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The Olive Farm Kato Samiko, Peloponnese, Greece |
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Ancient Olympia |
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Contact us by email: enquiries@theolivefarm.biz By Post:TK123, Zacharo, 27054, N Ilias, Greece By telephone:0030 26250 71429 By Mobile (and SMS): +30 693 868 7464 |
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One of the most important archeological sites in the world is only 30 minutes away by car (approximately 20km). The museum is particularly impressive, as is the site itself. The original Olympic Games were held here, and every two years the Olympic Torch is still lit here using sunlight and a parabolic mirror, before being taken by relay to the Olympic host city.
The following is an excerpt from the Wikipedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympia,_Greece
Olympia (Greek: Ολυμπία Olympí'a or Ολύμπια Olýmpia, older transliterations, Olimpia, Olimbia), a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times, comparable in importance to the Pythian Games held in Delphi. Both games were held every Olympiad (i.e. every four years), the Olympic Games dating back possibly further than 776 BC. In 394 emperor Theodosius I abolished them because they were reminiscent of paganism.
The sanctuary, known as the Altis, consists of an unordered arrangement of various buildings. Enclosed within the temenos are the Temple of Hera (or Heraion/Heraeum) and Temple of Zeus, the Pelopion and the area of the altar, where the sacrifices were made. The hippodrome and later stadium were also to the east To the north of the sanctuary can be found the Prytaneion and the Philippeion, as well as the array of treasuries representing the various city states. The Metroon lies to the south of these treasuries, with the Echo Stoa to the East. To the south of the sanctuary is the South Stoa and the Bouleuterion, whereas the West side houses the Palaestra, the workshop of Pheidias, the Gymnasion and the Leonidaion. Olympia is also known for the gigantic ivory and gold statue of Zeus that used to stand there, sculpted by Pheidias, which was named one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Antipater of Sidon. Very close to the Temple of Zeus which housed this statue, the studio of Pheidias was excavated in the 1950s. Evidence found there, such as sculptor's tools, corroborates this opinion. The ancient ruins sit north of the Alfeios River and Mount Kronos (named after the Greek deity Kronos). The Kladeos, a tributary of the Alfeios, flows around the area. |
