Olive wreath

The Kotinos (Greek κότινος ) was the prize of the ancient Olympic Games. It consisted of branches of the wild olive tree, which was also called Kotinos.

Contrary to popular belief, the winners of the Olympic Games was in ancient times a laurel wreath was presented - so honored, for example, the Greek President Konstantinos Stephanopoulos, the Greek athletes on their return from the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta in public with laurel wreaths - report ancient authors, that the price for the winners of the Olympic Games of olive branches was: Aristophanes does in his comedy the richness fun of that the god Zeus had to offer him the winners of the games held in honor of nothing better than an olive wreath. Herodotus, however, reported that it had the Persian Tigranes instilled the utmost respect when he heard that the Greeks took part in the competitions not because of the prospect of a cash prize, but only because of an olive wreath and the associated fame. Phlegon of Tralles reported at the first five Olympics, there was no victor's wreath; after you have consulted the oracle of Delphi and get the answer, the victor's crown should be made ​​of branches of the wild olive tree. Pausanias attributes the tradition of the olive branch as a prize that Heracles, who founded both the Olympics and the olive tree in Greece is said to have introduced, have crowned for a race against his brothers the winner with olive branches.

The Olympics distinguished in this from the other Panhellenic Games, each representing a different plant ( pine at the Isthmian, Nemean, and celery in the bay at the Pythian games) used for the awards ceremony.