OlympNUS: Battle of the Titans

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Posted by: Team Titans
Time: 10:05 PM
Comments: 0

Who are we?

Who are we, you wonder? OlympNUS is a freshmen orientation camp organised by NUS Muslim Society (NUSMS) and Malay Language Society (PBMUKS) for the freshmen out there. However, our camp is not restricted to only NUS students. Other students entering other institutions can also register! The whole committee are in the effort of planning the annual camp which is themed, The Greek Mythology. Ten teams (cities) will compete in this battle and a new champion will emerge!

The ancient Greek city states are at war (like always). Ancient rivalries play out on gruesome battlefields and warriors immortalised in history. Once every four years though, a truce is declared and fighting ceases. From every city, champions are chosen and from every corner of Greece they travel to the city of Olympia. No blood is shed, only sweat falls to the ground. No tears for the fallen, only tears for the forgotten. No spoils of war, only an olive wreaths and the adoration of the crowd. Winners immortalised in history and losers consumed by it. They compete in ancient games, races and trials. This is OlympNUS. Are you ready to make history?

Home of great ancient Mythological kings, Argos holds a commanding potion in the fertile plains of Argolis. Throughout its existence, Argos has been somewhat under the radar, being overshadowed by the greater powers like Athens or Sparta. Nevertheless they did participate in the Trojan and Peloponnesian wars and their contributions defending the Greek civilization cannot be overlooked. It seems though that they desire greatness, to come out of the shadows and perhaps live up to its namesake, the giant Argus and be a giant amongst the Greeks. Maybe OlympNUS would be its chance to eclipse the rest of the Greek world.

Athens sits on an ancient site that has known human presence for at least 7000 years, Athens rose to be the leading city in Ancient Greece in the 5th century BC laying the foundations of Western civilizations. They defended the Greek world against the invasion of the Persian king Darius at the Battle of Marathon and later his Son, Xerxes in the naval engagement known as the Battle of Salamis. In addition to their undeniable prowess on the battlefield, Athens too was home to great minds such as Aristotle, Plato and Socrates. In the games too Athens had its own champions such as Aurelios Zopyros. Even today, as the sands of time slowly erode away the memories of a glorious past, the Parthenon atop the acropolis overlooking the modern city of Athens stands in defiance.

An ancient rival of Athens, Corinth was indeed a powerful adversary rivaling in both wealth and power. Corinth spread its tentacles far and wide with colonies as far as the Egypt. Perhaps nowhere in the known world is there a place that the Corinthians have not left their mark. The Corinthians were not one to shirk from battle offering forty ships in the defence of the Greek cities from the Persian invasion in the Battle of Salamis and 5000 hoplites’ in the ensuing land invasion. No one can doubt the contributions of the Corinthians on the battlefield as they are clearly marked by their distinctive helmets that now seem to represent Greece to the modern world. In sporting too the Corinthians were a force to be reckoned with, having established their own games. Immortalised in history, the Corinthians will be remembered forever.

At the foot of Mount Parnassos lies the great city of Delphi, famous for its oracle. So important it was to the ancient world, that many of the Greeks considered the Oracle at Delphi to the centre of the world. However, historians seem to indicate that the Oracle at Delphi was high on poisonous noxious fumes from the mountain resulting in her vision. Nevertheless the Oracle was the center of religious and cultural center for many centuries and she was somewhat lucky in some of her predictions. The city is also made great by her many engineering wonders such as a stadium that could hold up to 6,600 people or an ancient theatre that can hold up to 5000 people. Amazing was the mastery of acoustics of those responsible for the theatre that even without modern technology, everyone who attended was guaranteed a clear line of sight and could hear the actors clearly. Perhaps OlympNUS would bring them glory in the sporting arena.

The city of Knossos on the island of Crete was famous for the labyrinth where there lived a great monster known as the Minotaur, a creature that was half-man and half-bull and demanded yearly human sacrifices. Perhaps this was nothing more but an exaggeration but the Minoans did indeed built great buildings and palaces. One of these palaces even had 1300 rooms and was so confusing in its design that perhaps it spawned the myth of the labyrinth. Knossos too had its Olympic champions like Ergoteles of Himera who was a runner. Perhaps it is time for the Minotaur to show itself at Olympia.

The harbour of ancient Rhodes was guarded by a giant bronze statue known as Colossus of Rhodes and famous for its skilled shipbuilders and traders. The Colossus of Rhodes was built in as an offering to the Helios whom they believed was their patron god as a thank you for defending them against a failed invasion. It took 12 years to build and stood at a height of 30 meters dominating the ancient skyline. However it only stood for 56 years when an earthquake destroyed it. There the ruins lay for another 800 years. Though the Colossus collapsed it does not change the fact that the people of Rhodes withstood an invasion of 40 000 men, perhaps it was to make way for a greater a glory for Rhodes, to be a Colossus at OlympNUS.

Sikyon is an ancient industrial powerhouse famous throughout the world for its products. So well-made and superior were their woodcarving and bronze work that it stood the sands of time and till today can be seen in archaic metal facings found at Olympia. Though Athens maybe home to democracy and philosophy, Sikyon could be said to have taken on a more artistic flair where famous sculptors like Diponenus and Scylis worked with materials such as wood, ebony, ivory and also marble making Sikyon the one of the great schools of sculpture. Sikyon too have Olympic champions - Sostares, a three time Olympic champion. It seems that this artsy fartsy city is no pushover in the games.

The Spartan legacy is celebrated even in modern times. The Spartan name has become synonymous with the fires of war. Nestled in a fertile valley surrounded by rolling hills, the Spartans were never renowned for building great cities or high walls. They never needed them! The strength of Sparta came from its invincible legions, warriors trained from birth to become the ultimate killing machines. Sparta's proudest moment came at the Battle of Thermopylae, where three hundred soldiers led by King Leonidas resisted the overwhelming hordes of the Persian emperor Xerxes the First. The Spartans have left their bloody mark on the pages of history. The motto of the modern Greek Special Forces is a direct translation of "COME AND GET THEM!", the fearless and famous declaration of the Spartans in response to their enemy's demands for the surrender of their weapons. To be Spartan is to continue the legacy of Leonidas and Lysander and countless other heroes. To be a Spartan is to continue the legacy of Leonidas and Lysander and countless other heroes. To be a Spartan is to know war and death, but never defeat.

Another great Greek city, it was the Thebans who stood with Leonidas and the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae. Despite what you saw in the movie “300” the warriors of Thebes were not cowardly and had in fact defeated the Spartans at the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC. It was the Thebans too that stood against Macedonian aggression with their elite unit of 150 soldiers known as the Sacred Band of Thebans. Even in the face of defeat at the battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC against Philip II and Alexander the Great, as the Theban army fled and its allies routed, the Sacred Band of Thebans, these 150 men, stood their ground and fought till the last man. Indeed the Thebans were brave warriors, even against a superior force, an army led by Alexander the Great, the very same man to later conquer the entire known world, even when defeat was certain, there can be no surrender. How many can say that they stared defeat in its eyes and then spit at its face?

This city was made famous by the great Greek poet Homer in his account of the Trojan War in the Iliad. Home of the great warrior, Hector of Troy, the city was rebuilt many times throughout history. Perhaps most interestingly this was the site in which men of two great nations fought over a woman. Helen of Troy would be the reason why a thousand ships sailed across the Aegean Sea and thousands more men would be slain and a city destroyed. Perhaps the Trojan War lives on in the memories of men reminding us of great warriors such as Achilles and Hector or perhaps it maybe another supreme example of the lengths men would go for love. Perhaps another Hector of Troy would emerge in OlympNUS?


OlympNUS is a social camp organised by NUS Muslim Society (NUS MS) and NUS Malay Language Society (PBMUKS). Date: 12 to 15 July 2010 Venue: National University of Singapore Email: olympnus@gmail.com

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