Ancient Olympia

From its beginnings in the 10^th-9^th century BC, ancient Olympia was a sanctuary. At its centre was the Altis, the sacred precinct, which was devoted mainly to Zeus, and within in which was a huge temple dedicated to him. The site, also known as the Sacred Grove, had been populated since prehistoric times and is a revered location, selected because of its mythological links. Initially, the Games took place within the Altis but as the events became more sophisticated a new stadium was built adjoining it. At the same time, the whole site was gradually expanding until, by the 4^th century BC, it was a major religious, cultural and sporting centre. Initially just freeborn Greeks were permitted to compete in the Games but during the 8^th century BC the Games were reorganised and a “sacred truce” was introduced. With all wars stopped once every 4 years to allow the sacred Games to take place, contestants from across the entire region could compete. With the rise of Christianity, Emperor Theodosius closed all sanctuaries and pagan religious sites, including Olympia, in AD 426, which ended the ancient Games. Two earthquakes (522 and 551 AD) ruined the buildings and then floodwaters from the Kladeos and Alpheios rivers engulfed the site. Ancient Olympia was buried under silt from the rivers and forgotten until 1875 when the first excavations started.

The modern Olympic Games began in 1896 and, at the start of each Olympiad, the Olympic flame is lit in a ceremony at the sacred grove of Altis. Torches are then carried in relays to the stadium where the Games will take place to symbolise the survival of the ancient spirit of competition.

We hired a little Fiat Panda car and drove the 38km from Katakólon to Ancient Olympia on Wednesday 9 July. For €9 each we were able to explore the archaeological site and afterwards the museum and it was certainly the best value ruins/museum entry of our trip so far. The ruins are fabulous and, with the help of models and information boards, we were able to imagine the buildings in their original grandeur. There is a lot to see, and far more than I can include here, however, I have put together some photos from our visit to try to show something of the main areas.

The Bouleuterion (Council Chamber) was built in the 6^th century BC and it was here before the Games that the athletes swore an oath to compete with honour and to comply with the rules.

The athletes trained for wrestling, boxing and jumping in the open courtyard and surrounding rooms of the Palaestra (3^rd century BC).

Olympia received many visitors and the Leonidaion, built in 33BC, was used as a guest house for official visitors to the sanctuary. The water feature in the centre is still plain to see.

As the sanctaury expanded, decorative buildings were also erected. Pictured above is the circular Philippeion begun by Philip II, king of Macedonia, after the battle of Chaironeia (338 BC) and completed by his son, Alexander the Great. It housed 5 statues of Alexander and his forefathers, some of which are displayed in the museum.

Olympia was a religious centre and additional temples were erected. Shown above (top and middle) is the temple of Hera (built in 600 BC) where a fabulous statue of Hermes, which is now displayed in the museum, was found. Close by (above, bottom) is the semi-circular Nymphaion (built by Herodus Atticus in 160 AD) to showcase more statues of the great and the ‘athletically’ good.

To the side of the site is the stadium where the athletic Games were held.

We could not help but be moved by walking through the archway into the ancient stadium. Allegedly 45,000 spectators could watch the Games here, sitting on the gentle slopes above the track, the start and finish lines still marked in stone. The track is just 213 metres long and 29 metres wide so the spectators were very close to the action; the atmosphere when it was full must have been incredible. It is here that the modern-day Olympic flame starts its journey to the hosting stadium.

Back in the Altis we saw the remains of the temple of Zeus built between 470 and 456 BC. It housed a huge 12 metre high gold and ivory statue of Zeus made by the ancient Athenian sculptor Pheidias.  Sadly it is now lost but it was so spectacular that it was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The site of the temple is still impressive with the huge columns lying in pieces where they fell after the earthquakes.

In the museum are the marble statues depicting mythological scenes from the temple’s 2 pediments. On the east pediment, the contest between Pelops and Oinomaos and, on the west pediment (pictured above), the fight between Lapiths and Centaurs.

The museum also holds an impressive collection of artifacts and 5-6 century BC bronze weaponry and armour from the site, most, the archaeologists think, left as votive offerings.

And, of course, there is a large selection of statues, just a few of which are pictured above. (L to R) Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD), Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD) and a high priestess (possibly modelled on Popaea Sabina, Emperor Nero’s 2^nd wife (1^st century AD)).

There are also numerous carvings, elaborate bronze offertory bowls decorated with phoenix heads and small statues left as offerings to the gods.

One room in the museum is set aside for the statue of Hermes. It was carved by the sculptor Praxiteles in the 4^th century BC and depicts the god carrying the infant Dionysos to his nurses in Boeotia. It is regarded as one of the finest works of art of the Late Classical period because of the accuracy of the physical representation and the high polish on the Parian marble.

Nicky next to a fragment of a statue to give an idea of the scale of some of the works    

As we travel around Greece doubtless we will see individual ruins and buildings that are larger, more complete and, perhaps, individually more impressive than that which we have seen at Olympia.  However, the atmosphere at Olympia is quite special, probably because of the location. The area is very peaceful, the valley is gently wooded and the excavations are shaded by trees and bushes. It is an easy place to wander around and imagine as it might have been 2 millenia ago. The number and the quality of the ruins is impressive and these factors, combined with the link between the ancient and the modern Olympics, make our visit to ancient Olympia one of the highlights of our trip so far.