According to tradition, the most important athletic competitions were inaugurated in 776 B.C. at Olympia in Peloponnese. The victors at all these games brought honor to themselves, their families, and their home-towns. Public honors were bestowed on them, statues were dedicated to them, and victory poems were written to commemorate their feats. For this reason, sports in ancient Greece generally excluded team competitions and performances aimed at setting records. During competition and training, athletes were usually naked and covered with olive oil to keep off the dust. All our bronze items, are cast in Greece, using the traditional 'lost wax' method. As nothing is mass-produced, there will inevitably be slight variations in patination and colouring. Each piece is, therefore, unique.(25-626-A)