Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Don't miss the 4th-century Parian marble statue of
Hermes of Praxiteles
, a master-
piece of classical sculpture from the Temple of Hera. Hermes was charged with taking
the infant Dionysos to Mt Nysa.
You'll also find intriguing collections of tiny, but beautifully crafted, votive offerings
discovered on the site, and the sculptured
Head of Hera
.
THE OLYMPIC GAMES
The Olympics were undoubtedly the Ancient World's biggest sporting event. Dur-
ing the Games, warring states briefly halted their squabbles and victorious com-
petitors won great fame and considerable fortune. The origins of Olympia date
back to Mycenaean times. The Great Goddess, identified as Rea, was worshipped
here in the 1st millennium BC. By the Classical era Rea had been superseded by
her son Zeus. A small regional festival, which probably included athletic events,
began in the 11th century BC.
The first official quadrennial Olympic Games were declared in 776 BC by King
Iphitos of Elis. By 676 BC they were open to all Greek males, and they reached the
height of their prestige in 576 BC. The Games were held in honour of Zeus, pop-
ularly acclaimed as their founder, and took place around the first full moon in
August.
The athletic festival lasted five days and included wrestling, chariot and horse ra-
cing, the pentathlon (wrestling, discus and javelin throwing, long jump and run-
ning) and the pancratium (a vicious form of fisticuffs).
Originally only Greek-born males were allowed to participate, but later Romans
were permitted. Slaves and women were not allowed to enter the sanctuary as par-
ticipants or spectators. Women trying to sneak in were thrown from a nearby rock.
The event served purposes besides athletic competition. Writers, poets and his-
torians read their works to large audiences, and the citizens of various city states
got together. Traders clinched business deals and city state leaders talked in an at-
mosphere of festivity that was conducive to resolving differences through discus-
sion, rather than battle.
The Games continued during the first years of Roman rule. By this time,
however, their importance had declined and, thanks to Nero, they had become less
sporting. In AD 67 Nero entered the chariot race with 10 horses, ordering that oth-
er competitors could have no more than four. Despite this advantage he fell and
abandoned the race, yet was still declared the winner by the judges.
The Games were held for the last time in AD 394, before they were banned by
Emperor Theodosius I as part of a purge of pagan festivals. In AD 426 Theodosius
II decreed that the temples of Olympia be destroyed.
