The competitive spirit was `ingrained in the fabric of Greek society' from music festivals and literary contests, to athletic competition. This brief history of the Olympic Games looks back at its origins, shrouded in myth, and turns to ancient authors to find out when and where the games took place, including running, discus, javelin, wrestling and equestrian events, at the athletes themselves, the role of women and what the commentators of the day thought of them. Tracing the history of the games from the Greeks to the Romans, the latter chapters assess its decline and eventual termination under the Romans, through to its modern revival, now coiming full circle and returning to Greece.