Later, when the greatest athletes came to Olympia hoping to win as great victories as Apollon, Zeus was still the tutelary god and superior judge of the games. His giant statue was made of ivory and gold, and it was placed on the arena. On the first day of the festival the athletes came with offerings to his alter. They prayed for victory and swore to perform honestly.

Then, the four days of competitions followed. The juniors participated in all kinds of running andand wrestling. These boys were 18 years of age and below. The seniors' competitions started the third day. It was short-distance and long-distance runs, it was pankration, which was a combination of wrestling and boxing. Everything was allowed with the exception of biting and trying to hurt the eyes, and the match endend with the withdrawel or death of one of the competitiors.

The fourth day panlaton was arranged. It was a competition for all-round athletes. It was a pentathlon, and the competitors particiapted in sprint, wrestling, discus, spear, and long jump. The discus was a round disk made of stone or metal.

Meanwhile, other competitions were arranged in the hippodrome, the course for horse and chariot races. They competed in rides without saddles and in speed races. The drivers whipped the horses, clashed into the competitors' chariots, and the they took all kinds of opportunities to win.

It was every athlete's dream to win the Olympic Games. The onlu thing of importance for a Greek in Olympia was the victory. He trained hard for years before he tried his strength in the games of his own city and the three "international" games. Every time he tried to prove that he was the best athlete, and to show the gods that he had the best will to win.

This year the house was full of guests. It was friends from Athens and rural districts. The Olympic games was arranged just a few kilometres away, and on that occasion the guests came to greet Agorastes. They let their horses graze in the fields, camped between the fruit trees - and every morning Agorastes and his friends rode to observe the games.

In Olympia many tents were put up around around the temples. Every polis had its own camp for athletes and coaches. There were dining tents, training grounds and a great market-place. There were beggers, fortune telleers and souvenir sellers. There were wise men who spoke to the thousands who had come to observe the games.

Hostility and quarrels were totally forbidden during the great athletic festival. A truce of one month protected the competitors who had to travel through hostile districts on their way to Olympia. No city dared to destroy the peace, because the Olypic games were holy.