ancient olympia
Highlights: The temple of Hera, The temple of Zeus, The Philippeion, The stadium of Olympia, The Bouleuterion
Olympia was the sanctuary of Zeus and birthplace of the Olympic Games. 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. 776 BC was 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 last Olympics of antiquity were held in AD 393, shortly before the emperor Theodosius I banned paganism and closed down the ancient sanctuaries.
The archaeological site of Olympia, one of the largest in Greece, yielded a singularly rich concentration of monuments and works of art, such as the famous statues of Hermes by Praxiteles and Nike by Paeonius.
Olympia was the sanctuary of Zeus and birthplace of the Olympic Games. 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. 776 BC was 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 last Olympics of antiquity were held in AD 393, shortly before the emperor Theodosius I banned paganism and closed down the ancient sanctuaries.
The archaeological site of Olympia, one of the largest in Greece, yielded a singularly rich concentration of monuments and works of art, such as the famous statues of Hermes by Praxiteles and Nike by Paeonius.