The Olympics Weren’t The Only Greek Athletic Competition
The ancient world liked athletic events, and archaeology has unearthed athletic scenes depicted by various civilizations such as the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Minoans, and Mycenaeans. The Minoans, for example, were really into gymnastics, and they depicted such events, plus boxing, wrestling, running, and bull vaulting, on graceful frescoes. However, those events were usually one-offs, mostly for the nobility. The ancient Greeks were the first to hold regular athletic competitions, open to all freeborn Greek men. Women could enter chariot races by proxy by sponsoring a team, but could not personally participate.
In 776 BC, the first Olympic Games were held at Olympia, to honor Zeus. They were one of the four Panhellenic Games, although the most prestigious. The others were the Nemean Games held at Nemea, in honor of Zeus and Heracles; the Pythian Games, held at Delphi in honor of Apollo; and the Isthmian Games, held in the Isthmus of Corinth, in honor of Poseidon. Olympic Games were held for over a thousand years, with the last recorded competition in 393 AD, and some games might have been held after that date.
