Ancient Egyptians and the people of Mesopotamia had a long tradition in athletic activities, as shown by the reliefs depicting athletic scenes carved on the tombs of their kings and their nobles. They did not hold regular festivals, however, and when they did, it seems that these were only attended by kings and the higher class. The Minoans showed special concern in gymnastics. Bull-leaping and tumbling became their favoritesports, as indicated by the frescoes decorating their palaces. Other Minoan sports included track-contests, wrestling and boxing. From what we can tell, such activities were practiced inplaces near the palace, probably by members of the noble class. The Myceneans adopted all Minoan games, and introduced chariot-racing and more track contests. The Myceneans used the chariot not only for hunting and war purposes, but for religious and funerary ceremonies too. The Homeric poems comprise the first written evidence of athletic contests in the Greek world.In his great poems, Homer gives vivid descriptions of the athletic contests held as part of thefunerary ceremonies in honor of the dead hero, Patroclus, or in other occasions. The emergence of the first city-states caused a rapid development in athletism: a number of localcontests were set up in these cities, held in festivals of religious character. Athletism became an institution, providing vehicles for recurring competition among the members of the polis.

             Olympia soon became an important religious place, where a series of athletic contests were held.Modern research focuses on understanding the origins of this great religious celebration that became the symbol of political and cultural unity of Greeks in the historical period. Were the Olympics always a big festival, and was Olympia always a sacred place? Why did the games develop as a Panhellenic institution at this particular part of the western Peloponnese, and how did this institution change throughout the course of the years? Ancient Greeks and later writers describe their myths for the origins of the first games at Olympia, whereas archaeologists spendgreat efforts in reconstructing the history of the festival through finds in excavations. Despite the considerable amount of academic work devoted to the investigation of the above issues, the modern reader would be surprised by the number of different opinions, rooted often in the contradictory nature of the available archaeological and literary evidence. The followingtext, a full index of athletism and its origins, is dedicated to the anonymous reader who wantsto explore further the origins of athletism and understand its various meanings in different times


            For centuries, the Olympic Games were considered the most important and prestigious celebration of all Panhellenic festivals. But how did Olympia become a sanctuary of such importance in the Greek world? When were the first games introduced to the site? How did they develop into an institution of such significance? The various myths associated with the first Olympic games create a difficult effort in identifying any historical evidence. Archaeology's role is crucial in clarifying these issues.


            Combining the different mythological, historical and archaeological strings, it seems probable to assume that already by the 10th century BC Olympia was a cult place, known to the elites of the western Peloponnese, who dedicated a lot of offerings in honor of its cult(s). The original character of the earlier dedications (animal figurines) reveal agricultural and pastoral interests, whereas horse and chariot figurines reflect the pursuits of more wealthy people. Obviously, Olympia came to be a regional cult place for people of different interests and status.In a region divided into small-scale local territorial units, neutral religious centers functioned as meeting places of local elites.

           A broadening of the cult activities held in Olympia came by late 8th century BC, when participation was expanded to include a larger number of city-states. The region of Elis, where Olympia lies, was resettled again (ca. 750-700 BC) and several dispersed settlements were formed in the area. From this period and on, Olympia becomes a site that attracted a lot of visitors from different areas of Greece.

          Surely, definite answers cannot be given to the questions above, as these are mantled with different traditions and myths of various sources and contradictory character. What is certain is that Olympia developed gradually to a major festival site that came to be respected and continued to attract visitors from all places of Greece throughout antiquity.