This web page is designed to make the Ancient Olympics come to life...

The ancient Olympics were held in Olympia. The first games were supposedly held about 1200B.C., but the first recorded games were in 776B.C. The games were originally held as a religious festival to the gods, but at that time they were held every 4 years.

In the first 13 Olympics, there was only one event, the stadion. The stadion was a running event that was 192 meters long. Eventually, longer races were added. Then in 708B.C., wrestling and the penathon were added. The penathon was an event that combined jumping, running, discus, javeline, and wrestling. In 688B.C., boxing was added. In 680B.C., four-horse chariot racing was added. Then finally in 648B.C., horse racing and the pancration (pankration) were added. The pancration was a combination of boxing, wrestling, and kicking. Later weird events were added, such as racing in armor, the apene which was an event where two mules pulled a chariot, and a competition for trumpeters. The ancient Olympics lasted five days.

On the first day, the judges, referees, athletes, and trainers paraded to a fountain outside of Olympia. There they feasted and were cleaned before entering. They stayed overnight and the next day they entered Olympia and started the events. On the day they entered, the chariot races, horse races, and the penathon were held. The next day, the boy's stade races, wrestling, and boxing were held. Then the next day's events were the long race (2.25 miles), the stade race, and the double stade race. TheVictory Banquet was the next day and held in the wooden valley of Olympia.

Then in 393A.D., Emperor Theodosius of Rome abolished the games.