What were the some main reasons why the Olympics were important to the...

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lime.jelly

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...ancient Greek people? These are some of the reasons I have, I know some of them may overlap or may not make sense. I was wondering which reasons would be the strongest reasons and if you could think of any other reasons. This is for a school project.

The reason why the Olympics were important to the Greek people was that it was a religious ceremony which honored their “head god”, Zeus.

The reason why the Olympics were important to the Greek people was that it kept their soliders strong for battles.

The reason why the Olympics were important to the Greek people was that it showed them who had the most power, and power was important to the Greek people

The reason why the Olympics were important to the Greek people was that they believed that strong bodies and sports pleased the gods.
 
Obviously the main reason was the first one you have stated. Even today - religious ceremonies play a big role and have a high place in many countries, religious calenders. They also had a general truce from the start of the games, until it was completed. During that era - that was a great thing.
 
The Mythological reason :
The oldest myth which concerns the beginning of the Olympic Games is that of Idaios Daktylos Herakles. According to other myths, Zeus, the father of humanity, fought and defeated Cronus in a struggle for the throne of the gods. Finally, the well-known demigod Herakles is mentioned he staged games in Olympia in honour of Zeus, because the latter had helped him conquer Elis when he went to war against Augeas.

The Historical reason :
According to historical records, the first ancient Olympic Games can be traced back to 776 BC. They were dedicated to the Olympian gods and were staged on the ancient plains of Olympia. They continued for nearly 12 centuries, until Emperor Theodosius decreed in 393 A.D. that all such "pagan cults" be banned.

The tradition of the "Truce" or "Ekecheiria" was established in ancient Greece in the 9th century BC by the signature of a treaty between three kings. During the Truce period, the athletes, artists and their families, as well as ordinary pilgrims, could travel in total safety to participate in or attend the Olympic Games and return afterwards to their respective countries. As the opening of the Games approached, the sacred truce was proclaimed and announced by citizens of Elis who travelled throughout Greece to pass on the message.

http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/ancient/index_uk.asp
 
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