CLAS 2P34 Chapter 1-25: Time Period 800 725 BC
5 May 2016
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Document Summary
A prime example of a phoenician trading settlement in southern spain, gadir (modern cadiz) was located on small offshore islands with convenient access, via nearby rivers, to the rich aznalcollar and rio tinto mining areas. The greeks began their calendrical reckoning with the first olympic games, which they dated to 776 bc. The facilities for the games lay just outside the sanctuary. They are surprisingly simple to the modern observer: a stadium almost 200m long, for foot races and other events, with a hippodrome for chariot races located elsewhere. The games were held every four years in late summer. City-states agreed to a one-month truce in order that they take place; over the long history of the games this truce was rarely broken. Since the games were offered in the religious context of olympia, the festival began with prayers, sacrifices, and the swearing of an oath of fair play.
