Ancient Olympic Games

The ancient Olympic Games were organised in honour of Zeus, the ruler of the Greek gods, as part of a religious festival. The name comes from Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece, or from Olympia, a town in Elis in ancient Greece. The festival and Games began in 776 BCE at Olympia.

How the Games were run

At first the only event at Olympia was the foot race; later, sprints in full armour and longer races were added, and chariot racing and combat sports such as boxing and wrestling soon became regular features. The open-air track for horse racing was called a hippodrome.

• Who could take part. Participants were free male citizens of the different Greek city-states, and all had to complete ten months of training before the Games.
• Women. Women were not allowed to participate, and in general were not even allowed to attend or watch. There was one loophole - chariot owners, not riders, were declared champions, and anyone could own a chariot; Kyniska, daughter of a Spartan king, used this to claim victory wreaths in 396 BCE and 392 BCE.
• The Olympiad and the truce. The Games were held every four years, and the period between two Games was called an Olympiad. The month of the Games was a sacred month in which disputes and wars were stopped and a truce declared, so that spectators and athletes could travel safely.
• The events. Starting from a single-day event, the Games grew to 18 events over five days, including the foot race, chariot race, horse race, the pentathlon (running, long jump, discus throw, javelin throw and wrestling), boxing, wrestling and the pankration (a mix of boxing and wrestling). The stadion race - one length of the track, about 192 m - was the most prestigious event; its winner even gave his name to that edition of the Games. Koroibos, a cook from Elis, won the first recorded stadion in 776 BCE.

Reward and the end of the Games …