Olympia

 

Olympia

I am referring to the site where the first Olympic Games held in 776 BC, rather than the town.

Despite the name, it is nowhere near Mount Olympus in northern Greece, where the Twelve Olympians, the major deities of Ancient Greek religion, were believed to live.

The first thing to strike me was the vastness of the site. I guess I expected an arena and few buildings. But it is massive, with temples, training areas, multiple competition venues as sell as the stadium.

The Training / Gymnasium area:

The Temple Of Zeus.

As the father of the gods, and the god to whom the games are dedicated, understandably there is a massive temple for him.

The arch leading to the stadium:

Our guide Nia explaining about the games and the athletes.

All the winner got was a laurel and a ribbon.

She went on to explain that the wearing the ribbon after the games resulted in great wealth – free accommodation, free food and gifts.

While we were in the stadium, a large group of school children marched past, waving international flags. Turns out they were celebrating World Peace Day, and had been to the site to create the five Olympic rings.

We caught up with them again at  the exit. One of the boys told us they had walked 5 kilometres in the exercise. You could hear the unuttered adjective between the ‘5’ and the ‘kilometres’.

The temple of Hera

The oldest temple in the Sanctuary, it also one of the best preserved.