Perched on the west coast of the Peloponnesus, Greece's largest peninsula, this sleepy fishing village of 300 is the gateway to Olympia, site of the original Olympic Games. The Ancient Olympic games were held every 4 years beginning in 776 B.C. in honor of Zeus, father of the Gods, a tradition that lasted for more than 1,100 years.
The games were a series of religious festivals that drew warring communities together. A sacred truce that lasted an entire month allowed people to travel safely between their homes and the shrine without interference. Causing harm to anyone during the truce was considered a horrible sacrilege and punishment was severe.The two most important festivals that took place were at Delphi and Olympia. The Delphic games were held every two years in honor of Apollo, Olympian god and safeguard of universal harmony. Delphi is a stunning town in central Greece, north of the Gulf of Corinth.
Because of the immense popularity of the Games, the Temple of Zeus and the great statue which was housed in it was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Religious aspects of the games declined in the Roman period and the games stopped altogether after 393 A.D. The Emperor Constantine banned pagan festivals. The site was abandoned and the buildings fell into ruin. A huge earthquake in the 6th century completed the damage.
Olympia was only rediscovered in the 18th century. The Ancient Olympic Games celebrated the ideal harmony of mind and body. The modern Olympic movement began in 1896 when Baron Pierre de Coubertin arranged the first games in Athens. Every four years since then the sacred flame of Altis is rekindled to light the flame, which is then carried to the site of the games.
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