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776BC776 BC–AD 393 · Olympia, Elis

The ancient Olympic Games at Olympia

The grass running track of the ancient stadium at Olympia
Photo: Annatsach. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From the traditional date of 776 BC, Greeks from rival cities met every four years at the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia for athletic contests held under a sacred truce. The site keeps the stadium, training grounds and the workshop where Pheidias made the great statue of Zeus. The games ended under Christian emperors, and their memory inspired the modern Olympics, revived in 1896.

Sites

  1. Site 1: Sanctuary and stadium of OlympiaThe vaulted tunnel into the stadium, the Temple of Zeus and Pheidias's workshop.Map ↗
  2. Site 2: Archaeological Museum of OlympiaTemple sculptures and the Hermes of Praxiteles.Map ↗

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