Hera's altar is the location of where the Olympic flame is lit every four years for the modern Olympic games. This tradition was not started in 1896 when the games were renewed. The idea of using the sun to light an Olympic flame at the site of the ancient Olympiad and transporting it to the location of the modern Olympics was begun in 1936 during the Berlin games. In 2004, the Olympic torch passed through six continents on its tour around the world before ending up in Athens.

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Photo © 2004 Linda Garrison, licensed to About.com, Inc.

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