The Pythian games, second only to the Olympic games, provided a cultural link between the various Greek city states. The games commemorated the slaying of the Python by Apollo and began with a play that reinacted this event. Originally, the games were held every eight years and did not include athletics but only music and poetry. After 582 BC and the end of the first Holy War, the games were reorganized and held every four years. Theatrical plays, atheletics, and horse-riding were added to the events. The games were held for eight days and the victor received a wreath of laurel (the tree sacred to Apollo) and was allowed to place a portrait statue of himself within Apollo's sanctuary. The Stadium