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should you compete and win, you would be declared the best in all of Greece by a Herald, who would shout out the name of the winner, and from which city state you came. So not only was it a personal glory, but your province was also mentioned.

Prizes for the winners were not as glorious as they are today, what with trophies and medals given to first, second and third place. Instead, winners were given an Olive Wreath, and this held a rather symbolic meaning with relation to Hera. It is believed that Hera is said to have promised the victors her most precious prize: Olives. Olives held a symbolic meaning in ancient Greece as they were the representation of Hera. It was also believed that the winners of the Olympic Games were men who had reached the highest level of being and were the closest they could ever be to a god and so they were celebrated.

The Stadion race was the first event of the Olympic Games and remained the only event of the Games for the first 13 Olympiads. It is not known what the exact length of the race was, however it is speculated to have been almost 200 metres in length. The race came about through a myth which suggests Heracles could run this length in a single breath.

The events of the Olympic Games were events which the gods and heroes took part in, or created. For example, the game of Discus was accidentally created when the god Apollo was playing with a friend and he threw the Discus and accidentally killed his friend with it. So, Discus was related to the god Apollo and all competitors who took part in this particular game were trying to be like Apollo. It was this notion which brought about more games to the Olympics.

The first written record of an Olympic Games taking place comes from 776 BC; however it is known that the Games were around for about 500 years prior to this date. It is from this time (776 BC) the Greeks began counting the years and keeping track of the date. As the Olympics occurred every four years, dates were kept keeping that in mind, and every four year cycle was known as an Olympiad. Years weren't given in numbers as they are in this day and age, but were given by the names of the victors, so the year of the first Olympiad was the year of Coroebus of Elis.

The Olympic Games were known to be place where all Greeks came together and were united, and so they were seen as a great opportunity for Sophists (public speakers who could convince their audience of almost anything through sweet talk and such methods) to preach their beliefs and be heard by all of Greece.

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