ANCIENT SITE OF OLYMPIA

Classified as a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1989, the site has three main areas to visit. First, there is the sanctuary. Then, in the center, you will visit a large quadrilateral delimited by a wall, with all around the buildings known as appendices, a kind of "Olympic village". And finally, the sports facilities.

Gymnasium. The first monument that you cross on your right while entering the ancient site of Olympia is the gymnasium, where the pretenders to the title had the obligation to come to train before the Olympic Games. The river Kladéos has washed away the western part of it today, but one can imagine that the gymnasium was a large rectangular building composed of Doric porticoes surrounding a large open-air courtyard. It was in this courtyard that the athletes trained when the weather permitted. In case of great heat or rain, the trainings took place under the porticoes, which were 210,50 m long.

Palestra. The second important monument that you come across when visiting the ancient site of Olympia is the palestra, which was used for training competitors in wrestling, boxing and pancrastics. The building was square and measured 66 m on each side. The central court, with open sky, was surrounded by a Doric colonnade as well as several rooms with various uses: in the konisterion, the athletes covered themselves with dust and sand, in theelaiotheion, they coated themselves with oil, in theephebeion, they received the teaching of their trainers. In the north-east corner you can see a 1.40 m deep basin which was used for cold baths. The columns that you see standing upright have been straightened by the team of the German Archaeological Institute.

Prytaneum. This building welcomed the winners of the Games for a great banquet in their honor. It is also in this building that was kept the sacred flame of Hestia. Every year, according to the custom, the priests of the sanctuary collected the ash of the sacred fire of Hestia and mixed it with water of Alpheus to make a paste of which they coated then the altar of Zeus.

Temple of Hera. The temple of Hera, also called Heraion, is dedicated to the wife and sister of Zeus, goddess of fertility and marriage, guardian of the home. It is one of the oldest Greek temples since it was built in 600 B.C. It is of Doric style, with six columns in front and 16 on the long sides. Originally, its columns were made of wood, but they were replaced by shell stone columns at different times, which explains why the columns were not all of the same diameter and had neither the same flutes nor the same capitals. It is in this temple that was found the famous Hermes of Praxiteles, the marble statue of Paros discovered in 1877 and kept in the museum of the site.

Ancient stadium of Olympia. Before entering the stadium, you pass under the vaulted passage that follows the portico of Echo. This vault dates from the 1st century BC. The stadium measures 192,35 m, that is to say 600 antique feet, by 30 m. The legend tells that it was Heracles who decided the length of the stadium by taking his foot as a measure. The start of the races could be done either in the west or in the east, as seems to prove it, at both ends of the stadium, series of striated slabs where the runners took their marks. All around the stadium runs a long gutter punctuated with small basins where the spectators could drink during the very hot weather and thus avoid dying of sunstroke. The embankments did not have bleachers and could accommodate up to 35,000 spectators. However, you can distinguish a set of bleachers on the southern slope: they were reserved for the judges of the competition. Opposite was an altar to Demeter Chamyné near which sat the priestess of the goddess, the only woman who could attend the Games.

In the south of the stadium, the hippodrome, today completely washed away by the waters of the river Alphée. It took place there of horse races and of chariots. On leaving the stadium, you will see, after the arched passage, a series of bases of statues of Zeus, built with the money of the fines inflicted to those who broke the rules of the Games.

Exedra of Herod Atticus. This semi-circular construction was used to retain the water which came to Olympia thanks to an aqueduct built, also, by Herod Atticus. It is this same aqueduct, 3 km long, which allowed the spectators of the Games to refresh themselves. All around the basin were arranged the statues of the members of the family of Herod Atticus. In the center of the construction, on the edge of the higher basin, was a statue of bull, now in the museum.

Philippaeion. Circular building, the Philippaeion was probably built during the reign of Philip II of Macedonia and was completed by his son Alexander the Great, who then called it Philippaeion out of veneration for his father. Inside this construction ran a bench on which had been deposited the statues of Philip, Alexander and other members of their family.

Metrôon. Below the treasure of Sicyone, you can see the foundations of the metrôon, temple dedicated to the mother of the gods: Rhéa. This temple was of Doric order and included six columns in frontage against 11 on the long sides. Built between 400 and 360 B.C., it sheltered statues under the Roman domination, in particular the monumental statue of Augustus which was in the cella and which is now exposed to the museum.

Bouleutêrion. Taking the direction of the east of the sanctuary to reach the south of the temple of Zeus is the bouleutêrion, seat of the Olympic Council. Important writings and decrees were also kept there. The building is composed of two wings with apses, north and south, built at different times. Between these two wings, in a square open space, was the altar of Zeus with a statue of the god holding the thunderbolt. Continuing eastward, you may see the foundations of Nero's triumphal arch. In Roman times, the procession entered the Altis by passing under this arch.

Temple of Zeus. Without doubt the most interesting monument of the site of Olympia: the colossal temple dedicated to Zeus, king of the gods of Olympus. Its construction lasted from 470 to 456 B.C. and was carried out thanks to the spoils of the war of Elis against Pisa. The columns were made of shell stone, but the tiles as well as the gargoyles with lion heads were made of Paros marble. The temple was Doric, with 6 columns in front and 13 on the long sides. The metopes and triglyphs of the temple were undecorated, but in 146 B.C. the Roman general Mummius placed shields of the booty taken during the war against the Achaeans there. The carved pediments can be seen in the museum today. But the element that makes this temple certainly one of the most remarkable of the Greek world is that it housed the colossal statue of Zeus, work of the great sculptor Phidias. This statue was probably sculpted in 432 BC. Phidias had been condemned by the Athenians for having used gold from the statue of Athena (from the Acropolis), after which he set up his workshop in Olympia where he probably remained until the end of his life. It is known from several sources that the statue was 12.40 m high. This statue was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and was admired by all the living. The work remained in place until 393 AD and was then transported to Constantinople in 395, where it was destroyed in a fire.

Leonidaion. Towards the south of the ancient site of Olympia stands one of the most impressive buildings of the site: the Leonidaion, built after 350 BC by Leonidas, a rich Naxian. It was a two-storey building, of 80 m on 73,50 m, its external colonnade counted 138 columns whereas its interior colonnade counted only 44. In Roman times, an artificial basin with a small island and a garden was built in this central courtyard. This building was used to lodge the important visitors during the duration of the Games.