4th century Temple of Zeus, 4 BC. Like Ancient Olympia, Nemea was not a city but a sanctuary of Zeus. The Nemean Games, held in the stadium here, were hosted by the nearby city of Kleonai and became one of the great Panhellenic festivals. It was also around here that Hercules carried out the first of his labours - the slaying of the lion that had been sent by Hera to destroy Nemea. After Hercules had killed the lion by lifting it off the ground and choking it to death, the lion became the constellation Leo (each of Hercules' 12 labours is related to a sign of the zodiac).