Places of Interest - Greece

Temple of Hera:

The most intact remains are the imposing remains of the oldest temple (ca. 600 BC), dedicated to Hera, with pillars of various shapes, which over time replaced the early wooden columns. Inside was the famous marble statue of the Hermes of Praxiteles (now in the local museum). Next to it, the Olympic torch is ignited, which is then brought to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in relay form. This happened for the first time in 1936 for the Berlin Olympics. Not far from this temple is the Temple of Zeus - the most important of the complex; it was actually the temple for Zeus Olympios which means "of the Olympus" and where the name Olympia originally comes from. The temple was founded after the Persian Wars - as a national war memorial - and in 456 BC completed. Inside was the 12-meter-high gold and ivory image created by Phidias of the enthroned Zeus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was in 426 AD to Constantinople, where it was lost 50 years later in a palace fire. The sculpted metopes (now in the local museum) show the twelve works of Herakles. 

When you enter the grounds, the first thing you see is the gym dating back to the 2nd century BC. Slightly south of it lies the partially restored "Palaestra" - the old wrestling school. Here wrestling-lessons were given and practiced. The next building was the "Theokoleon" or the priest's house - behind it was the workshop where the statue of Zeus was made. Of this building is still quite a lot standing and gives a good picture of what the house should look like. Archaeological finds (a drinking cup with its name engraved in it and dies for the golden garment of the statue of Zeus) testify to his active presence. In the southwest corner of the area are the remains of a bathhouse and the "Leonidaion", a hotel named after the founder with a series of rooms around a courtyard surrounded by colonnades.

Hippodrome:

If you continue walking on the south side of ancient Olympia you will reach the temple of Zeus where once was the "hippodrome" - the place where the horse races with carts were held. What is left of that is, is only the old stadium. It has a beautiful arch entrance including passage to the large open area where the structure of where the spectators were still standing. There were about 30,000 people at that time; the referee- and the starting place is still there. Slaves and women were on the adjacent hill because they were not allowed into the stadium. Further on, on a terrace, a row of treasuries from the 6th and early 5th century BC, largely founded by cities from Western Greece. Now you come back to the temple of Hera where just before there were the fountains where the water for Olympia was taken from. Here was also the third great temple - the "Metroön". This temple was dedicated to the mother goddess Rhea, later destined for the Roman imperial cult. 

You now walk back to the entrance of the complex where you pass the "Philippeion", the only circular structure of the whole Olympia. After the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC Philip II of Macedonia founded a round building in which gold and ivory statues of his and his family were set up. Right in front of the entrance was the "Prytaneum", the building where athletes were welcomed at a party. Little is left of this.

The beginning:

The exact origin of the Olympic Games in Classical Antiquity is not known, altough several different myths and legends talking about it. One of these tells about the hero Herakles who would have won a race in Olympia and then determined that the race had to be repeated every four years. According to another myth, the Olympics would have been introduced by the supreme god Zeus after defeating the Titan Kronos. A third myth tells that King Iphitos of Elis (9th century BC) would have been at the base of the Olympics. He would have consulted Delphi's oracle to ask how he could protect his subjects from war. The Pythia would have advised him to organize games for the worship of the gods. The Spartan enemy of Iphitos would then have decided to stop the war during the games.  

What is certain is that the first Games are held in the 11th century BC at Olympia. This was a holy place where many temples, altars and statues were standing. Among other things, there was the 12-meter-high statue of Zeus at Olympia, which was one of the seven (world)wonders of the world. In the starting time there was only one part on the program: a running race over the length of about 190 meters. Over the years, more and more sporting elements were added: boxing, wrestling, pankration (a combination of boxing and wrestling), horse racing, various running competitions and the pentathlon, a pentathlon consisting of wrestling, running, long jump, javelin throwing and discus throwing. Because more and more things were added, the games lasted not one but five days. Three days were used for the games, one according to religious rituals, and on the last day all participants got a banquet. The winners of the various competitions were rewarded with an olive crown and enjoyed much respect. Sculptors made images of the winners. The participants were only men; they participated naked in the sports competitions. The first official Olympic Games are traditionally in 776 BC placed and would be up to 393 AD to be kept uninterrupted shortly after Emperor Theodosius I had ordered in an edict that all cult places of the ancient Greek religion were to be abandoned. At first only Greeks were allowed to participate, later also Romans were admitted.

Sacrifices:

Initially the running competitions in Olympia were held on a regular sand plain. A line indicated the start and finish. Athletes did not run in circles, but simply turned around at the end of the track. The open track was not found to be convenient after a while; improvements were made until a rectangular track was created with natural slopes at the edges as stands for the public. Around 350 BC stone stands were built with pitches that already provided space for about 40 to 45,000 spectators. The Antique Games were connected to Zeus, the Greek supreme god. In front of his temple in Olympia 100 oxen were burned on the main altar. This fire was kept burning during the Games. Its flame, like all other sacrifices, was lit with the sacred fire of the goddess Hestia. Nowadays we set the old Olympic sport ideal above the mutual rivalries. The Greeks announced a sacred file to give the athletes and spectators the opportunity to attend the festival. That was quite an achievement in a country that was constantly torn by internal quarrels. But the Greeks did not always remain faithful to their own ideal. There have been many embargoes. Roman emperors have also written their names in the annals of Olympia, among them Tiberius and Nero. But in the latter case the memory can hardly be called glorious: Nero did win a victory in the chariot races, but it must be remembered that his chariot was drawn by ten horses, that he fell twice and that he handed over 250,000 drachmas. to the referees. As a reward - that is the appropriate word here - he brought more than 2,000 palms and wreaths to Rome. 

In the year 394 AD the “pagan” games were abolished by imperial order. In 426 the temples were destroyed and given to the elements of nature. Earthquakes and floods caused even more devastation. In 1875 excavations by German archaeologists started and in 1896 the first modern Olympic Games were held as we know them today. These are held every four years - apart from the two world wars - in various cities around the world. It is the largest sporting event in the world. The Olympia site has been a UNESCO World Heritage List since 1989.