Olympia was one of several places where important games were held through Ancient Greek and also much of Ancient Roman times.

The games were contests between cities to see who had the best sportsmen. The games at Olympia were the most important, and the modern idea of Olympic Games gets its name from these.

The games were a mixture of competition and also religious ceremony. Olympia was dedicated to the god Zeus, and the largest temple in the area was built for Zeus.

The stadium for the games, and all of the many temples, places for practice, and so on were all built in the same religious area called a sanctuary.