Olympia

Olympia in Greece was the site of the ancient Olympic Games, which were celebrated every four years by the Greeks. Olympia was situated in a valley in Elis, in western Peloponnesus, through which runs the Alpheus River. It was not a town, but only a sanctuary with buildings associated with games and the worship of the gods. Olympia was a national shrine of the Greeks and contained many treasures of Greek art, such as temples, monuments, altars, theatres, statues, and votive offerings of brass and marble. The archaeological site of Olympia is a Unesco Heritage site.

Approaching the archaeological site, you will cross a bridge over the Cladeus river. The riverbed remains dry for most of the year now but in ancient times it was one of Olympiads vital rivers. You enter the sanctuary on the north side and proceed along the length of the Gymnasium which has not yet been uncovered in its entirety. The hill of Cronus at whose foot lay the sacred precinct, bound the site on the north. Outside the sacred precinct were the athletic facilities and visitors accommodations.

The southeast section of the site that contained the Hippodrome has been washed away by the waters of the Alpheus river.

The Archaeological Museum of Olympia, one of the most important museums in Greece, presents the long history of the most celebrated sanctuary of antiquity, the sanctuary of Zeus. The museum's permanent exhibition contains findings from the excavations in the sacred precinct of the Altis dating from prehistoric times to the Early Christian period. Important findings such as sculptures from the Temple of Zeus, the Nike of Paeonius, Hermes of Praxiteles and many bronzes are also displayed there.