Didactische rubriek Regels en valsspelers bij de antieke Olympische Spelen

General introductions to the ancient Olympic Games often paint an idealized picture of intrinsically motivated and fair athletes, competing purely for the honour of the victory. From a scholarly point of view, this image has been adjusted in recent years: also among the ancient athletes there were certainly some who cheated. As the topic of fairness and cheating is very accessible to younger students, this theme is well-suited for classes on ancient culture: it invites them to think about idealizations of the past, and about their own ideas on fair sport. A passage on Olympic cheaters from the travel guide of Pausanias (5.21.2-18) offers a convenient entry point to the topic. As this author is not part of standard school curricula, working with a modern translation would be a logical choice. This article consists of two parts: a historical introduction to the reality of cheating at ancient Olympia, discussing the rules, types of offenses and the most common punishments, and a didactic part, which offers examples of the kind of questions that can be raised in class around this topic, and suggestions how to employ translated sources in your classes.