1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:04,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Manky. Listener Discretion advised one quick 3 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: announcement before we start today's podcast. If you are a 4 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:16,919 Speaker 1: listener of the show, you might be interested in the 5 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 1: fact that I have a book coming out in May. 6 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:23,920 Speaker 1: It's a book by sd Coverly, which is a pseudonym 7 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: very cleverly of my first initials transposed that I co 8 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:30,319 Speaker 1: wrote with a friend of mine, and the book is 9 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:34,480 Speaker 1: called The r Kane Arts. It's a dark academia sort 10 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 1: of romantic fantasy novel about magic and a graduate student 11 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:43,520 Speaker 1: and a professor doing illegal secret magic. It's a really fun, 12 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: sexy adventure thriller time not for kids, which is also 13 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: part of the pseudonym explanation. But if you're a listener 14 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 1: of the show, I really think you would like it, 15 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: and if you're interested in it at all, I would 16 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 1: beg you, actually please to pre order it. Pre Orders 17 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 1: are the number one way you can support an author. 18 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:07,320 Speaker 1: If you have friends writing books, really forego their Christmas 19 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: and Birthday and anniversary gifts just pre order their books. 20 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 2: So look it up. The Arcane Arts. It's in the 21 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 2: episode description a link and if you're interested, please preorder. 22 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:25,360 Speaker 2: Thank you so much. In twenty thirteen, Queen Elizabeth the 23 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:30,840 Speaker 2: Second of England achieved a major coup at the Royal Ascot. 24 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:34,640 Speaker 2: She won the Gold Cup with her horse, whose name, 25 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 2: in fittingly nonsensical fancy horse fashion, was named Estimate. The 26 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:44,840 Speaker 2: Royal Ascot consists of many different horse races, but the 27 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 2: Golden Cup is the oldest and arguably the most prestigious, 28 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 2: so winning was certainly a feather in Queen Elizabeth's well structured, 29 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 2: pastel colored hat, but it's not the only race her 30 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 2: horses have won. Queen Elizabeth's horses have given her over 31 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 2: two dozen Royal Ascot victories across decades, from a horse 32 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 2: named Choirboy in nineteen fifty three to more recently a 33 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:18,239 Speaker 2: horse named Tactical in twenty twenty. Queen Elizabeth the Second's daughter, 34 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 2: Princess Anne, shared the late Queen's interest in horses. In 35 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 2: nineteen seventy six, Princess Anne actually competed at the Olympics 36 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 2: in Montreal in the equestrian events. Unfortunately for Princess Anne, 37 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 2: though she came in seventh in dressage. During the cross 38 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:41,800 Speaker 2: country event on the second day, of the equestrian competition. 39 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 2: Her horse got bogged in mud and fell with Anne 40 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:50,919 Speaker 2: riding him after hitting a fence. Anne suffered a concussion, 41 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 2: but they managed to finish the course, albeit with no 42 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:58,640 Speaker 2: hopes of making it to the podium. Even so, I 43 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 2: think you'll agree there's still something dazzling about a princess 44 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 2: at the Olympics, romantic even But would you believe me 45 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 2: if I told you that Princess Anne wasn't actually the 46 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 2: first princess to compete in those prestigious games. In fact, 47 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 2: someone had beaten her to it by more than one 48 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:29,760 Speaker 2: thousand years. I'm Danish Schwartz, and this is noble blood. 49 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 2: The Olympics as they exist today, literally today in Italy 50 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 2: as I record this podcast, are actually relatively more modern 51 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 2: than you might think. The Olympics as we know them 52 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:50,280 Speaker 2: only came about in eighteen ninety six, but a lot 53 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 2: of the imagery, like the Laura leaves that are used 54 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 2: now on the medals, and a lot of the events 55 00:03:56,320 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 2: purposefully harken back to the ancient Olympics in Greece. Incidentally, 56 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 2: in order to pay respect to that, Greece is always 57 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:08,200 Speaker 2: allowed to go first in the procession of countries during 58 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 2: the opening ceremony, while everyone else mostly goes in alphabetical order. 59 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:17,719 Speaker 2: The ancient Olympics date back to seven hundred and seventy 60 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:23,239 Speaker 2: six BC, when we have the first recorded victor, Kuoibos 61 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:27,599 Speaker 2: of Ellis, who won a foot race. Technically, the entire 62 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 2: competition was known as the pan Hellenic Games, with festivals 63 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:37,159 Speaker 2: taking place at multiple locations around Greece, but the largest 64 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:43,800 Speaker 2: and most prestigious competition was at Olympia, the Olympics honoring Zeus. 65 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:47,839 Speaker 2: It was the festival at Olympia that took place every 66 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:52,120 Speaker 2: four years, with the other games at Isthmius, Nemea and 67 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:57,719 Speaker 2: Delphi held in between. The pan Hellenic Games continued for 68 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 2: a millennia, even through the second century. After Greece came 69 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:07,120 Speaker 2: under Roman rule in three hundred and seventy three, the 70 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:12,279 Speaker 2: Roman emperor Theodosius the First banned the festivals as pagan, 71 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:17,200 Speaker 2: but inscriptions and literary sources indicate that the games continued 72 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 2: on into the early fifth century, and it truly was 73 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 2: a pan Hellenic event, uniting people from various city states 74 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:30,159 Speaker 2: and athletes from all over the Greek Empire. Since the 75 00:05:30,200 --> 00:05:34,760 Speaker 2: competition was open to all free born Greeks, whether they 76 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:40,280 Speaker 2: be Athenian, Corinthian, Spartan, what have you. But it's Sparta 77 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:48,280 Speaker 2: that were actually most interested in today, particularly one Spartan athlete, Siniska, 78 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:51,920 Speaker 2: a princess who became the first woman to ever win 79 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:57,919 Speaker 2: at the Olympic Games. Unfortunately, as is the case for 80 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:01,039 Speaker 2: a lot of women in ancient history, much of what 81 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:04,800 Speaker 2: we know about Siniska's life comes from filling in the 82 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:09,559 Speaker 2: empty spaces in the stories of the men in her life. 83 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 2: Her father was King Arkademus, the second of Sparta, and 84 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:17,479 Speaker 2: she was likely born around four hundred and forty BC. 85 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:22,839 Speaker 2: We're not even certain that Siniska's real name was actually Siniska. 86 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:27,719 Speaker 2: It's possible it was a nickname. Its translation is like 87 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 2: female puppy or little hound, and it's likely the feminization 88 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:38,160 Speaker 2: of her grandfather's nickname, which had been Siniskos. If Siniska 89 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,479 Speaker 2: was a nickname, it probably communicated that she was a 90 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:47,159 Speaker 2: sporty and athletic girl who enjoyed hunting. And though as 91 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:50,000 Speaker 2: daughter of a king she was certainly born into a 92 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:56,359 Speaker 2: position of exceptional privilege, Spartan women were actually comparatively given 93 00:06:56,400 --> 00:07:01,600 Speaker 2: more freedom than their Athenian counterparts. Spartan women could legally 94 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:06,440 Speaker 2: own and inherit property, and from anecdotes about Spartan soldiers 95 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 2: receiving letters from their mothers, we can infer that women 96 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 2: could read and write. A lot of what we know 97 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:18,880 Speaker 2: about Spartan women comes from people in other places writing 98 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:24,680 Speaker 2: about them from the outside. Their reputation was as promiscuous 99 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 2: and domineering, loud, dominant sexual. The poet Prepacious wrote about 100 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:34,720 Speaker 2: how much he wished his own mistress felt free to 101 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:37,920 Speaker 2: openly live with him, like a Spartan woman who would 102 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 2: walk out in public with her lover. And as you 103 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:46,360 Speaker 2: might imagine from what ideas you have about Sparta, maybe 104 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 2: from a film and the fact that this episode is 105 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 2: about the Olympics, Spartan women were also quite athletic. Young 106 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:59,440 Speaker 2: men in Sparta were required to train in state sponsored 107 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:04,240 Speaker 2: athletic programs. It's very possible that there were similar programs 108 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:08,239 Speaker 2: in place for young women, though they wouldn't be training 109 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 2: in combat. There were laws requiring women to be quote 110 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:17,160 Speaker 2: fit as their brothers, and young unmarried women could be 111 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:21,840 Speaker 2: horseback riding, wrestling, running, and doing what we consider to 112 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:26,680 Speaker 2: be track and field events. Of course, all that gallivanting 113 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:30,760 Speaker 2: around stops when you get married. But while other young 114 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:34,479 Speaker 2: women in Greek city states might get married around fourteen, 115 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:38,680 Speaker 2: almost certainly to someone much older, young women in Sparta 116 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:43,280 Speaker 2: were getting married around eighteen or later to men around 117 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:48,080 Speaker 2: their age. But before we start imagining Sparta as some 118 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:53,959 Speaker 2: comparatively feminist paradise, it's important to remember the only reason 119 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:58,439 Speaker 2: young Spartan women were free from the confines of domestic 120 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:03,200 Speaker 2: labor in the way they're say Athenian counterparts weren't was 121 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 2: because Sparta had a robust system of slavery where most 122 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:13,840 Speaker 2: of the population was enslaved. So when we're talking about 123 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:18,199 Speaker 2: Spartan women, most people aren't thinking of the many, many 124 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:23,720 Speaker 2: women in Sparta who were quite literally enslaved and had 125 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:27,600 Speaker 2: none of the freedoms we're talking about. But we can 126 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:31,440 Speaker 2: imagine that Siniska, as a free woman whose father was 127 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:34,960 Speaker 2: king and whose brothers would be kings after him, grew 128 00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:40,680 Speaker 2: up privileged, active athletic, running around and competing alongside other 129 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:45,240 Speaker 2: young women with the relative freedom that came from not 130 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:50,479 Speaker 2: needing to marry extremely young. But Siniska wanted to compete 131 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:57,839 Speaker 2: on a bigger stage. Siniska might have been a Spartan 132 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:01,600 Speaker 2: woman but she was still a woman, which meant that 133 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:05,880 Speaker 2: she wouldn't actually be allowed to compete in the Olympics. 134 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:10,400 Speaker 2: There's actually a pretty healthy debate among historians today still 135 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 2: about whether or not women were even allowed to attend 136 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:18,840 Speaker 2: the Olympic Festival at all, even as spectators. But there 137 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:24,720 Speaker 2: was a loophole for Seniska. Women could technically compete in 138 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:28,560 Speaker 2: the Olympics. In the chariot races. They couldn't be the 139 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:32,080 Speaker 2: ones driving the chariots, but they could be the ones 140 00:10:32,120 --> 00:10:36,680 Speaker 2: who owned and trained the horses, And in the chariot races, 141 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:39,960 Speaker 2: the person who owned and trained the horses was the 142 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:45,600 Speaker 2: actual competitor. Why did Siniska enter the Olympics, Well, according 143 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:49,240 Speaker 2: to some sources, she was encouraged to compete by her brother, 144 00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 2: the future King A Jesselis the Second. It seems like 145 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:57,960 Speaker 2: a nice, encouraging brotherly thing to do, but according to 146 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:03,400 Speaker 2: some contemporary sources, A Jesseleis was actually a sporting purist 147 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 2: who thought that chariot racing as an Olympic event was 148 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:12,200 Speaker 2: fundamentally unmanly and only showed off how wealthy someone was. 149 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 2: Winning just because you were able to own and train 150 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:21,600 Speaker 2: fast horses was quote victory without merit, and so, according 151 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:25,599 Speaker 2: to some, he encouraged his sister to enter the competition 152 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:28,960 Speaker 2: in order to prove that the entire thing was a 153 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:32,760 Speaker 2: sham to shame any men who might want to compete. 154 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:36,640 Speaker 2: After all, how legitimate could their sport be if a 155 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:40,439 Speaker 2: mere woman might be able to win? But we have 156 00:11:40,559 --> 00:11:43,960 Speaker 2: to take those accounts with a grain of salt. The 157 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 2: writers almost certainly had their own agendas, and in my 158 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:52,240 Speaker 2: personal opinion, that seems like the sort of post hawk 159 00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 2: anecdote designed to make a Jesseleis look manly and clever 160 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:02,160 Speaker 2: after the fact, because it truth. After Siniska won, he 161 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:06,400 Speaker 2: certainly didn't do a see girl stink victory lap. She 162 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:10,960 Speaker 2: became famous and honored and made their family all the 163 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:15,000 Speaker 2: more famous and acclaimed. If he did convince her to 164 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:19,439 Speaker 2: enter the chariot race, it's distinctly possible he just believed 165 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:23,040 Speaker 2: in his sister, wanted her to win, and wanted to 166 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:27,560 Speaker 2: use an Olympic champion sister to bolster up his own 167 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:32,480 Speaker 2: career in politics. Whatever the motivation, in three hundred and 168 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:37,320 Speaker 2: ninety six BC, Siniska entered the Olympic competition with a 169 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:41,560 Speaker 2: team of four horses that she had trained herself. She won. 170 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:45,880 Speaker 2: Four years later, in three hundred and ninety two, she 171 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:51,160 Speaker 2: entered again second time, and again came in first place. 172 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 2: Historians aren't sure whether she was actually even allowed to 173 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 2: be present at the Olympic event where she won. As 174 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:02,920 Speaker 2: I mentioned early, there's still a healthy scholarly debate about 175 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:07,160 Speaker 2: whether women or maybe unmarried girls, were allowed to attend 176 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:12,360 Speaker 2: the Olympics. But when she did, and in order to 177 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:17,840 Speaker 2: commemorate her victory, Siniska commissioned a set of bronze statues 178 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:22,440 Speaker 2: for the Temple of Zeus in Olympia, statues of herself, 179 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:26,800 Speaker 2: her charioteer, and the horses that ran them to victory. 180 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:32,440 Speaker 2: She accompanied the statues with a plinth and an inscription quote, 181 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:37,839 Speaker 2: Kings of Sparta are my father and brothers. I Siniska, 182 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:42,599 Speaker 2: victorious with a chariot of swift footed horses, have erected 183 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:47,640 Speaker 2: this statue. I declare myself the only woman in all 184 00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:53,200 Speaker 2: Hellas to have won this crown. A monument commemorating her 185 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:57,440 Speaker 2: victory with the same inscription was erected in Sparta, and 186 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:01,080 Speaker 2: though the hero Shrine at the Planetree Grove in Sparta 187 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:05,880 Speaker 2: had previously only ever been an honor granted to Spartan men, 188 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:10,840 Speaker 2: mostly kings. Siniska became the first woman to receive that 189 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:16,559 Speaker 2: honor too. It's a legacy that proves that when Siniska 190 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:21,880 Speaker 2: achieved victory at the Olympics, just like today, her countrymen 191 00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:34,200 Speaker 2: back home were extremely proud of her. That's the story 192 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:37,680 Speaker 2: of Siniska, the first woman to ever win at the Olympics. 193 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:41,400 Speaker 2: But keep listening after a brief sponsor break, to hear 194 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:45,320 Speaker 2: a little bit more about what made the ancient Olympics special. 195 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 2: It's a commonly repeated misconception that during the ancient Olympics 196 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:04,360 Speaker 2: everyone called off their wars. It's not quite true. Not 197 00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:07,680 Speaker 2: even the promise of a fun discus event could stop 198 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:12,360 Speaker 2: warfare in the ancient world. But the Olympic Truce was 199 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:18,600 Speaker 2: a real thing. The truce or Ekkyria translates to the 200 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:22,560 Speaker 2: holding of hands, and it was inscribed on a bronze 201 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:27,760 Speaker 2: disc displayed at Olympia. As I said, it didn't necessarily 202 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:32,320 Speaker 2: mean that the countries themselves weren't fighting. That might have 203 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:36,280 Speaker 2: been the idea promoting peace among the Greeks. But what 204 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:40,960 Speaker 2: the Olympic Truce really did was served to protect athletes 205 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:45,120 Speaker 2: and religious pilgrims who were making their way to Olympia 206 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:49,160 Speaker 2: to compete or to watch whether they were traveling through 207 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:54,600 Speaker 2: enemy territories or war zones. If someone was coming production, 208 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:58,360 Speaker 2: I admitted to traveling and grim and mild from Aaron Manky. 209 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:02,840 Speaker 2: Noble Blood is hosted by me Dana Schwartz, with additional 210 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:07,600 Speaker 2: writing and research by Hannah Johnston, Hannahswick, Courtney Sender, Amy 211 00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:11,800 Speaker 2: Hit and Julia Milani. The show is edited and produced 212 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:17,000 Speaker 2: by Jesse Funk, with supervising producer rima il KLi and 213 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:21,640 Speaker 2: executive producers Aaron Manke, Trevor Young, and Matt Frederick. For 214 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:27,280 Speaker 2: more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 215 00:16:27,400 --> 00:17:04,080 Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.