Greek Theory

There is a myth or theory that the Ancient Olympic game were originally a part of religious festival in honor of Zeus, the father of the Greek god and goddess. The festival and the games were held in Olympia, a rural sanctuary site in the western Peloponnesos. The Greeks that came to the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia shared the same religious beliefs and spoke the same language. The athletes were all male citizens of the city-states from every corner of the Greek world, coming from as far away as Iberia (Spain) in the west and the Black Sea (Turkey) in the east. The sanctuary was named in antiquity after Mt. Olympos , the highest mountain in mainland Greece. In Greek mythology, Mt. Olympos was the home of the greatest of the Greek gods and goddesses.

Myron's Discobolos (Discus Thrower) shows the Greek emphasis on the beauty of the human form. 

Do you all know that the earliest recorded Olympics occurred in 776 B.C.E? The events at Olympia in 776 BC were sprints and horse races. Later, longer races were added, including sprints wearing full armor. Chariot racing and combat sports such as boxing and wrestling were soon regular features. All events were held in a stadium. The open-air track for horse racing was called a hippodrome.The Romans invaded Olympia in 85 BC. The Games continued under Roman rule, but were disrupted by a Germanic invasion around AD 300. The Games became part of a pagan festival until the Christian emperor Theodosius I ordered the closure of all pagan events in 393. The last ancient games were held in 394 C.E. the Romans, who had conquered the Greeks, outlawed them. During the Olympics, leaders from the various city-states discussed important political and economic matters. In the ancient world, major leaders rarely met the same place at the same time. As the games approached, everyone generally agreed to an Olympic truce, a time when warfare usually ceased. Athletes and spectators were granted immunity to travel to and from the games.