How did the Olympics of ancient Greece start and when?

Answer 1

The first Olympic Games were held in 776 BC. They Began as a religious festival of the god Zeus and were held every 4 years. They were held in a valley of Ancient Greece called Olympia. That is how they came to be called the Olympics. The only event held was a foot race, they raced the length of the stadium. Later a nine mile chariot race was added. And a lot more people were interested in that than a foot race.

Answer 2

The Olympic Games, originally created to honor Zeus, was the most important national festival of the ancient Greeks, and a focus of political rivalries between the nation-states. However, all competitions involved individual competitors rather than teams. Winning an Olympic contest was regarded more highly than winning a battle and was proof of an individual's arete or personal excellence. The winners were presented with garlands, crowned with olive wreaths, and viewed as national heroes.

Although records of the Olympics date back to 776 BC when the Olympics were reorganized and the official "First Olympiad" was held, Homer's Iliad suggests that they existed as early as the 12th century BC. The games were held every four years in honor of Zeus, in accordance with the four year time periods which the Greeks called olympiads. Emperor Theodosius I of Rome discontinued them in the 4th century AD, and they did not occur again until they were reinstated in Athens in 1896.

For more information on the Ancient Olympics see the related link below.

Answer 3

It was a religious festival of the god Zeus, celebrated with athletics, Chariot Racing and other games and contests, which was held each four years from 776 BCE.