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What Is The Date Of The First Ancient Olympics ?
Though the exact date of the first ancient Olympics is not known, it is reported that the first ancient Olympics was held in 776 B.C. |
Though this is the first recorded date of the ancient Olympics, this may not be the exact date when it started because there have been archaeological findings that hint that the ancient Olympics could have possibly started as early as the 9th century BC.Therefore, one cannot be sure about the exact date of the first ancient Olympics in the absence of any historical evidence.
The Olympics were started off as a religious ritual to please the gods, but after the 4the century B.C., it started losing its religious essence. The ancient Olympics were held every four years during the months of July and August, for as many as 12 centuries. But in 393 AD, Theodosius I got the Olympics suppressed because he thought the games had become very wild, and event was like a carnival. All the temples of Olympia were destroyed on the orders of Theodosius II. Later, the site of the Olympics was destroyed in an earthquake.
Unlike the modern Olympics, there was no torch relay in the ancient Olympics. However, an Olympic flame would be lit at each Olympics, and it would burn throughout the Olympics. The games would begin with choir singing, and each athlete would go to the sanctuary of Zeus to sacrifice a pig.
Though there are several records of winner post 776 B C, there is no record of any winner prior to that and hence, this is the date when the first ancient Olympics are recorded.
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