The first
Olympic event, and the only event for the first 13
Olympiads, was the foot-race, over a distance of one stade(赛跑场).
By Classical times, there were 18 contests, including
boxing, wrestling, horse races, and the pentathlon(五项全能运动),
as well as additional running events.
The stadium at Olympia was originally within the sacred(神的,
宗教的)precinct(区域),
where spectators could view the races from the hill of
Kronos. Gradually, the stadium was pushed farther east,
until the late classical period, when it reached its present
location outside the precinct. All the embankments(河堤,路基)are
of earth, and only a few stone seats were provided for
officials. Connecting the sanctuary and stadium was a
vaulted(拱状的)passageway,
an early example of the use of vaulting by the Greeks.
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu
