* Astronomy

Rising above the Acropolis - Constellation "Draco" signalled beginning of Athenian athletic festival new research shows

When the dragon rose the games began!
About 2,500 years ago, at a time when Athens was in its prime, the people of the city celebrated the birth of Athena, their patron goddess, with a great event.
Known as the Panathenaic festival it featured a series of athletic games that included chariot races, javelin throwing and boating. It even had a bloody contest known as pankration, a combination of wrestling and boxing which is not that dissimilar from today's mixed martial arts.
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