Krypte: the monumental entrance to the Olympia Stadium. Olympia Stadium: the starting line. Leonidaion, a luxurious hostel for distinguished visitors of the Olympic Games 4th c. Krypte, the entrance to the stadium of Olympia, was a vaulted stoa 32 m long, built in the late 3rd century BC.
The monument was completed by Alexander the Great after the assassination of his father in BC. The rare type of circular building, known as tholos, is usually associated with hero or chthonic deities cults. The finest examples are represented by the Philippeion at Olympia, the tholos of Delphi and the tholos of Epidaurus.
In a lush green landscape, the Kronion hill overlooks the ancient ruins. Archaeological Site of Olympia - Overview Olympia, the sanctuary of Zeus and birthplace of the Olympic Games, lies in a verdant valley of the western Peloponnese at the confluence of the rivers Alpheios and Kladeos.
A landscape of great natural beauty, the whole valley was in ancient times thickly wooded and full of wild olive trees, from the leaves of which were made the wreaths that crowned the Olympian champions; hence the site was named Altis , meaning grove.
It was also named Olympia after Mt Olympus , the abode of Zeus. The beginnings of the sanctuary and its games are hazed in myths: Zeus prevailed in Olympia after dethroning his own father Cronus, who was worshiped upon the namesake hill to the north of the sanctuary. As to who was the founder of the games, several heroes claim the title; among them Hercules and Pelops, ancestor of the Homeric Agamemnon and mythical king of the Peloponnese the very name of the peninsula meaning the island of Pelops.
We reach the realm of history in BC, the year of the first recorded athletic event that humanity nowadays celebrates as the Olympic Games. Their ancient name was Olympia and they were held every four years in honour of Zeus. The Olympiad , the four-year period between two successive celebrations, became the standard chronological system of the ancient Greek world.
The Olympics were the panhellenic top sporting event that embodied the ideal of fair competition among free and equal men, as conveyed in the words let the best win. There could be no greater honour for a youth of the time than to be crowned with the kotinos , the champion's olive wreath, nor greater glory bestowed on the athlete's bithplace: when back home, part of the city walls were pulled down for the champion to enter.
Before the opening of the Games, the Sacred Truce was proclaimed, the treaty that imposed the suspension of wars and the cessation of all kinds of hostilities during the games. As an ideal of peace and reconciliation, the sacred truce lies at the heart of the Olympic values and is the most important legacy left by the ancient games to their modern successors. The last Olympics of antiquity were held in AD , shortly before the emperor Theodosius I banned paganism and closed down the ancient sanctuaries.
Then came successive earthquakes and river floods to bury the ancient ruins for centuries until the archaeological excavations brought them back to light in Twenty years later, in , revived the first, and now international, Olympic Games of the modern era , held in the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. The Altis — the sanctuary to the gods — has one of the highest concentrations of masterpieces from the ancient Greek world.
In addition to temples, there are the remains of all the sports structures erected for the Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia every four years beginning in B. De stad Olympia ligt in een vallei in de Peloponnesos. De naam Olympia verwees naar de heilige berg van Olympus, de verblijfplaats van de god Zeus. In de 10e eeuw voor Christus werd Olympia een centrum voor verering van Zeus. De Altis — het heiligdom voor de goden — heeft een van de grootste concentraties van meesterwerken uit de oude Griekse wereld.
Naast tempels zijn er in het gebied overblijfselen te vinden van alle sportaccommodaties die gebouwd werden voor de Olympische Spelen. Deze werden in Olympia om de vier jaar gehouden, de eerste in voor Christus. Source: unesco. The sanctuary of Olympia, in the North West of the Peloponnese, in the Regional Unit of Eleia Elis , has been established in the valley created by the confluence of the Alpheios and Kladeos rivers in a natural setting of beauty and serenity.
The Pan-Hellenic sanctuary has been established in the history of culture, as the most important religious, political and sports centre, with a history that dates back to the end of the Neolithic times 4th millennium BC. The famous sanctuary became the centre of worship of Zeus, the father of the twelve Olympian gods.
For the Altis, the sacred grove and the centre of the sanctuary, some of the most remarkable works of art and technique have been created, constituting a milestone in the history of art. Great artists, such as Pheidias, have put their personal stamp of inspiration and creativity, offering unique artistic creations to the world. In this universal place, the Olympic Idea was born, making Olympia a unique universal symbol of peace and competition at the service of virtue.
Here, too, prominence was given to the ideals of physical and mental harmony, of noble contest, of how to compete well, of the Sacred Truce; values, which remain unchanged in perpetuity. Criterion i : The sanctuary of the Altis contained one of the highest concentrations of masterpieces of the ancient Mediterranean world.
Many have been lost, such as the Olympia Zeus, a gold-and-ivory cult statue which was probably destroyed by Pheidias between and BC and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Other masterpieces have survived: large votive archaic bronzes, pedimental sculptures and metopes from the temple of Zeus, and the famous complex of Hermes by Praxiteles.
These are all major works of sculpture and key references in the history of art. Its value as a standard in architecture is in any case indisputable. Criterion iii : Olympia bears exceptional testimony to the ancient civilizations of Peloponnese, both in terms of duration and quality. The first human settlements date back to prehistoric times when the valley was occupied from to BC. Settlements and necropolises from the Bronze Age have been unearthed along the banks of the Alpheios river.
Granted, at first the sight of ancient Olympia is a bit of a letdown, because there is really not a single structure still standing, mostly due to a number of earthquakes that covered the site under metres of mud. But then, seeing places like the site where the Olympic flame is lit every two years for the Games, and especially the original stadium and being able to actually run there , is really quite amazing.
You need a little imagination, but it's pretty easy to feel like an athlete of ancient times vying for an olive wreath there Sweden - Feb -. Continuing my Greek journey from Athens and Delphi, I hopped on the narrow-gauge train in Corinth reaching the end station of Olympia a couple of hours later. Finding my way between the few spots of shadow, hiding from an almost torturing sun, shining over the modern village of Olympia I soon found my way to my hotel.
I must say that I quickly got to like this little village that was now resting in the afternoon heat. Good food and a relaxing atmosphere is paired with unfortunately too many souvenir shops catering to the busy day-visitors from Athens that comes at lunch and leaves a couple of hours later. But Olympia definitely deserves a better destiny. Why not stay here for a night and enjoy.
Then you will also get another upside - to visit the ancient Olympia in the early morning when the tourists have not yet arrived. Wondering around the overthrown columns all alone, pass the bath houses and the wrestling schools through to the stadium quickly takes you to another world. And don't forget the excellent museum, conveniently located nearby, provides you with an insight in the life of sports during the years Olympia functioned as an annual meeting point.
The ruins of Olympia contain their fair share of Temples etc but THE place to go to is the Stadium where the ancient Games were held photo. Another point of interest, just before what was a covered passage leading into the stadium entrance at bottom left of photo , are the pedestals where the statues of Zeus, paid for by the fines of those caught cheating, were placed! He was, perhaps wisely, allowed to win despite falling off! The race course, originally to the right of the Stadium, was destroyed in floods from the nearby river Alpheios and there is nothing to see To see a reasonably complete Hippodrome go to Tyre instead — see my review.
Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Site of first ancient Olympics at risk as fires rage in Greece Robbery at Ancient Olympia museum Olympia hypothesis: Tsunamis buried the cult site on the Peloponnese The site has 1 locations. The site has 16 connections.
Register Login. Login Sign up. The List. All tentative sites. Inscribed Sites Tentative Sites. Our Community. All connections. About Blog. Olympia 3. Map of Olympia. Els Visit December 3. Community Reviews Write a review. Nan 4. Jay T 3. Clyde 2. Caspar Dechmann 3.
The connection between the modern and the ancient games. I woud love to see the famous statue of Hermes to the page. Is oviously one of the main reasons to visit Archea Olympia. Klaus Freisinger 4. Definitely a must-see for anybody even slightly interested in Antiquity. Christer Sundberg Sweden - Feb - Continuing my Greek journey from Athens and Delphi, I hopped on the narrow-gauge train in Corinth reaching the end station of Olympia a couple of hours later.
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