Ancient Olympia

Today we visited ancient Olympia (Αρχαία Ολυμπία). Olympia was the most celebrated sanctuary in ancient Greece and was dedicated to Zeus. It is the birth place to the Olympic Games. The first Olympics was believed to be first held in 776 BC. The games were held every four years, the space of an Olympiad. They continued until Greece came under Roman rule in the 2nd century BC. During the celebration of the games, the Olympic truce (ekecheiría) was announced so that athletes and religious pilgrims could travel from their cities to the games in safety. The prizes for the victors were olive leaf wreaths or crowns. The ancient Games included running, long jump, shot put, javelin, boxing, pankration and equestrian events. The only competition held at first was the stadion, a race over about 185 metres (625 Roman feet). The word stadium is derived from this event. We ran the diaulos (or two stades) today. It was a photo finish between Fran and Harvey. We also saw where the Olympic torch is lit each Olympics. At the Ancient Temple of Hera, up to 30 priestesses or ‘Caryatids Korres’ will perform a series of rituals, calling on the sun god Apollo to ignite the Olympic flame using the rays of the sun and a parabolic mirror. The fire, which stays lit for the entirety of the Olympic Games period, symbolises purity and represents the values of the Olympics between nations. The Temple of Zeus was the largest and most important building at Olympia. It was built around 460 BC. Inside the temple was a huge statue of Zeus, made of gold and over 40 feet tall. Although there is nothing that remains of this great statue, it is one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. (2 checked off our list!)