"In ancient Greece, entire eras were measured by Olympiads. It's how history was arranged. The Olympics were that important." – Tony Perrottet

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Tony discuss how the ancient games was a religious festival, now it was never delayed, and why it was important (2:00) non-sports events that happened the the ancient Games, performance enhancing potions, and Greek competitiveness (17:00); the sporting events competed in the ancient games, and how they differed from modern sports (24:00); the training and diet that went into the games, aristocrats versus commoners who competed, and which ancient Olympians are still remembered (32:00); and what non-Greeks thought to the games, Greek skeptics of the games, and what it's like to travel to the old sites of the ancient Greek games (45:30).

Tony Perrottet (@TonyPerrottet) is the author of six books, including Pagan Holiday: On the Trail of Ancient Roman Tourists; The Sinner's Grand Tour: A Journey Through the Historical Underbelly of Europe; and The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Greek Games, upon which this interview is based.

Notable Links: * Ancient Olympic Games (sporting festival) * Olympia, Greece (location of the ancient Games) * Statue of Zeus at Olympia (ancient tourist attraction) * Herodotus (ancient Greek historian) * Pausanias (ancient Greek geographer) * Symposium (ancient Greek drinking banquet) * Monty Python (British comedy troupe) * Gilgamesh (Mesopotamian mythological hero) * Enkidu (Mesopotamian mythological hero) * Funeral games (ancient honor ritual) * Pankration (ancient fighting sport) * Ben Hur (epic historical movie) * Pierre de Coubertin (founder of the modern Olympics) * Milo of Croton (ancient Greek wrestler) * 300 (2007 epic historical movie) * Battle of Thermopylae (ancient Greek battle) * Diogenes the Cynic (ancient Greek philosopher) * Karate gets its due at the Olympics, by Tony Perrottet (article)

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.

Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.