Panathenaic amphora Kleophrades Louvre F277

Coroebus of Elis ( grc-gre, Κόροιβος Ἠλεῖος, ''Kóroibos Ēleîos''; la, Coroebus Eleus) was a Greek cook, baker, and athlete from

Elis Elis or Ilia ( el, Ηλεία, ''Ileia'') is a historic region in the western part of the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. It is administered as a regional unit of the modern region of Western Greece. Its capital is Pyrgos. Until 2011 it w ...

. He is remembered as the winner (, ''olympioníkes'') of the first recorded Olympics, which consisted of a single footrace known as the stade or stadion.

Eusebius Eusebius of Caesarea (; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος ; 260/265 – 30 May 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilus (from the grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος τοῦ Παμφίλου), was a Greek historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christia ...

. '' Chronicon''
69 & 70
He is frequently described as having won the first Olympic Games, but

and other ancient writers stated that he was simply the first recorded winner, variously placing the first games in the Heroic Age, 27 olympiads before Coroebus, or 13 olympiads before. Coroebus being the earliest winner known to

Hippias Hippias of Elis (; el, Ἱππίας ὁ Ἠλεῖος; late 5th century BC) was a Greek sophist, and a contemporary of Socrates. With an assurance characteristic of the later sophists, he claimed to be regarded as an authority on all subject ...

, his is still reckoned the "1st

Olympiad An olympiad ( el, Ὀλυμπιάς, ''Olympiás'') is a period of four years, particularly those associated with the ancient and modern Olympic Games. Although the ancient Olympics were established during Greece's Archaic Era, it was not until ...

"; following Hippias's dating, his victory is generally placed in the summer of the year 776 . The

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

at Olympia was one

stade Stade (), officially the Hanseatic City of Stade (german: Hansestadt Stade, nds, Hansestadt Stood) is a city in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. First mentioned in records in 934, it is the seat of the district () which bears its name. It is l ...

(600 Greek feet, 630.8 English feet, 192.27 m) long and the competition was still clothed in his time, naked competition beginning with Orsippus around 720 .. For winning the race, Coroebus received an

olive wreath The olive wreath, also known as ''kotinos'' ( el, κότινος), was the prize for the winner at the ancient Olympic Games. It was a branch of the wild olive tree ''Kallistefanos Elea'' (also referred to as ''Elaia Kallistephanos'') that grew ...

and was later revered by the people of Elis, his grave still being known in the time of

Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to: * Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium'' *Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC * Pausanias of Sicily, physician of ...

, ''

Description of Greece Pausanias (Help:IPA/English, /pɔːˈseɪniəs/; grc-gre, wikt:Παυσανίας, Παυσανίας; c. 110 – c. 180) was a Roman Greece, Greek traveler and geographer of the second century AD. He is famous for his ''Description of Greec ...

''
5.8.6–9

References

{{Ancient Greece topics 8th-century BC Greek people Ancient Olympic competitors Ancient Eleans Ancient Greek runners

See also

References