| Ancient Olympics The Ancient Games, held in Greece, from ca. 776 BC to ca. 393 BC, provided the first example of Olympic ceremonies. The victory celebration often involved elaborate feasting, drinking, singing, and the recitation of poetry. Victors were presented with an olive wreath or crown harvested using a golden sickle from a special tree in Olympia by a boy specially selected for this purpose. The festival would conclude with victors making solemn vows and performing ritual sacrifices to the various Gods to which they were beholden. Dramatic changes in the format of the Ancient Games have taken place over the nearly 400 years that they have been celebrated. By the 77th Olympiad, a standard 18-event programme was established. To open a Games in ancient Greece, the hosts would present an inauguration festival. This was followed by a ceremony during which athletes took an oath of sportsmanship. For the first Games, an artistic competition of trumpeters and heralds, concluded the opening festivities. Many traditional ceremonial elements of the Ancient Games have been retained in today’s modern day Olympic Games.
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