I’ve been pondering something about the Olympic Games following a conversation at a party at a friend’s house. During the course of the night, we touched on various topics and naturally at one point, the subject of the Olympic Games came up. As one would expect, almost everyone got rather excited as we talked about our country’s surge in medals and the hopes for more in the upcoming days. I say almost everyone as my friend’s wife wasn’t as interested, interjecting at one point that she couldn’t see why everyone was getting excited over sporting events they normally don’t even watch, something she could attest to being the case with her husband. I can’t remember who said it, but I do recall hearing that reply that often comes up to address this kind of query – people do because it’s the Olympics.

While the conversation did continue for awhile longer on the Olympics before veering into the next topic du jour, I must admit that one question and the typical reply had me lost in thought. Why DO we watch the Olympics with such fervour? Why is it that every four years, we’ll willingly watch shot put, water polo, or gymnastics if there’s a chance our country will win a medal? And why does that medal matter so much to us, especially as it’s being won by people we don’t even know? I found the answer to all this back in Ancient Egypt during the reign of Ramses II, most often known as Ramses The Great. Don’t believe me? Well, read on. Click here to continue reading »”Olympic Medals, Social Identity, and Ramses The Great – Yes, There Is A Connection”