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were held in 1908 in London, UK. Is this confusing you? Don’t worry – it was confusing to everyone back
then too. The Greek government did not hold any future Olympic celebrations in the 20th century because
they were too expensive. The modern Games have continued to be hosted in cities around the world. The
Greeks tried to get the 1996 Games because it was the centennial (100th birthday) of the modern Olympic
Games, but the host was Atlanta (USA). However, in 2004 the Games did return to Athens.
The ancient Greeks celebrated their Olympic Games without interruption for over 1000 years, from 776
BCE to 261 CE (AD). Quite remarkable! After the year 261 it is unknown what happened to the Games
because records are lost. Actually, they abruptly end – probably because there was an invasion by the
Heruli, a barbarian tribe from the coast of what is now southern Russia. Invading in a fleet of 500 ships
they devastated Byzantium and Greece before the Romans forced them to retreat. The Elians erected
defensive walls with towers around the Olympic sanctuary, but we have no evidence that any celebrations
were held.
There must have been something still happening at Olympia. It must have remained a religious site to
the Greek god Zeus. We know this because in 391 CE the Roman emperor Theodosius I, who accepted the
new religion known as Christianity, outlawed all pagan religious festivals throughout the Roman Empire. It is
believed that the last Games held at Olympia were in 393 CE. By 395 CE it is known that the great statue
of Zeus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, had been removed to a Roman palace in
Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Empire, where it was destroyed in a fire in 462 CE. But evidence
has been found that there were even later Olympic Games until 425 CE. In 426 CE Theodosius II, grandson
of Theodosius I, issued an edict to destroy all pagan temples. The temple of Zeus at Olympia was burned to
the ground. Rome itself had already been sacked by Allaric and the Visigoths in 410 CE. The ‘Dark Ages’
had begun. Keep in mind that all these dates have been calculated by historians who have tried to use
mathematics to ‘date’ events.
Almost 1500 years had passed when Pierre de Coubertin, of France, organized a revival of the ancient
Olympic Games and the first celebration was held in Athens, Greece in 1896. In the first 50 years of the
modern Games they have been cancelled three times. In 1916 the Games were cancelled due to World War
I and in both 1940 and 1944 they were cancelled due to World War II. In 1980 the United States led a
boycott of the Moscow Olympics and in 1984 the Soviets retaliated and led a boycott of the Los Angeles
Olympics. Wars, politics, corruption – these are forces that affect the modern Games as much as they
affected the ancient Games. They influence who is the host of the Games and they impact on the calendar.
Although an Olympiad cannot be cancelled because it is a period of time, the Games of an Olympiad can be
cancelled. Below is a list of the host cities of the modern Olympic Games with Arabic numbers being used
instead of Roman numerals (21st Olympiad instead of XXI Olympiad).
Host cities of the modern Olympic Games
1896 1st Olympiad Athens, Greece
1900 2nd Olympiad Paris, France
1904 3rd Olympiad St Louis, Missouri, USA