Santorini Greece

The original Olympics began in the seventh century as a small regional festival dedicated to the god Zeus. The origins of the town itself are the Mycenaeans, who worshipped the goddess Rhea, sister of Coronus and mother of Zeus. The first Olympic Games were held in 776 BC and reached their height of popularity in 576 BC. The festival was open to only Greek born men, but Romans were later allowed to compete. Slaves and women were not even allowed to be spectators, and women caught sneaking in were thrown off a cliff. The event included foot races, wrestling, discus, javelin, long-jump, horse and chariot racing, and a type of boxing called pancratium. The games were banned in 426 by the emperor Theodosius II, because they were pagan, and the temples were destroyed, The Olympic Games retuned once again in 1896 in Athens.