Ancient Greece's Olympic Games

The very first Olympic games were held in Olympia

, Greece, in the year 776 BC and they were stopped in 393 AD. In the beginning, the games were conducted for participants from various cities of Ancient Greece. It was one of the important ceremonial rituals that were held at that time.

The games where held in the sanctuary of Olympia and not on Mount Olympus, where Greek gods were assumed to dwell, and hence, the name Olympic was derived. Otherwise it would have been Olympian games.

Stories abound regarding the origins of the Olympic games. One well-known story is that a famous hero of that time, Heracles, had won a race in Olympia and then declared that the race should be repeated every four years. Another story claims that Pelops, the king of Olympia, defeated Oenomaus so that he could marry his daughter, the lovely Hippodamia. Poseidon, his former lover, helped him in his endeavor. Originally, funeral sacrifices were offered to Pelops but that tradition has evolved so that now there are no sacrifices at the Olympic games, only offerings. Yet another story tell how the king of Elis, Iphitos, asked the Oracle at Delphi, Pythis, to protect his kingdom, keeping it safe from both war and foreign invasions. The price asked of him for this help was that he hold the games in hone of the gods to pleases them. Another story directly involves Zeus, claiming that he started the Olympics to celebrate his victory over Titans Cronus, who led a powerful race of deities.

The sanctuary of Zeus where the first Olympic games were staged has a twelve-meter tall gold and ivory statue of Zeus, the father of all the Greek Gods. This status was one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. The only game that was held in the beginning was Stadion or Stade race.

This race covered two hundred yards on foot, because foot races were considered to be the greatest show of strength and stamina, and the winner would enjoy not only riches but also a great deal of respect. There were five stakes, or divisions in the racetrack, to be passed and there was no time limit on how long it could take. The athlete who reached the end first would be the winner. In 724 BC, another game, the two stade, four hundred meter race, was introduced and it was titled the Diaulos.

by: Tony Garrudo

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