Fact Finder - History

Fact
The First Olympic Games
Category
History
Subcategory
Ancient History
Country
Ancient Greece
Description
The first recorded Olympic Games were held in 776 BCE at Olympia in honor of Zeus. Originally, the games consisted of only one event: a 192-meter footrace called the 'stade.' Over time, events like wrestling, boxing, and the chariot race were added. The games were so culturally significant that a 'Sacred Truce' was declared throughout Greece during the competition, allowing athletes and spectators to travel safely even between warring city-states. Only free-born Greek men could compete, often doing so entirely naked to celebrate the human form. Winners did not receive medals, but rather a wreath of olive leaves and immense fame in their home cities. The games were held every four years, a period of time the Greeks called an 'Olympiad,' which they used as a basis for their calendar.