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When was the sanctuary at Olympia established?

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Map of southeastern Europe highlighting Greece and marking the location of Olympia with a red star, indicating its status as a World Heritage Site. Olympia is shown in the western part of the Peloponnese peninsula, surrounded by neighboring countries and nearby seas including the Ionian, Aegean, and Mediterranean. — Olympia Olympia was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1989.

The sanctuary at Olympia was established around 1000 BCE. While the earliest human remains at the site date back to between 2000 and 1600 BCE, the development of the sanctuary as a center for organized activity and the Olympic Games became prominent by the 8th century BCE, with the first recorded games held in 776 BCE.12