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Olympic Games

Q188468

Olympic Games (Greek Ὀλυμπιάς): festival in Olympia with athletic contests, celebrated every four years in honor of the supreme god Zeus.

Olympic Games

Greek wrestlers

The Olympic Games were the most important of all panhellenic festivals.note During this festival, which was celebrated every fourth summer to honor the supreme god Zeus, there was a formal truce between city states that were at war, allowing the contestants to travel to the sanctuary. Because this was a panhellenic festival, where people wanted to be seen and cities wanted to present themselves, it was a severe setback for a town when the organizing comitee decided to exclude its citizens.

The contestants had to be Greek. For example, king Alexander of Macedonia had to prove that he had Greek ancestors before he was allowed to compete. Later, Romans were allowed to participate as well. The victors received a wreath made of olive leafs.

Head of the boxer Satyros