The Ancient Olymipcs

            
             The Ancient Greek Olympics where designed to bring the states of Greece together while creating a patriotic atmosphere within the people. The Greeks of this time where proud and happy to be just that, Greek, although some quarreling occurred between the states they had a stable democratic government, and powerful army and navy of which was feared among the ancient world but what kept this all together? Surely it wasn't just the governmental system. There had to be another ingredients help to keep it all together, there was. The Games, there where four Games periods, one for each year, the Pythian games, the Nemean games, The Isthmian games and the most important and famous of them all The Olympic games. The games where held every four years between August 6 and September 19. The Ancient Olympic Games was a religious festival praising the gods and in particular Zeus, the king of all Gods, the games occupied such an important place in Greek life that time was measured by the interval between them, an Olympiad. .
             One difference between the ancient and modern Olympic Games is that the ancient games were played within the context of a religious festival. The Games were held in honor of Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, and a sacrifice of 100 oxen was made to the Zeus on the middle day of the festival. Athletes prayed to the gods for victory, and made gifts of animals, produce, or small cakes, in thanks for their successes. Over time, the Games flourished, and Olympia became a central site for the worship of Zeus. Individuals and communities donated buildings, statues, altars and other dedications to the god. The most spectacular sight at Olympia was the gold and ivory cult statue of Zeus, which was made by the sculptor Pheidias and placed inside the temple. The statue was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and stood over 42 feet high. A spiral staircase took visitors to an upper floor of the temple, for a better view of the statue.