The number of legends describing the ancient olympics is countless. Myths say that there was a very powerful and rich king, Enamaus, that had a beautiful daughter named Hippodamia. He promised her in marriage to the first man who could find her and escape in a chariot with her father in pursuit. Many men tried and were murdered by Enamaus. Only one survived and married hippodamia. He made himself kind, and to celebrate initiated the first olympic festival.

At first the prize for winning the olympic games was an olive branch and a blessing. The only competition run was the 180 meter footrace. The first one was held in 776 B.C.E. and eventually ended in 393 A.D., when the Greek empire collapsed. Since then, 293 Olympic events were held.

The people in charge of the olympics forbid that women, slaves or foreigners compete, or even watch the olympic games. Athletes also had to take an oath that they trained for 10 months and did not disrespect the gods.

As the Ancient Greece declined, that reflected on the Olympics. When the Roman Empire conquered Greece around 100 B.C., however, Roman culture and beliefs replaced the Greek ways, and the Olympics went into a decline that lasted for several centuries. For the Romans, war and trade were more important than philosophy, religion, or athletics.

Bibliography:
Knight, Theodore. "The Ancient Olympics." The Ancient World. 2010. Print.