One of the most important sanctuaries of antiquity, dedicated
to the father of the gods Olympian Zeus. Olympia is the
birth-place of the Olympic Games and also where they were
held.
The area, of great natural beauty, has been inhabited uninterruptedly
since the 3rd millenium B.C. and in the late Mycenaean period
it became a religious centre.
The sanctuary of Olympia spreads around the green wooded
feet of the Kronion hill, where the rivers Alpheios and
Cladeos meet.
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The Altis is the name given to the area in Olympia that comprises
the main religious buildings, temples and votive offerings of
the sanctuary.
The games began in 776 B.C. to honour Zeus. Pelops, the king of
the Peloponnese was, according to mythology, their founder.
The innumerable offerings of the 7th-6th centuries B.C. were placed
outside on trees, altars or in alcoves of the sanctuary. The most
important of the offerings were bronze tripods and cauldrons of
excellent quality, war loot (hanging on poles) and other art objects
and instruments for the games.
Some of the most important monuments of the site are:
The Temple of Hera
The Temple of Hera
A Doric temple dated to the end of the 7th century B.C. The Heraion
is one of the oldest examples of monumental dimensioned temples
in Greek architecture.
The Stadium
In its present day form it dates from the early 5th century B.C.
The track has a length of 212.54m and a width of 28.50m. The stadium
held 45,000 spectators.
The temple of Zeus
The Doric peripteral temple, the work of the Elean architect Libon
is dated at 470-456 B.C. The visitor after crossing the pronaos
entered into the three-aisled cella where stood the magnificent
gold and ivory (chryselephantine) statue of Zeus, one of the seven
wonders of the ancient world.
The Bouleuterion
Its is made up of two buildings which date from the mid 6th and
the 5th centuries B.C. Between the two buildings stood the altar
of Horkios Zeus, where the athletes were sworn in before the games.
One of the most important archaeological museums in Greece. It
hosts in its collection artefacts from the sanctuary of Olympian
Zeus, in Olympia, where the ancient Olympic Games were born and
hosted.
Its collections contain:
• A collection of terracottas (prehistoric, Archaic and Classical
periods).
• A collection of bronzes.
• A collection of sculptures (Archaic upto the Roman periods).
• A collection from the Olympic Games.
Among the most important exhibits of the museum are:
The sculptured ornaments from the Temple of Zeus.
There were 42 figures decorating the 2 pediments of the temple,
12 metopes and the lion-headed water spouts running along the
lengths of the temple.
Hermes of Praxiteles
One of the masterpieces of ancient Greek art. Hermes, as Pausanias
informs us, is depicted carrying the infant Dionysos. Made from
Parian marble it stands 2,10m in height. It is thought to be an
original of the great sculptor and it is dated to ca. 330 B.C.
Nike of Paionios
The statue depicts a winged woman. It is the work of the sculptor
Paionios of Mende in Chalkidiki, who also made the acroteria of
the Temple of Zeus.
Nike, cut from Parian marble, has a height of 2,115m, but with
the tips of her wings would have reached 3m.
Zeus and Ganymedes
A terracotta statuette depicting Zeus carrying off young Ganymedes.
Probably an acroterion of a temple, dated to 480-470 B.C.
