OLYMPIA MUSEUM

You can follow the order of the rooms to discover the jewels of this museum.

Room 1. This is the entrance hall of the museum. The model of the site will help you visualize the monuments you have just seen reduced to their foundations.

Room 2. Enter room 2 by turning left in the entrance hall. It exhibits objects from the prehistoric period: vases and shards from the Helladic period. Also noteworthy are three Cycladic idols from the ^third millennium B.C., found near Pheia, an ancient sunken city in the bay of Aghios Andreas. The Mycenaean objects come from the tholos tombs of the region. There are also vases from the geometric period, so called because of their decoration. Finally, the beautiful bronze horse in the middle of the room, which dates from the last years of the Geometric period, is worth mentioning.

Room 3. Here we will see new offerings from the Geometric and Archaic periods. In this period, many weapons were dedicated to the gods of the sanctuary by warriors. Thus, the room exhibits numerous copper plates that decorated shields. On the left, two plates stand out for their ornaments: a griffin suckling its young and two centaurs striking the hero Caené with pines. Also a large collection of different parts of armor: leggings, spears, swords, cuirasses.

Then there is a collection of small bronze statuettes that were very valuable offerings. At the back of the room you will also find limestone and terracotta objects such as fountain gargoyles. On the right, the famous and gigantic head of Hera which surmounted her statue of worship in her temple. Finally, notice the magnificent acroterion at the top of the temple of Hera restored by the Greek archaeological service.

Room 4. Here are exposed finds dating from the archaic period. First of all vases, whose varnish has survived the ages, as well as a female statue in marble. Facing the entrance of the room, the pediment of the Megarians' treasure, which was near the entrance of the stadium in the middle of the other treasures. One can admire there a fight between the gods of Olympus and the Giants: a gigantomachy. When you leave the room, you will notice a bronze siege ram.

Room 5. Objects from the pre-classical and classical periods. The showcases contain many bronze objects, such as statuettes and statue feet. Note in particular the beautiful small bronze horse that must have been part of a quadriga. Observe also the collection of helmets, one of which probably belonged to Miltiades who commanded the Athenians at the battle of Marathon in which the Persians were defeated. The inscription on the helmet reads: "Miltiades dedicated it to Zeus".

Room 6. The victory of Paeonios. This impressive statue was made by the sculptor Paeonios to whom it owes its name. It was consecrated by the Messenians and the Naupactians after a victory over the Spartans. The victory was perched on a pillar of 9 m, which contributed to give the impression that it came down from the sky to crown the winner of the Games with the olive branch which it held in the hand. The body of the statue is inclined forward and it is the harmonious folds of her garment that provide the necessary counterweight for her stability.

Room 7. In this room are exhibited objects from the ancient cities of Elis, Pyrgos and the sanctuary of Olympia.

Room 8. TheHermes of Praxiteles. This is one of the most remarkable works of the ^4th century. As its name indicates, it was made by Praxiteles, one of the greatest sculptors of the time, who tried to render in all his works the softness and delicacy of feelings. The Hermes was dedicated to Olympia in memory of the peace signed between Elis and Arcadia. We admire the messenger of the gods, Hermes, carrying Dionysus to the nymphs of Boeotia. Hermes held in his right hand a bunch of grapes to distract the child and in his left hand his caduceus: a stick entwined with two snakes.

Room 9. The most remarkable work in this room is undoubtedly the reconstruction of the exedra of Herod Atticus. The statues of the members of his family and of himself are arranged in a semicircle in the order they were supposed to have been on the monument. The headless statue in the center is probably that of Herod Atticus.

Room 10. Objects of various periods related to the Olympic Games. At the entrance, two statues of Nemesis-Tyche framed the vaulted entrance to the stadium. In another showcase, you will see a small statuette of a runner on the starting line, arms stretched forward, ready to run.

Central hall. We end our visit with the most magnificent work in this museum: the two pediments and the metopes of the temple of Zeus. We don't know which artists made these masterpieces, but we do know that they date from the classical period, more precisely from 455-450 BC. On your left, as you enter, the east pediment depicts the legendary chariot race between Pelops and the Pisate king Oenomaos. In the center of the pediment, Zeus, invisible referee of the duel which will be played between the adversaries ready to start. On the left, Oenomaos, in the rather proud posture of a man who believes his victory is certain thanks to the strength of his horses. On his left is his wife Stéropé in a noble attitude. Then comes his quadriga drawn by the famous horses. In front of them, a servant kneels. On the left, in the corner of the pediment, a personification of Alpheus in the guise of a robust young man.

Returning to the center of the pediment, we see Pelops to the right of Zeus. He was dressed in a bronze cuirass, whose attachment holes are still visible, and was carrying his spear and shield. To his right, Hippodamia, daughter of Oenomaos, helplessly watching the scene unfold. At her feet is a servant girl kneeling. Likewise, on the left side, comes next the quadriga of Pelops, whose chariot has not been preserved. Behind the chariot, a very beautiful figure of a thinking old man is next to the personification of the second river of Olympia, the Kladéos. On your right as you enter the room, the western pediment of the temple of Zeus which represents the Panhellenic legend of the fight between the Lapiths and the Centaurs.

In the center of the pediment, the figure of Apollo, invisible among the heroes of the scene. In his left hand, he holds his bow and arrows and pretends to extend his right arm to appease the spirits and make order and justice reign. To the left of Apollo, one can see a first group of great beauty: the centaur Eurypion kidnapping Deidamia. The attachment holes of a crown still visible on the centaur's skull allow us to identify him as Eurypion and therefore to identify the attacked woman as Deidamia. Admire the beauty of the young girl contrasting with the brutality of the centaur.

On the left, a third group can be seen, consisting of a centaur grabbing a young girl by the hair, who pushes him away with force, while a Lapitheus strikes the centaur and knocks him down. In the left corner of the pediment, two Lapiths follow the battle, frightened. Coming back to the center of the pediment, to the right of Apollo, you see a^4th group representing a Lapithe pushing back a centaur with his hands, with so much energy that you can see the nails of the Lapithe digging into the centaur's skin. In a fit of pain, the centaur raises its right front paw and hits the Lapithe in the knee. Behind them, we can see Theseus, Pirithoos' faithful friend, who is about to hit the centaur with an axe. On the right, a fifth group brings together a centaur and a Lapithe in a merciless fight: the Lapithe tries to strangle the centaur who bites him on the arm.

Still on the right is a last group with a centaur trying to kidnap a Lapithe but being stabbed by another Lapithe. Remaining in this room, the twelve metopes of the temple of Zeus which describe the works of Heracles and some of which are in very bad condition.