Peloponnese - Greece - page 335

The modern Olympic Games were instituted in 1896 and, other than during WWI
and WWII, have been held every four years in different cities around the world ever
since, including (to much celebration in Greece) the 2004 Athens Olympics. The
Olympic flame is lit at the ancient site and carried by runners to the city where the
Games are held.
Ancient Olympia HISTORIC SITE
( 26240 22517; adult/child €6/3, site & museum €9/5; 8am-8pm Mon-Fri, 8am-3pm Sat &
Sun, reduced hours in winter) Held every four years until their abolition by killjoy Emperor
Theodosius I in AD 393, the Olympic Games were held here for at least 1000 years. The
World Heritage-listed site of Ancient Olympia is still a recognisable complex of temples,
priests' dwellings and public buildings. The site contains excellent explanatory boards,
with depictions of what the buildings would have looked like, along with a plan and de-
scription in English.
Ancient Olympia is signposted from the modern village. The entrance is beyond the
bridge over the Kladeos River. Thanks to Theodosius II and various earthquakes, little
remains of the magnificent buildings of Ancient Olympia, but enough exists to sustain an
absorbing visit in an idyllic, leafy setting; allow a minimum of half a day. A visit to the
archaeological museum ( Click here ) beforehand will help with visualising the ancient
buildings.
The first ruin encountered is the gymnasium MAP GOOGLE MAP , which dates from
the 2nd century BC. South of here is the partly restored palaestra MAP GOOGLE MAP
(wrestling school), where contestants practised and trained. The next building was the
theokoleon MAP GOOGLE MAP (priests' house). Behind it is Pheidias' workshop
MAP GOOGLE MAP , where the gargantuan ivory-and-gold Statue of Zeus, one of the
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was sculpted. The workshop was identified by ar-
chaeologists after the discovery of tools and moulds. Beyond the theokoleon is the le-
onidaion MAP GOOGLE MAP , an elaborate structure that accommodated dignitaries.
The altis, or Sacred Precinct of Zeus , lies east of the path. Its most important build-
ing was the immense 5th-century Doric Temple of Zeus MAP GOOGLE MAP , which
enshrined Pheidias' statue, later removed to Constantinople by Theodosius II (where it
was destroyed by fire in AD 475). One column has been restored and re-erected, and
helps put into perspective its sheer size.