OLYMPIA – Zeus and athletes
The Temple of Zeus (470-457 BC) is one of the major highlights of Olympia.
Reading the board – this Doric, single sided temple had six columns at each narrow end and thirteen columns along each side. It contained the Statue of Zeus – one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – which was sculptured by Pheidias. Instead of me rambling on for umpteen paragraphs, you can get more information here. It is a great site and has lots of information on other parts of Olympia if you are interested.
On the North West corner there is a reconstruction of a column (check out the photo above) which was carried out for the 2004 Olympics. It truly is a majestic temple fit for the King of the Gods.
Opposite the temple is the workshop of Pheidias. Unfortunately I cannot walk in – this is as close as I can get.
It is a rectangular building where the renowned sculptor Pheidias fashioned the colossal gold and ivory statue of Zeus. Many objects were found in the workshop – terra cotta moulds, tools etc. In the 5th century AD the building was converted into an Early Christian church. What a wondrous place this would have been when Pheidias and his staff were working at 100%. Ah! If only.
After imagining Pheidias at work, I turn my attention to the Leonidaion, built around 330 BC. This was a large rectangular building for the accommodation of the officials and was named after the architect Leonides from Naxos.
The rooms are arranged between an interior court of Doric columns and an outside colonnade of Ionic columns. In Roman times the central court was converted into an open air swimming pool. As part of the extensive complex, the Leonidaion Thermae (above right) is a well preserved bath in what is known as a guest room. Mosaics and a perfect wall heating system are still preserved.
I am at the most southern part of the complex so it is only fitting that my next port of call is the South Portico. It formed the southern boundary of the Sanctuary with the facade towards the river Alpheios.
It consisted of an interior Doric colonnade and an outer Corinthian one. the building dated back to the middle of the fourth century BC.
Time to head in the general direction of the Stadium, but being so close to the Temple of Zeus there is time for a little detour and some more admiration.
This is the marble base pedestal (5th century BC) of the statue of Nike, by the sculptor Paionios of Mende. It is a masterpiece of Greek Art and is housed in the museum of Olympia. Spoiler – yes, we will get to see it!
The 9 metre tall triangular marble pedestal is in front of the southeast corner of the Temple of Zeus.
Wandering around the Temple again it never ceases to amaze me how brain dead some people are. There are barriers and ropes around the temple to stop idiots damaging these precious sites, but that doesn’t stop some people – no siree! They climb over the barriers or duck under the ropes to take selfies. Maybe they should be escorted back to the entrance and thrown out.
The Echo Portico or Heptaechos is a building famous for its acoustics where the sound is repeated several times – hence the name Echo.
It consisted of an outer Doric colonnade and was also known as the Painted Portico because of its interior fresco decorations.
In front of the portico was erected two columns- one of which has been restored. Crowning one column was a statue of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (Pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt from 283 to 246 BCE) and on the other, his wife Arsinoe.
I have nearly walked all around the Sanctuary to come to my goal – the Olympic Stadium.
Obviously this is the highlight on the tour group itineraries. I am never going to get a clear photo of the tunnel so let’s just go with the flow.
The ancient Olympic Games were full of blood, passion and extraordinary feats of athletic endeavour, they were the sporting, social and cultural highlight of the Ancient Greek calendar for almost twelve centuries.
The origin of the Olympic Games is linked with many myths referred to in ancient sources, but in the historic years their founder is said to be Oxylos whose descendant Ifitos later rejuvenated the games.
According to tradition, the Olympic Games began in 776 B.C. when Ifitos made a treaty with Lycourgos the king and famous legislator of Sparta and Cleisthenes the king of Pissa. The text of the treaty was written on a disc and kept in the Heraion. In this treaty that was the decisive event for the development of the sanctuary as a Panhellenic centre, the “sacred truce” was agreed. That is to say the ceasing of fighting in all of the Greek world for as long as the Olympic Games were on.
As a reward for the victors, the cotinus, which was a wreath made from a branch of wild olive tree that was growing next to the opisthodomus of the temple of Zeus in the sacred Altis, was established after an order of the Delphic oracle.
Climbing up the grassy incline, I take a seat and remember what the Professor had to say – August – 40 degree heat – sweating bodies – no sanitation – no drainage – 40,000 people – this is not a good recipe for a fun time. Some slave owners reportedly were told that if your slaves have been naughty – there is no better punishment than to send them to the Olympic Games.
Athletes competed nude, a practice which was said to encourage aesthetic appreciation of the male body, and to be a tribute to the gods. Looking at today’s specimens of athletes makes me wonder what Zeus is thinking and I am glad beyond belief to know that these ‘athletic specimens’ will not be nude today.
There are lots of members of tour groups who are determined to run the track even if it kills them. Luckily Zeus takes pity and there are no admissions to the Underworld today, but their participation on the track are highly applauded by all and sundry. The stadium is estimated to have a capacity of 45,000 and there were no stone seats except for the judges.
Time to find some shade so back through the tunnel and on the right side is the Olympia Treasuries.
These were small temple-like buildings donated by the Greek city states and their colonies in South Italy and Sicily. Only five out of twelve ruined Treasuries are identified with certainty: Sikyon, Selinous Metapontion, Megara and Gela.
Back past the Temple of Hera, the Philippeion and heading for the Museum – the Gymnasium was a large rectangular building with a central court.
The rectangular Gymnasium was walled all around, and the large court at the centre was the same length as the actual Olympic stadium, so that athletes could run the same distance during training as they would during the Games. A double Doric colonnade divided the east stoa into two separate tracks; the main outer track was called the ksystos (Greek for ‘scraped’), as its maintenance consisted of constant scraping and levelling of the dirt, while the inner track was auxiliary, hence described as the paradromis (Greek for ‘auxiliary track’).
Adjacent to the main building was a large court of 22,000 square metres, used for javelin and discus training, which of course was impossible to do indoors.
When I first planned to come to Olympia it was with the main thought of the Olympic Games in mind but during my two and a half hour walk I have discovered Olympia is much more than the games – it is a place to pay reverence to the ancient Gods.
I have experienced the physical side of Olympia – now it is time to experience the statues and artwork that has been discovered here and is now housed in air conditioned comfort in one of the best Museums in Greece.