Today we're heading to Olympia and Greece where the first Olympic Games
were invented and practiced the Olympic Games were held every four years
throughout classical antiquity from the eighth century BC to 4th century AD
ancient olympia covers quite a bit of ground and includes a stadium and
gymnasium and the temple of zeus here's the site of the gymnasium "gymnos" is the
word for nude in Greek because they practice their sports in the nude the
first Olympic Games were held right here in 776 BC the first events were boxing
equestrian events including Chariot Racing a pentathlon including a discus
running and wrestling we're visiting in March and the entire area is filled with
flowers
These are Judas trees and this is chamomile, not daisies, chamomile.
Unlike today's games the ancient Greek Olympic Games were practiced by Freeborn
Greek men and instead of hosting the games in a new city each year they were
practiced right here in Olympia here you can see how they excavated this is a
guide listening that these were put together by archaeologists and they put
some
these are for the chariot horses and around here are all the athletic
cloakrooms where the athletes got ready so our guide was saying in order to
participate in the games you had to be the son of a wealthy person to be able
to raise chariot horses and then the winners they got a wreath a wreath from
a sacred olive tree that was the prize
rites of the columns that were collapsed Mike what is your favorite Olympic sport
400 meters running the ancient Olympics were held with a religious context the
athletes played to honor Zeus king of the gods animal sacrifices were made
here and the athletes prayed to the gods for victory
behind you the first modern Olympic Games started in 1896 in Athens with 14
countries participating this is the original Olympic Stadium in Olympia
Greece so this is the stadium there were no seats they just sat on the slope and
there is a Hippodrome but they haven't excavated it yet
so this is where the games took place in the stadium and the spectator was now
time to head inside the Olympia museum to learn more
area
this is the Greek arm
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Athens
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