For over a thousand years, the Sanctuary of Olympia was primarily a religious place and only open to people during the Olympic games, started here in 776 B.C. These games were held to honor the gods and to unify the Greeks, and the Sanctuary hosted them for 1,200 years. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more — visit www.ricksteves.com.