The Olympic Games were born in 776 BC. The Hellenic competitions took place every four years on Peloponnese (the South of Greece) in a sacred grove Altis in Olympia why began to be called the Olympic Games. Men from free citizens, not offenders and never convicted of disgraceful acts were participants.
They competed bared in fight, run, javelin throw, a hammer, a disk, swimming, fisticuffs, heavy lifting and also in run in full arms and arrivals of chariots. By the way, word & laquo; гимнастика» there was from also laquo; гимнос» & mdash; naked.
Many Ancient Greek thinkers, including Demosfen, Democritus, Socrates, Aristotle and Hippocrates, participated in the Olympic Games. Pythagoras was a champion in fisticuffs, and Platon won competitions in a pankration (a combination of boxing and fight). The Olympic Games gave the mass of privileges rather the victory in it was appreciated above military feats! It was important to win only first place, that is to be the best. The second and third was not. Winners were crowned with wreaths from the wild plum growing at Zeus's temple, and return of the Olympian to the hometown turned into the true triumph. He became the national hero and was equated to gods, did it unearthly honors, placed a monument on the main square, and the community supported him until the end of days.