The ancient olympics were held in honor of Zeus. They began in 776 BC in Olympia,Greece and held every four years. When the games were being played a truce was usually called so athletes could travel from their countries in safety. During times of war priests would make sacrifices to the gods for victory. During the games there was also artistic competitions and religious celebrations. A great statue of Zeus was erected to preside over the games.
Unlike the modern games, in ancient times the games were usually held in Greece and not different locations. Only people who were free and spoke Greek could compete. Athletes from any city-state or country could compete as long as the met the requirements. The first games were a race between young women to see who would become the priestess for the goddess Hera. The site of Olympia was destroyed by an earthquake in the 6th century AD.
On the middle day of the games 100 oxen were sacrificed to Zeus. Every Participant had to take an oath in front of the statue of Zeus. In the beginning the games only lasted a day and then grew to 5 days. At first the only game was racing. Then during the 14th Olympic games they added the two stade race. Over the years more events were added. Usually the winner of an event received an olive branch and in his home town received a lot of money. Sculptors would even create statues of the winners.Athletes usually competed nude.
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