OLYMPIA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

This prestigious 105-hectare site (Αρχαιολογικός Χώρος Ολυμπίας/Archaiologikos Choros Olympias) is the origin of the modern Olympic Games. It has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1989. Situated between the Kronion hill and the Alpheus river, it houses the remains of the sanctuary where, for twelve centuries, sporting competitions and religious ceremonies were held in honor of Zeus, known as Olympian (for having dislodged his father Cronos from Olympus) and Pelops (the legendary king who gave his name to the Peloponnese).

History. Ancient belief has it that the first Games were organized here in 884 BC by Iphitos, the mythical king of Elis. In fact, athletes began competing in Olympia from 776 BC. The most famous festive event of Antiquity involved a truce: fighting between cities was to cease. Originally held over a single day, it was later extended to three and five days every two or four years, alternating with three other Panhellenic Games: the Pythian Games at Delphi, the Isthmian Games at Corinth and the Nemean Games at Nemea. Initially reserved for the (male) citizens of Greek cities, the competition was opened to those of the colonies (even distant ones such as Marseilles) from the^5th century BC, then to Roman citizens in 146 BC. The reputation of the Olympic Games declined with the rise of Christianity. The last edition probably took place in 393: the following year, Emperor Theodosius ^I banned these "pagan games". The site was abandoned, devastated by earthquakes and a Gothic raid (396), then plundered on the orders of Theodosius II (426), before disappearing beneath the floodwaters of the Alpheus. The first excavations were carried out in 1829 by French scientists on the Morée military expedition.

Annex district. The site is divided into three zones: the sports area, the Altis and the annex quarter. The visit begins with the latter. First building on the left: the Kronion baths. Created in the ^2nd century B.C., they bear witness to the constant changes made to Olympia's buildings, with here a ^2nd-century A.D. mosaic depicting Poseidon. The path then leads downhill past two training grounds. The gymnasium (^2nd century BC), with its long sides, was used for space-saving disciplines such as discus throwing and running. Then, the palaestra (^3rd century BC), with a double colonnade, for combat sports and jumping. Turn right under the palestra. You'll pass ancient baths (^5th century B.C.), then the remains of an inn (^2nd century B.C.) with a fine mosaic pavement. Opposite is the workshop of Phidias (^5th century BC): it was here that the famous sculptor created the now lost chryselephantine (gold and ivory) statue of the Temple of Zeus, considered the third of the Seven Wonders of the World. The building is partly occupied by the ruins of a^5th-century church. To the south, you'll find the vast Leonidaion with its thermal baths: this hostelry for athletes and official visitors was designed and financed by the architect Leonidas of Naxos in 330 BC.

Altis (sanctuary). Head east along the Processional Way. This is the path followed by pilgrims before sporting competitions. Previously, this was the Alsos, the sacred grove of plane and olive trees where the first ceremonies were held in the ^8th century BC, and where altars and temples were gradually built. The center of Altis is now dominated by the impressive ground-level columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus (^mid-5th century BC), once Olympia's largest place of worship (70 x 20 m). To the south, the Bouleuterion, erected from the ^6th century BC onwards and remodeled until the ^2nd century AD, housed the council in charge of organizing the Games. Its members were citizens of Elis, the protective city of Olympia (whose site can be visited 55 km to the northwest, near Kalyvia Ilidos). Go around the Temple of Zeus to the north-west. You'll first see the three upright columns of the Pelopeion (^6th century BC), dedicated to Pelops, then those of a circular building: the Philippéion, erected to the glory of Philip II of Macedonia after his conquest of part of Greece in 338 BC. To the north, the bases of three important buildings remain. The Prytaneum (^6th century BC) was the nerve center of the Games, home to the priests and magistrates. Just in front of the Prytaneum, the rudimentary altar of Hestia was dedicated to the goddess of the Home. It was here that the sacred fire was kept. And it's here that the modern Olympic flame lighting ceremony takes place. Finally, on the right, the Temple of Hera was the first Doric temple built in the Peloponnese, around 600 BC. Dedicated to the wife (and sister) of Zeus, it served as a model for subsequent Greek temples. Now head east along the Terrace of Treasures, a line of small temples that represented wealthy cities.

Sports area. The competition area is separated from Altis by the "Portico of Echo" (^4th century BC): a 98 m-long colonnaded wall that owes its nickname to its special acoustics. To the south of the portico are the extensive remains of Nero's villa: the Roman emperor had this brick palace built during his participation in the Games of 67 AD. A less than glorious episode: Nero moved the date of the competitions by two years, changed the events and bribed the judges to win six victories. Upon his death the following year, he was stripped of his championship titles. On the other hand, a glorious entrance awaits you in the extension of the Terrace of Treasures: the kripté, the athletes' tunnel (^3rd century BC). Admittedly, this 32 m-long passage retains only a portion of its vaulted ceiling. But it leads directly to the highlight of the site: the stadium! The sand dromos (track) is 192.24 m long. This corresponds to the standard format of Greek stadiums: 600 feet between the aphésis (start line) and the terma (finish line). It is, however, the longest track of the Panhellenic Games, since the value of the units of measurement varied from region to region, and the Olympian foot was the largest: 32.04 cm. The 26 m width allowed up to seven athletes to take part in a race. Athletes took their marks on the balbis, a well-preserved marble slab used as a starting block. Around the track, the embankments built in the ^6th century B.C. could accommodate 45,000 spectators on wooden stands. Although the stone seats for the officials have disappeared, the southern embankment retains the exedra of the hellanodices, a rectangular tribune where the judges stood. Opposite, on the northern slope, the altar of Demeter Chamyne ("she who sleeps on the ground") also remains. It was here that the priestess of the cult of the goddess of agriculture took her seat... the only woman admitted to the sanctuary! She could watch the stadion (one-length stadium race), the diaulos (two-length), the dolichos (7 to 24-length), thehoplitodromos (arms and armour race), the long jump, the discus throw, wrestling, boxing, pancrace (a combination of wrestling and boxing) and the pentathlon (running, jumping and throwing). In 2004, this was also the venue for the shot-put events at the Athens Olympic Games. The equestrian competitions (horse and chariot races) were held in the hippodrome (780 m long) to the south of the stadium, which has not yet been excavated. The sole winner of each event received a woollen headband and a palm leaf. And on the last day of the Games, all the winners were crowned with the kallistephanos, a crown made from olive branches cut from the sacred wood of Altis.