The first ancient Olympic games can be traced back to 776 BC, to the plains of Olympia where grand temples dedicated to the god Zeus and his wife Hera once stood. The games origionally combined a number of acient sporting events based on Greek myth, holding a religious base. For example, in myth, it was Hercules who first organised foot races. But unfortunately, in 393 AD, Emperor Theodosius abolished the games for being "too pagan."
The games were an important part of Greek life in that time. "An Olympiad was a time unit, measuring the four-year interval between two Games." People from all over the Greek reign came to compete for the prize: An olive wreath crown (called kotinos) and a "heroic" return to their home city. Besides the victory, they also embraced the 'Olympic value' and noble competition to "combine body, will, and mind in a balanced whole."
Back in Acient Greece, the lighting ceremony for the torch was held in Ancient Olympia, where a High Priestess would receive the Olympic Flame from the sun's rays focused in a concave mirror. It would then be blessed and handed over to the fist torchbearer. The torch is a symbol of "Olympic ideal," noble competition, friendship, and peaceful coexistence.
