How the Ancient Olympic Games Worked: Zeus, Olive Wreaths and the Sacred Truce at Olympia

The ancient Olympic Games were a religious festival and athletic competition held every four years at the sanctuary of Olympia in Greece in honour of Zeus; freeborn Greek men from many city-states competed, a sacred truce let athletes and pilgrims travel safely, and winners received a simple wreath of olive leaves. The traditional starting date is 776 BC, a date first reckoned in antiquity and accepted by most later ancient historians, though archaeology suggests major games began around 700 BC.

Where and why

Olympia lies in the valley of the Alpheus River in the western Peloponnese. It was not a city but a sanctuary, empty for most of the year; during the games it became crowded with visitors who slept in tents, rich and poor alike, and ancient writers complained about the summer heat and the flies. The games were as much a religious festival as a sporting event. On the middle day, a hundred oxen were sacrificed to Zeus, and the sanctuary held his great temple and famous statue.

Myths of the beginning

The Greeks liked to root the games in mythology, and there were several competing legends. One tells of Pelops, a local hero who won a deadly chariot race against King Oenomaus to marry his daughter. Another, told by the poet Pindar, says that Heracles founded the festival to honour his father Zeus after completing one of his labours. Historians now agree that these stories are almost impossible to untangle, but they show how important the games were to Greek identity.

The events

At first, according to the traveller Pausanias, there was only one race: the stadion, a sprint of about 190 metres, the length of the stadium. Over time more events were added: longer foot races, wrestling, boxing (introduced in 688 BC), the pentathlon, the brutal combat sport pankration, chariot and horse races, and even a race in armour. The ancient games had far fewer events than the modern Olympics, and there were no team sports.

Who could compete

For a long time only freeborn Greek men could take part. Women were not allowed to compete in the athletic events, and sources disagree about whether women could even watch. Yet a woman could win an Olympic crown in the chariot race, because the prize went to the owner of the horses, not the driver. The Spartan princess Cynisca became famous as the first woman to win this way.

The sacred truce

Before the games, messengers announced an ekecheiria, or truce, so that athletes, officials and pilgrims could travel to Olympia and home again without being attacked. It did not stop all wars across Greece, but it protected people on their way to the festival. The modern Olympic movement has revived the idea of an Olympic truce as a symbol of peace.

Prizes and glory

At Olympia itself, the official prize was only a wreath cut from the sacred olive tree. The real reward was fame. Victors were celebrated in their home cities, sometimes with statues, songs by poets like Pindar, free meals for life or other honours. A single Olympic victory could make an athlete famous across the Greek world.

Roman times and the end

After the Roman conquest of Greece the games continued, with ups and downs. The Roman general Sulla robbed Olympia's treasuries in 86 BC, while the emperor Augustus later supported a revival. The emperor Nero famously had the games moved so that he could compete in AD 67, and he was declared winner of the chariot race even though he fell from his chariot. The games became less popular in the third century. They continued past 385, by which time floods and earthquakes had damaged the buildings. The exact date of the very last games is uncertain.

Learn with the ancient Olympics: English words

Word or phrase	Meaning	Example
to rest on your laurels	to stop trying after a success	Don't rest on your laurels after one good test.
a marathon	a long, hard task	Moving house was a marathon.
an Olympic effort	a huge effort	Finishing the report was an Olympic effort.
a truce	an agreement to stop fighting	The brothers called a truce.
to go for gold	to aim for the best result	This year I'm going for gold in my exams.

Try this: Write three English sentences about a big challenge you are preparing for, using "to go for gold" and "a truce".