The Olympics are always a historic event, whether due to the incredible displays of athleticism or the sociopolitical and cultural conditions surrounding the games and pageantry. From the triumphs ...

Footraces—depicted on this vase by artist Euphiletos Painter—were among the earliest known events in the ancient Greek Olympics. But they likely weren't quite as long as the modern marathon ...

What perfect timing! There is no better way to honor the great Olympic games than by spending some time with the game’s founding fathers: the ancient Greeks. Aside from the Olympics, the ancient ...

In general, ancient Greeks considered olive trees "sacred," and they symbolized Zeus, the god of the sky and, later, the god of the Olympics, according to the Journal of Olympic History. More ...

But this time she didn’t even try, going straight for the backup flame, kept in a copy of an ancient Greek pot. Ironically, a few minutes later the sun shone forth.

The flame that is to burn at the Paris Olympics has been kindled at the site of the ancient games in southern Greece. Cloudy skies frustrated efforts to produce the flame in the customary fashion ...