The ancient Olympic Games are traditionally said to have started in 776 BCE at Olympia in Greece.

Quick Scoop

  • Most historians use 776 BCE as the start date because that is the first Olympiad for which we have a recorded victor, a runner named Coroebus of Elis.
  • The games were held at Olympia , a sanctuary dedicated to Zeus in the Peloponnese.
  • They continued every four years until they were banned in the late 4th century CE (around 393 CE) by the Roman emperor Theodosius I.

Why 776 BCE (and why there’s some debate)

Ancient writers like Aristotle and later historians compiled lists of Olympic victors, and the earliest securely dated one points to the year 776 BCE. Modern scholars generally accept this as the conventional starting point, though they note that athletic or religious festivals at Olympia probably existed earlier, just without surviving records.

In short: when people ask “when did the ancient Olympics start,” the standard historical answer is 776 BCE , even though the exact first contest may have been earlier and is lost to history.

TL;DR: The ancient Olympics began at Olympia in Greece in 776 BCE , based on the earliest recorded Olympic victor, and were held every four years in honor of Zeus.

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