Ancient Olympic Games

ancient Greece · athletics · history · competition

A sacred celebration. The ancient Olympic Games were held at Olympia, a religious sanctuary dedicated to Zeus. Athletes and spectators traveled from all over Greece to participate in this massive event that mixed sports with religious honor.

Happened every four years. The games took place once every four years, and this four-year period became so important that Greeks used it as a way to keep track of time in history. If you lived back then, people might say something happened in 'the third year of the eighteenth Olympiad.'

The stadion race. One of the most famous events was the stadion, a sprint down a long stadium track. The winner of the stadion race became so honored that the entire Olympiad was named after him.

Started in 776 BC. The first recorded Olympic Games happened in 776 BC, and athletes kept competing for over 1,100 years. Even when Rome conquered Greece, the games continued to be celebrated.

Games came to an end. The last recorded Olympic Games were held in AD 393 under a Roman emperor named Theodosius I. Though some games might have continued afterward, a fire that destroyed the temple of Zeus probably helped bring the ancient Olympics to a final close.