The history of the Olympics began in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece. Every four years the greatest athletes in the Greek world would come together to compete as a result of a peace agreement between Elis and Pisa. The first and only event in the Olympics was a 200meter dash called the stadium. In 724, the two stadia race was added. The victors of the early Games were crowned with wreaths made from a sacred olive tree near the temple of Zeus. The ancient Games were held without interruption for 1170 years, despite numerous wars and political unrest. However, they were finally put to an end in 393 AD by Byzantine Emperor Theodosius I.

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