Greece - Olympia

Olympia was the site of the ancient Olympic Games, which were celebrated every four years, starting in 776 BCE. Olympia is situated in a valley in Elis, in western Peloponnesus. The site was not a town, but only a sanctuary with buildings associated with games and the worship of the gods. The sanctuary - originally known as the Altis - was a level area, about 200 meters long by nearly 180 meters broad. It was walled on each side, except to the north where it was bounded by Mount Kronos.

The Altis consists of a somewhat disordered arrangement of buildings, the most important of which were the Temple of Hera, the Temple of Zeus, the area of the great altar of Zeus, the votive buildings and buildings associated with the administration of the games. The Philippeion (main image and PiP1) - the only structure inside the Altis dedicated to a human - was a circular memorial for king Philip II of Macedonia.

Outside the Altis were the stadium (PiP2) and the hippodrome, where the Olympic Games took place, the palaestra/wrestling school (PiP3), the gymnasium, where all competitors were obliged to train for at least one month and the leonidaion (PiP4), lodging place for athletes taking part in the Olympic Games.

Excavations of the archaeological site began in 1829 and many valuable objects were discovered, which can be seen in the nearby museum. According to UNESCO’s World Heritage website, there is probably no ancient archaeological site anywhere in the world more relevant in today’s world than Olympia.

The Olympic flame - a symbol of the modern Olympic movement, introduced for the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam - is lit in front of the ruins of the Temple of Hera in Olympia (PiP5).