, writes Tony Perrottet in his book The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Ancient Games. Nudity, says Perrottet, “stripped away social rank,” leaving the competitors to be represented solely by their physical prowess. Greek writers also noted clothing’s potential to inhibit athletic ability: Apparently, a runner once tripped on his fallen loincloth during a race.
Today, historians continue to debate athletes’ true motivation for competing nude. According to Perrottet, they might have simply wanted to show off their bodies (which they liberally coated in oil) to their peers, gods and adoring fans.
Athletes weren’t the only ones who needed to be bare at the Olympics. Once, a widow snuck into the stadium, disguised as a trainer so she could watch her son compete. (Married women couldn’t attend as spectators, though maidens were permitted to watch the events.) After that, all trainers were required to be as undressed as the athletes so an unwelcome woman could be clearly spotted.