The sanctuaries and temples of ancient Olympia are some of the oldest and most important in all of Ancient Greece.

The Olympic Games began over 2,700 years ... by walking under this archway. The ancient games were also a religious festival, held in honour of Zeus, the king of the gods. There were no gold ...

A few ancient writers ... in mid-August and were part of a religious festival dedicated to Zeus. In the early days of the Olympics, there was only one event (the "stadion") and one victor.

According to tradition the first Olympics took place in 776 BC ... particularly the gold and ivory Statue of Zeus that sat upon his throne in the high temple, which was one of the Seven Wonders ...

The ancient Olympic Games continued for centuries ... It's believed that the giant statue of Zeus was transferred from Olympia to Constantinople, where it was later destroyed in a fire.

The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept ...