olympia greece

Visit top-rated & must-see attractions. Olympia (Ολυμπία) is one of the most influential ancient Greek sanctuaries, located in western Peloponnese, in Elis.It is is positioned in a serene and rich valley at the confluence of the Alpheios and the Kladeos rivers.

In antiquity it was famous beyond the borders of mainland Greece for hosting the Olympic Games every four years, starting in 776 BCE.

The archaeological site held over 70 significant buildings, and ruins of many of these survive, although the main Olympia lies in the wide valley of the rather small It used to be thought that the site had been occupied since about 1500 BC, with a religious cult of Zeus developing around 1000 BC. Today, the site hosts remain of ancient temples, a stadium, and the Archaeological Museum.

The During the Roman period, the games were opened up to all citizens of the The 3rd century saw the site suffer heavy damage from a series of earthquakes.

At this time the Skiloudians, allies of the Pisatans, built the In the late classical period, further structures were added to the site.

Princess Olympia of Greece is working on that summer tan.

Olympia, Greece.

Book your tickets online for the top things to do in Olympia, Greece on Tripadvisor: See 11,237 traveler reviews and photos of Olympia tourist attractions.

The site was also a place of worship dedicated to the Greek god Zeus from about the 10th century BC. Modern research hypothesizes instead—based on the presence of mollusc and gastropod shells and foraminifera— that the site was buried by sea waters resulting from repeated The first excavation was not carried out until 1829, when the French archaeologists of the "Since the 1870s, the excavation and preservation of Ancient Olympia has been the responsibility of the Excavation continued in a more limited way by Dörpfeld between 1908 and 1929 but a new systematic excavation began in 1936 on the occasion of the Between 1952 and 1966, Kunze continued the excavation joined by architect Mallwitz took charge of the excavations between 1972 and 1984 revealing important dating evidence for the stadium, graves, and the location of the Prytaneion. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of Create a Trip to save and organize all of your travel ideas, and see them on a mapPlaces to see, ways to wander, and signature experiences.Katakolon Private Tours Olympia Shore Excursions by MamousisPrivate Tour:Olympia Museum & Archaeological Site from Katakolon Port3-Day Classic Greece Private Tour with Four-Star HotelsPrivate Tour: Olympia and Pyrgos Town from Katakolon PortKatakolon 7hour tour : Olympia-Honey Farm-Winery-BeachKatakolon Shore Excursion: Private Tour of Ancient Olympia and Archeological Site It may be that instead there was only a sanctuary from the 9th or 8th centuries, though the question remains in debate.The first Olympic festival was organized on the site by the authorities of The earliest evidence of building activity on the site dates from around 600 BC. …

Invading tribes in 267 AD led to the centre of the site being fortified with material robbed from its monuments. The village of Olympia itself is a collection of tourist shops, cafes, restaurants and a First inhabited in the second millennium BCE, the first archaeological record of dwellings dates from 1900 to 1600 BCE. Even cruise ships dock at the nearby port of Katakolo and put people on buses to visit the site. Located in the western Peloponnese, Olympia was an ancient Greek sanctuary site dedicated to the worship of Zeus, in whose honour the Pan-Hellenic Olympic Games were held every four years from 776 BCE to 393 CE. In it were the temples of Zeus and Hera, the principal altars and votive offerings, the treasuries, and the administrative buildings. These were actually athletic events taking place every four years as part of celebrations for god Zeus. Olympia is one of the most popular destinations for tourists in Greece.

Despite the destruction, the Olympic festival continued to be held at the site until the last Olympiad in 393 AD, after which the Christian emperor Over time the site was buried under alluvial deposits, up to 8 metres deep, long thought to be the result of river flooding.

We have reviews of the best places to see in Olympia. Olympia Tourism: Tripadvisor has 21,700 reviews of Olympia Hotels, Attractions, and Restaurants making it your best Olympia resource. Olympia is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. From 1984 to 1996, Helmut Kyrieleis took over the site and the focus shifted to the earlier history of the sanctuary with excavation of the Prytaneion and Pelopion.The town has a train station and is the easternmost terminus of the line of Olympia-The site and town of Olympia were severely threatened and nearly damaged by the The municipality Archaia Olympia ("Ancient Olympia") was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 4 former municipalities, that became municipal units:The municipal unit of Archaia Olympia is divided into the following communities (villages within the communities given in brackets):

Olympia - Olympia - The remains: The sacred precinct, known as the Altis, or Sacred Grove of Zeus, was an irregular quadrangle more than 600 feet (183 metres) on a side, bounded on the north by the hill of Cronus and enclosed by a wall on the other three sides.

The archaeological site of Olympia, on the western side of Peloponnese, is most famous as the venue of the ancient Olympic Games. Olympia was the birthplace of the most famous and important sporting event in the ancient world.