summry of article

This article talks about the Greek Olympics, why they were so famous and it also

provides the legends about them. The Olympics began in ancient Greece and were held in

honor of the gods, especially Zeus, the king of the gods.

The first records about the Olympics date back very early in Greek history and occur in

some of the writings of the earliest anonymous Greek poets. The earliest written record of

the Olympic festival concerns man named Coroebus. Coroebus apparently won a footrace

of about 200 yards (180 meters) at the Olympic festival 776 B.C.E and was rewarded

whit a wreath of olive branch.

However, the Olympic site dates back several centuries before this race. The games

were held at a sacred site in a valley in western Greece at the place called Olympia. The

Olympic Games brought together people from throughout the Greek world.

What is also interesting is that Olympic festivals were limited only to male Greek

citizens. Foreigners, women and slaves on the other hand were barred from the

competition. It wasn’t before the 128th Olympics that women were allowed to compete.