The Ancient Greek Games In The Ancient Olympics

The Olympics were a big time for the Ancient Greeks from the beginning of gathering to watch the games until the end of day five. The tens of thousands of Greek men, boys, and young girls would come to Olympia on the southwestern coast of Greece to watch the games. The games were held every four years in Olympia from 776 B.C to 395 C.E. The games were held in Olympia because that were Mount Olympus is, and Mount Olympus was said to be the home of all the gods and goddesses. The Greek people would come from all over Greece from the mainland to the Islands. Women that were married could not attend the games, even if the women just wanted to see their son compete in the games.

On day one of the games all of the athletes would take an oath at one of the many altars in the sacred Altis.The Altis is a place where there is a lot of temple of the gods, and goddess. After the athletes took an oath to Zeus about having a fair game, boys between ages 12- 18 were eligible to participate in wrestling, and running. The

There were many sacred altars in the Altis. That is where all the athletes would make an sacrifice to one of the god or heros the athletes could either make a sacrifice to Zeus( god of all gods, Hermes (god of underworld) Apollo (god of music), Herakles (hero created by greek myth), and many others. The athletes would sacrifice an animal, such as cattle, witch they would eat later.

The sacrifice to Zeus was also, an important time for the athletes. First all the athletes, priests, and cattle enter the Altis to Zeus's alter. At the temple the Athletes sacrifice the cattle, there is over 100 cattles to sacrifice. The priests take the cattleman cut open it's through the the cattle and bleed out and die. After the cattle dies assistants quickly take the cattle and carve it, while the priestwraped the bone in fat. The cattle does not go to waste because later the people will eat it for the