Olympia

What can I say about this place? It's amazing. Although there's not much left (are you picking up on this recurring theme yet?), I was thoroughly impressed with the remains.

The Olympic Games were sacred to Olympian Zeus - the Big Daddy. This is what's left of the immense temple of Zeus that once stood at Olympia. The statue inside was one of the 'Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.' The columns have all toppled over (some debate as to whether Christians or earthquakes were to blame), but I think you can get an impression of the sheer size this temple once had.





From the Temple of Zeus, it's only a few yards to the entrance to the stadium, where the Games were held every four years. The archway in the center marks the beginning of the tunnel which the athletes took into the stadium. The statue bases on the left of the walkway were called the 'zanes.' (pronounced zahn-ays). These were erected with the fines exacted from cheaters and were (presumably) statues of Zeus with inscriptions warning other athletes not to emulate these examples. Although they weren't taking steroids, Olympic athletes could still cheat by bribing their opponents.

Here's the stadium at Olympia. It's big. If you look to the right, in the distance, there are some stones arranged in a square. This is where the judges sat.

(aside: remember when the sky was always this color? Living in PA had caused me to forgetwhat blue sky looks like.)






This is the Philipeion - built by and named for Philip of Macedon - father of Alexander the Great. (it has been partially reassembled - the columns originally ran in a circle). This was a fairly controversial building when it was erected in the last third of the 4th century BC. Although Philip was an Olympic champion (chariot racing) and was therefore entitled to erect a statue in the precinct, this extravagant building included statues in gold and ivory of Philip, his father, his wives, and Alexander - clearly associating Philip more closely with the neighboring temples of Hera and Zeus rather than with other athletic victors.


Like all sanctuaries, Olympia was a place of dedications and sacrifices. These helmets were dedicated to Zeus.











These two helmets have extra significance in Greek history. The one on the left is a Persian helmet and was dedicated after the Persian Wars as an offering to Zeus. The one on the right is the 'Miltiades helmet.' Miltiades was the heroic commander of the Athenian forces at the battle of Marathon in 490 BC. The helmet clearly has Miltiades' name inscribed on it. There's no way to tell if Miltiades actually wore this helmet in battle or if it was purely for dedication. Either way, it must have received its damage after dedication, since I don't think he would have survived the battle after suffering that kind of head wound.



Here's a close-up of Miltiades' helmet. You can see the inscription along the bottom.













This 143 kg. (what is that - 300 pounds?) stone was dedicated to Zeus by a man named Bybon. The late 7th / early 6th century BC inscription says he lifted it above his head with one hand.















This is a cool little bronze sheet dedication. In the middle panel you can see Odysseus hiding under the ram as he escapes from the Cyclops' cave. The bronze is about 3-4 inches wide and 8 or 9 inches long.















This is a close up of a bronze sheet that victors inscribed their names on. It was found near the athletes' "clubhouse" - their association headquarters - at Olympia. The wreaths symbolize victory, and the inscriptions date into the 4th century AD, making this the latest record of Olympic victors we have. The varying styles and location of the sheet imply that the athletes scratched their names on themselves.

Are my eyes deceiving me - or is there a LUNT above the two wreaths?