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Statue of Zeus at Olympia

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was a giant seated figure, about 12.4 m (41 ft) tall, made by the Greek sculptor Phidias around 435 BC at the sanctuary of Olympia, Greece, and erected in the Temple of Zeus there. Zeus is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus.

Olympia

Olympia, officially Archaia Olympia, is a small town in Elis on the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece, famous for the nearby archaeological site of the same name. The site was a major Panhellenic religious sanctuary of ancient Greece, where the ancient Olympic Games were held every four years throughout classical antiquity, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. They were restored on a global basis in 1894 in honor of the ideal of peaceful international contention for excellence.

Temple of Zeus in Olympia

The Temple of Zeus was an ancient Greek temple in Olympia, Greece, dedicated to the god Zeus. The temple, built in the second quarter of the fifth century BC, was the very model of the fully developed classical Greek temple of the Doric order.

Temple of Hera, Olympia

The Temple of Hera, or Heraion, is an ancient Archaic Greek temple at Olympia, Greece, that was dedicated to Hera, queen of the Greek gods. It is the oldest temple at Olympia and one of the most venerable in all of Greece. It was originally a joint temple of Hera and Zeus, chief of the gods, until a separate temple was built for him. It is at the altar of this temple, which is oriented east-west, that the Olympic flame is lit and carried to all parts of the world. The torch of the Olympic flame is lit in its ruins to this day. The temple was built in ca. 580 BC, but was destroyed by an earthquake in the early 4th century AD.

Archaeological Museum of Olympia

The Archaeological Museum of Olympia is one of the principal museums of Greece, located in Olympia. It is overseen by the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and, as of 2009, is directed by Georgia Xatzi. When the original building was completed and opened in 1888, it was the first museum in Greece outside of Athens.

Philippeion

The Philippeion in the Altis of Olympia was a tholos made of in limestone and marble. Originally, it contained chryselephantine statues of the family of Philip II, including himself, his son Alexander the Great, one of his wives Olympias, his father Amyntas III, and his mother Eurydice I. It was made by the Athenian sculptor Leochares as a memorial celebrating Philip's victory at the battle of Chaeronea. It was the only structure inside the Altis dedicated to human beings rather than gods.

Stadium at Olympia

The Stadium at Olympia is an ancient stadium at the archaeological site of Olympia, Greece, located to the east of the sanctuary of Zeus. It was the location of many of the sporting events at the Ancient Olympic Games.

Pisa

Ancient or Archaia Pisa, sometimes distinguished in Greek as Archaía Písa Ileías, is a modern village located 2.15 kilometers (1.34 mi) of Ancient or Archaia Olympia on the northwest corner of the Peloponnese in southern Greece. It is named for the city-state of Pisa in Ancient Greece, sometimes credited with colonizing Pisa, Italy. In antiquity, the cities of Pisa, Olympia, and Elis competed for supremacy of the region and management of its sacred precinct. Eventually Olympia was victorious in the contention and Pisa became part of Olympia rather than vice versa. The modern village is now organized as part of Ancient Olympia's municipality in the regional unit of Elis. It is the home of the International Olympic Academy.

Scillus

Scillus or Skillous was a town of Triphylia, a district of ancient Elis, situated 20 stadia south of Olympia. In 572 BCE the Scilluntians assisted Pyrrhus, king of Pisa, in making war upon the Eleians; but they were completely conquered by the latter, and both Pisa and Scillus were razed to the ground. Scillus remained desolate till about 392 BCE, when the Lacedaemonians, who had a few years previously compelled the Eleians to renounce their supremacy over their dependent cities, colonised Scillus and gave it to Xenophon, then an exile from Athens. Xenophon resided here more than twenty years, and probably composed the Anabasis here, but was expelled from it by the Eleians soon after the Battle of Leuctra, in 371 BCE. He has left us a description of the place, which he says was situated 20 stadia (approximately 2 1/4 miles] from the Sacred Grove of Zeus, on the road to Olympia from Sparta, It stood upon the river Selinus, which was also the name of the river flowing by the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, and like the latter it abounded in fish and shell-fish. From a portion of the spoils he had acquired in the campaign he had joined against Artaxerxes II, Xenophon dedicated a temple to Artemis, in imitation of the celebrated temple at Ephesus, and instituted a yearly festival to the goddess. Scillus stood amidst woods and meadows, and afforded abundant pasture for cattle; while the neighbouring mountains supplied wild hogs, roebucks, and stags. When Pausanias visited Scillus five centuries afterwards the temple of Artemis still remained, and a statue of Xenophon, made of Pentelic marble.

Metroon

Palaestra at Olympia

The palaestra at Olympia is the ground or grounds in ancient Olympia where πάλη, Doric πάλα, "wrestling," was taught and performed for training purposes; i.e., "wrestling-school." Two other martial arts were taught there: Greek πυγμή (pygme), Latin pugnus, "fist, boxing," and Greek παγκράτιον, Latin pancration or pancratium, "any method," which was free-style, or hand-to-hand, including grappling, kicking, punching, or any unarmed method whatever, no holds barred. The latter was sometimes deadly, or disfiguring, which indicates that the arts were ephebic, or "soldier" training for prospective citizens of the city-state sponsoring the school, such as Elis, but here combined with prospective candidacy for contention in the games. Be that as it may, none of the games were conducted without rules, umpires, and judges, who did not hesitate to stop contests, fine contenders with in some cases amounts prohibiting future participation, or bar flagrant violators.

Pelopion

The Pelopion was a structure at the ancient site of Olympia, Greece. It was the alleged tomb of Pelops, a figure in Greek mythology. It was a monument surrounded by a pentagonal structure. The tomb became an altar for animal sacrifices in Archaic Greece and continued to serve as an altar into the Roman era, until it fell into disuse with the advent of Christianity. It consisted of a mound of ashes and compacted earth, at the peak of which the sacrifice would take place – a black ram was sacrificed here every year in honor of Pelops. In order to get to the top of the altar, priests would carve steps into the mound. This packed earth form of altar was a particularly ancient one, quite unlike the more modern stone altars such as those evidenced at Delphi and the Acropolis of Athens.