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: A "no-holds-barred" combat where only biting and eye-gouging are forbidden. It is the ultimate display of alké (strength).

The dust of Elis rises in a golden haze as thousands of travelers, from the rugged mountains of Macedon to the sun-drenched shores of Rhodes, converge on the sacred grove of Altis. It is the midsummer of 776 BCE, and the are about to begin. : A "no-holds-barred" combat where only biting and

The Games grow with the centuries. By the 5th century BCE, the festival is a five-day spectacle of human limit: It is the midsummer of 776 BCE, and the are about to begin

In the heart of the sanctuary, the colossal gold-and-ivory statue of Zeus watches over the valley. For a few weeks, the clanging of swords across Greece has fallen silent. The ( ekecheiria ) is in effect—a divine command that transforms a landscape of warring city-states into a single, unified congregation of Hellenes. The Morning of the Games For a few weeks, the clanging of swords

The herald cries out, the trumpet sounds, and you sprint. The stadion race is a blur of gasping lungs and pounding hearts. When you cross the finish line first, you aren't just a cook anymore. You are a hero of Greece. Beyond the Race