Olympics Centuries ago, the ancient Olympics took on a similar role in society The Olympics that we know and love today trace its roots to ancient times, as far back as 776 B.C. in Olympia, Greece.

In this Aug. 4 X post, for example, a user stated that during the original Olympics held in ancient Greece, women were not allowed to compete in or even attend any events: (@sales_belinda / X) ...

Every two years, a new interpretation of the ancient performance gets a global audience. It takes place in southern Greece at a site many still consider sacred: the birthplace of the Olympic Games.

The Summer and Winter Olympics occur every four years to “respect the ancient origins of the Olympic Games.” A period of four years was called an “Olympiad,” in ancient Greece.

Professor of Ancient Greek History Paul Christesen joins WIRED to answer your questions from Twitter. What do we know about the original Olympics? How did Ancient Greece elect leaders? Is the film ...