Ancient Olympia - Birthplace of the Olympic Games

The Phillippeion - a monument to King Phillip II of Macedonia in Olympia

Monday, July 11 - Trip Day 12

We cruised into Katakolo this morning - apparently the second busiest port in Greece, after Pireus.  Probably because it's located close to  Ancient Olympia, and like us, many tourists are excited to see this interesting and historic location.

We had another lovely, breezy sunny day and I was up at sunrise - today at 6:30 because of the time change when we sailed into Greek territory.  My favorite location on the foredeck was empty as usual, and I enjoyed the morning solitude.

New time for sunrise because of time change in Greece - it's at 6:30 this morning, an hour later

The port town of Katakolo - pretty in the morning light

Off the ship and heading to the busses - we're off to see Ancient Olympia

It's a 45 minute drive from the port of Katakolo to the archeological site of Ancient Olympia.  It was a pleasant surprise when we arrived, as the site is well marked, landscaped with trees, and easy to visualize.  Sometimes, I find that it's hard to imagine the true nature of the ruins at archeological sites, because it looks like piles of rocks and bare foundations. Not so here.

Our guide today was Effy.  She explained that the Olympic Games took place every four years, from 776 BC to 393 AD - more than a thousand years!  This location was also a place of worship of the god Zeus from about the 10th century BC and was the location of one of the original seven wonders of the ancient world - the Temple of Zeus

Entrance to the archeological park - easy to walk and shady, as a bonus

Guide map of the Olympia complex

The gymnasium complex - still being excavated

The gymnasium complex was for training - with a long open area for javelin and running practice

The Pallestra is an enclosed complex within the gymnasium - for boxing and wrestling practice

The archeological site remains active - a large group of summer students were working on one end of the Gymnasium, which still has about 1/3 of its space to be excavated.  This was the primary training ground, and its length and dimensions reproduce the actual stadium where the events took place.  Only men competed, and only men were allowed to attend the games.

It was such a huge cultural and religious event, that a whole complex was needed to support the athletes and their training - including temples for worship, workshops for the athletes needs and a hotel complex for visiting dignitaries.

I was fascinated that the stones used to build most of the complex are limestone that shows the sea creatures as the stones have been weathered over the centuries.  Little spiral shells and bivalves are easy to recognize in the large blocks of stone.

These little shells are intriguing - you can imagine the sea floor where they were once found

Colonnades surrounding the Gymnasium and Pallestra

A large workshop was located near the Pallestra and the Temple of Zeus - Pheidias' Workshop.  It was in this studio that the famed sculptor created Olympia's statue of Zeus - considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.  The building mirrored the dimensions of the temple itself.  In addition to the masterpiece colossal statue, many other statues were created, as well as bronze offerings, such as small animals and decorative items.  A number of these have survived and are on display in the museum.

Pheidias' Workshop

The dimensions of the workshop approximate the interior of the Temple of Zeus

These decorative building finishes would have been painted with bright colors

A happy camper, resting in the workshop

The Leonidaion was an opulent hotel for the distinguished visitors to the games

We continued our explorations - hearing about the grand hotel - the Leonidaion, which would have been the social location for dignitaries and athletes alike during the buzz of the games.  And learned that the Temple of Zeus, which was destroyed by earthquakes, was completed over a dozen years in 465 BC.  The interior statue of Zeus was plated with gold and ivory and seated on a throne.  He wore elaborately embroidered garments and wore a wreath of wild olive branches on his head - the same as was awarded to the Olympic champions.

Columns of the Temple of Zeus, toppled like dominoes from earthquakes 

Nike of Paionios Pedestal - the winged goddess of victory topped this 9 meter column

The entrance to the actual stadium was a busy place - there was a long stoa, lined with shops, and a large, tall pedestal, crowned with a winged statue of the goddess Nike.  Lining the entrance to the  stadium was a row of statues of cheaters.  If you were found to be cheating at the game, you were publicly shamed, and immortalized forever, with a statue naming your failing.  The stadium was interesting, as there were no permanent seats as we have in modern  competitive arenas.  

Row of pedestals for the statues of cheaters - you can still read some of their names

Arched entranceway to the stadium

Columns of the Temple of Hera

When the Olympic Games were restarted in 1896, in Athens, they revived many of the original traditions.  Our current Olympic Games begin with the lighted torch ceremony, and the flame is lit here, every four years, in front of the Temple of Hera.  They use ancient techniques to light the Olympic flame, including using the sun and parabolic mirrors to light the fire.

This modest set of rocks is where the Olympic flame is lighted every four years