Ancient Olympia by Kayley

We're running a race on the old track.

There's me and an information board.

Mia says I look like a beach bum angel. cause I'm glowing like and angel and tan like a beach bum. 

            A couple of days ago, my family and I saw ancient Olympia. We saw the ruins of the sanctuary where the ancient Greeks held the first Olympic Games. The Olympic Games lasted for 12 centuries starting in the 8^th century BC.  I think the site of the games used to be a paradise because even the ruins are grand.  The villas, bath houses, pools, gardens looked very fancy. 

Thats me by the tunel for the participants of the games to come running out to roars from the crowd.

        I really liked the ruins of the sanctuary at Olympia.  The ruins were just ruined enough to imagine what it used to look like.  I learned that the first monumental building that was built in Olympia was built around the 10^th century to the 9^th century BC. A steady stream of new building kept coming because the need of a sanctuary grew. The final building at the sanctuary was finished in 426 AD.  The Olympic Games were started by three kings: Iphitos king of Elis, Kleisthenes of Pisa, and Iykourgos of Sparta in the 8^th century BC. Only freeborn Greek men could participate in the Olympic Games. The winners of the games were crowned with a branch of the “beautiful, crowned wild olive tree” by Zeus’s temple.  This, I suppose, was a great honor. The cheaters in the games were fined and the money was used to build many statues of Zeus that were placed in a long line by the arena. No women were allowed to watch or participate in the Olympic Games. I think it’s because the athletes didn’t wear anything but oils. The Olympic Games happened every four years for twelve centuries. An interesting thing I learned was that the plural word for Zeus is Zanes. I think Zanes is a weird word but it sounds cool.

the big,shalow basin behind me is where they light the olimpic torch. 

        I really like the ruins of the sanctuary at ancient Olympia because the sanctuary used to be a happening place and that fact was obvious because of the Olympic Games and the religious sanctuary that was built there.   When I was looking at all this history, I felt apart of all of it.