³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

This Easter weekend (Friday 6 - Monday 9 April 2012), the in Caerleon have planned their own Ancient Games to celebrate the opening of their new exhibition 'The Games of Zeus'.

'The Games of Zues' opens on Friday 6 April

A number of athletic challenges, including an obstacle course in the Roman garden and an Easter egg hunt on Easter Sunday are planned.

Speaking about the forthcoming games, Dai Price, manager of the National Roman Legion Museum said:

"We thought 2012 was the perfect time to put on an exhibition about the Ancient Games here at the National Roman Legion Museum.

"The Ancient Games began many years ago but we're still celebrating them today as we can see from this year's sporting events. They're a fantastic opportunity for children to come and test their athleticism in our Easter weekend ancient games challenges."

The Ancient Games were started by King Iphastos of Elis after the Oracle at Delphi told him that by holding games in honour of Zeus the terrible plague that tormented his kingdom would disappear... which it did.

The Ancient Games took place in Olympia for 1,000 years, and when Rome conquered Greece the games continued until 394 AD. The first modern games took place in Athens in 1896 thanks to the Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin who believed they would help promote peace.

As well as including artefacts used in the games such as a helmet and coins, the new exhibition The Games of Zeus features information on the Ancient Games and Rome's interest in them.

Visitors to the exhibition can also use 21st century technology to find out more about the artefacts on display using Bluetooth on a mobile phone.

Find out more about the games and other events taking place in museums across Wales this weekend on the website.