a Nemea or Nemea were sports games held in Nemea in antiquity. These struggles were established in 573 BC. by Hercules after his first feat [1] in honor of Zeus, whose sanctuary existed in Nemea and took part in the stadium 178 meters long and with a capacity of 40,000 spectators. Nemea with naked and equestrian competitions was one of the most important sporting events in ancient Greece after Pythia, Olympia and Isthmia. International sports competitions with the same name have been held since 1996 in the ancient stadium of Nemea.
Nemea was established in 573 BC. at a time when the city of Nemea was part of the city-state of Cleon (today's settlement see Ancient Cleon). Later Nemea and the games passed into the possession of Argos and from 270 BC. was held there.
In Nemea there was the sanctuary of Zeus, one of the most important sanctuaries of the Greeks and the sports games were organized as part of the cycle of festivals in honor of Zeus. Nemea, along with Olympia, Isthmia and Pythia, were the most important sports in Ancient Greece. During them a holy truce stopped all hostilities between the Greek cities.
Nemea was not even a city or a settlement. Only a few priests lived there while a large number of pilgrims gathered. The prize of the games was a wreath of wild celery. The duration of the games is supposed to be five days and the Greek judges were responsible for conducting them. It was held every two years. They were burial games in honor of the Seven on Thebes but also in honor of the benefactor Zeus. For this reason the Greek judges wore mourning clothes.
The stadium of Nemea was built at the end of the 4th century BC. It had a capacity of 40,000 spectators and the track was 178 meters long.
