The ancient Greeks possesed a fighting spirit, which played a decisive role in many aspects of their culture. In this context various competitions took place in most of the cities. However, the symbolic or material prizes of the winners seemed to be less important than the rivalry itself. In the Archaic period most of these contests were systemized, their realization was defined in set periods and were placed under the protection of the divine. Anyone who participated in those competed in athletic contests, in singing, in dancing, in reciting, theatre, in handicraft, even in natural beauty.

One of the earliest references come from the so-called "Dipylon oinochoe", the inscription of which praises a boy who "dances the most gracefully of all". Similar inscriptions are often found in votive offerings, which the winners dedicated to the sanctuaries, to give thanks to god, and indirectly to secure their fame. References to beauty contests survive, as well as to competitions of domestics handicraft for the women and to competitions of sculptors and painters. The musical contests were of special importance, and were conducted as a rule during the festivals of Apollo and Dionysus. It is known that the contests of flute-players, singers and kithara-players in Delphi preceded the athletic contests and in Athens the rhapsodes competed in reciting during the festival of Panathenaea. After the middle of the 6th century B.C. the dithyrambs of the Great Dionysia led to the organization of contests with the greatest impression and influence on later western civilization, drama contests.

Athletic contests were extremely popular during antiquity, but in most cases they started as funeral games, such as those mentioned in Iliad for the burial of Patroclus, or those organised for Amphidama's death where Hesiod also participated. Some of these games related to local heroes or even to gods became periodical and were associated with religious festivals. All four contests that acquired a Panhellenic nature had exactly the same cause. The earliest and most important of these were the games that took place in Olympia in memory of Pelopas' or Oenomaus' death. Their execution began with a reference to heroes and then the sacrifice of oxen to Zeus. The most important game was the stadium (race) and later the chariot race. However, many other athletic events were included, such as wrestling, boxing, pankration, javelin, discus and jumping. The registration of the winners in the stadium began in 776 B.C., a year which is conventionlly considered the beginning of the Olympic games. The other three Panhellenic games (Pythia, Isthmia, Nemea) were established at the beginning of the 6th century (582-573 B.C.) imitating the model of Olympia to a great extent. In Delphi they were conducted in memory of the murder of the mythical dragon Python by Apollo, whereas in Isthmos and Nemea they honoured the death of the heroes Palaemon and Archemorus respectively.

From the other games that unsuccessfully claimed a Panhellenic nature, the games in the honour of Hera in Argos and Panathenaea are notable. The latter also included an unusual event, the apobatic, where armed athletes had to mound and dismount a moving chariot. The same also existed in Amphiaraeia in Oropos, whereas in Carneia of Sparta the foot race prevailed. Other local events were Yacinthia in Amycles and the games in the honour of Heracles in Thebes, of the Helios (Sun) in Rhodes and of Protesilaus in Locris.