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Women
Women, with one exception, were not allowed to attend the ancient Olympic Games. The only exception was made for the priestess to goddess Demeter. Only one woman, Callipateria, is mentioned to have transgressed this rule. When she was discovered, they let her go unpunished out of respect for her father, her brothers and her son, all of whom had been victorious at Olympia. After this a new law was passed that in the future trainers should strip before entering the arena. The Greek poet Mavilis was so inspired by this occurrence that he wrote his splendid sonnet: 'Callipateira'
Instead the Greek women, held games of their own, called the Heraea. They started in the 6th century, had fewer events than the Olympics and were held every four years. The Heraea games were discontinued around 150 BC, about the time the Romans conquered Greece. The winners of the Heraea were crowned with a wreath of wild olive in the same way as the male champions in Olympia.
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