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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