393 CEReputable sourceWell documented

The End of the Ancient Games

On the timeline · around 393 CE · The Ancient Games

What happened

As the Roman Empire became Christian, the pagan festival fell out of favor. Around 393 CE the emperor Theodosius I, or his successors, banned the games as a pagan rite. After more than a thousand years, the ancient Olympics came to an end, and the sanctuary at Olympia was abandoned and eventually buried by earthquakes and floods.

Why it matters

The suppression of the games marked the end of one of antiquity's longest-running institutions. Olympia lay forgotten for centuries until its rediscovery inspired the revival of the games in the modern age.

Sources

World History Encyclopedia. Ancient Olympic Games · Reputable source

Part of a timelineHistory of the Olympics13 events · From an olive wreath at Olympia to a global spectacle watched by billions — nearly 3,000 years of the Games, every milestone sourced.View all →