How to visit Olympia, the Games in ancient Greece: schedules

Olimpia It is one of the best-known Greek places, and its name resonates today with the Olympics, the most important sporting event celebrated by humanity.

With their appointment every four years, the Games They keep alive the initial activity of this sanctuary, which began 2.800 years ago.

It is something that does not happen in the other major monumental sites of antiquity that we can visit in GreeceWell, for example, nowadays no one consults the oracle of delphi.

Obviously there is no longer competition in the Olympia StadiumBut architectural and sculptural remains They are beautiful and speak to us of artistic splendor, sporting exploits and movements for peace.

They are messages that remain alive: during the Barcelona Olympic Games appealed to the olympic truce to stop, even temporarily, the Balkan wars.

And every four years, on the remains of a altar in Olympia, the celebration continues Olympic torch lighting ceremony.

En Antiquity an eternal flame burned in the temple of Zeus.

The archaeological site that we can visit is a quiet and beautiful place.

It was not a city but a sanctuary dedicated to Zeus, king of Olympus, where many other gods and demigods were also worshiped, including Heracles.

What the Ancient Olympic Games were like in Olympia

The Ancient Olympic Games They were celebrated between the years 776 BC and 393 AD

During the first centuries, sports events were held at the same time as different religious rites.

In Roman times, however, the games They were losing their sacred dimension while the spectacle triumphed.

La first test played It was the race over the stadium distance, which measures 192,27 meters.

This measurement is equivalent to 600 times the length of the foot of Heracles, to whom a legend attributes the creation of the games in honor of his father Zeus.

From the beginning, the olympic truce, which allowed athletes to travel safely to the sanctuary and return to their cities.

These periods of peace and the celebration of common rituals led the Greeks to become aware of their unity.

El early place of worship at Olympia It was a sacred grove, the Altis, where the temples were built.

A little apart were the sports venues and official buildings and hostels.

The mix of Greek and Roman constructions, of different styles, tells us about the continuity over time and the power of attraction of this place throughout the entire period. Antiquity.

For all the symbolism of the sanctuary, plus the beauty of its remains and the importance of the works preserved in the museum, it is evident that Olimpia must be one of the fundamental stages of any sightseeing trip through greece,

Especially if we focus on one route through the Peloponnese with visits to places like Mycenae, Maroon, Epidaurus, Mystras y Monemvasía.

It is not strange to know that in 1989 the Unesco enrolled at Olympia site on the list of World Heritage.

What to see when visiting Olympia in Greece

La visit to the Olympia site you can start with museum which was built on the occasion of the Olympics of 2004.

It houses a large number of works found at the site, including real wonders of sculpture.

It is impossible to even mention all the important pieces that are preserved in this museum, which is one of the best in all of Greecea.

Here there is sculptures of great value and Victoria y Zeus with Ganymede, although probably the star of the whole set is the Hermes of Praxiteles.

Other wonders are those found in the hall of the Temple of Zeus.

The length of this room corresponds to the dimensions of the temple's façade. Thus we can see the sculptures that were on the two pediments, the east and the west, almost at eye level.

Next to the museum there is a cafeteria and a shop where you can buy, among other things, very good quality reproductions of archaeological pieces.

The best of the archaeological site of Olympia

From the museum there is easy access to the entrance of the archeological site.

The first thing we find, to our right, is the Gym.

With its large dimensions, 120 meters wide by 200 meters long, it was the place where tests that required a lot of space were carried out, such as javelin or discus throwing.

El Gym It was surrounded by porticos.

The east portico, next to which you pass, protected a track that was used in bad weather.

The south portico has one of the best preserved colonnades of the entire complex.

Below is the Gym, where athletes practiced jumping and wrestling.

We then arrive at a set of structures that have changed their function over the centuries.

Statue of Zeus at Olympia

The most obvious are the remains of an early Christian basilica.

Here was the workshop where Phidias he sculpted his masterpiece, the gold and ivory statue of Zeus that shone in his temple and that was considered one Seven Wonders of the World.

To judge the effect it would have once placed in its predestined place, the workshop of Phidias It had the same dimensions as the cell, the central space of the temple.

Further on you reach a set of buildings that is quite destroyed, but still impressive due to its dimensions.

This is the Leonidaion, which served to house special guests. Its large size speaks of the large number of people it could accommodate and, therefore, of the importance of the sanctuary that attracted them.

Great Temple of Zeus at Olympia

We can now head towards the central part of the complex, the great sacred precinct where the great Temple of Zeus, sacred grove of Altis.

Before we will find the Bouleterion, which served as an administrative and justice center, as well as an archive of Olympicism.

There is little left of Temple of Zeus and only a standing column gives us an idea of ​​the dimensions of the construction.

The diameter and height of the column, in addition to the size of the capitals, show us the importance of this monument consecrated to the god of the Olympics.

The temple was built by the architect Libon between 470 and 460 BC and was financed with war booty.

It was all covered in white stucco made with marble dust. It was, for a long time, the most important temple of ancient Greece.

It was from doric style, and in fact became the model for temples of this style.

El Doric was always considered masculine, which fits with the nature of Zeus and the spirit of the place, since we must remember that in the games Only male athletes participated.

In addition to its imposing dimensions, the temple caused admiration for its decoration, which can partly be seen in the museum.

Around the great enclosure of the Temple of Zeus many other important buildings stood, such as the Philippeion.

Ordered to be built by Philip II of Macedon, stands out for its circular plan.

Temple of Hera at Olympia

Next to it we find the remains of the Hera Temple.

It is dated to the year 600 BC, which makes it the oldest preserved Doric temple in the Peloponnese.

If we continue towards Stadium We will find on the left the remains of the Treasures, small temples where the cities kept the offerings they made to the sanctuary.

Altar for Olympic torch lighting ceremony in Olympia

We will also pass by the remains of the altar where, in modern times, the Olympic torch lighting ceremony, which from here begins the path to the city that on each occasion welcomes the games.

We finally arrive at the Stadium.

The entrance, through a hallway under an archway, is spectacular. As mentioned before, the track measured 192,27 meters and could accommodate 20 runners.

Surprisingly, there were no stands but a slope, so the 40.000 spectators, all men, would watch the events standing or sitting on the ground.

There are small stands, which date back to Roman times, and were reserved for track judges.

You can also see the base on which the statue of Demeter.

Olympia visiting hours

The Visiting hours of Olympia and its museum They are, every day of the week, from April to August, from 8 a.m. to 20 p.m.

A Starting on September 1, the closing time begins to progressively advance, depending on the time of sunset, and when winter ends, the opposite process begins until returning to summer time.

El price of tickets to visit Olympia It is 12 euros, from April to October, and 6 euros, from November to March, and includes a visit to the museum.