26 years ago during a month long trip to Greece, I visited Ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games 2500 years ago.
These are old film photos taken back in the days when I took very few photos in an effort to conserve film and processing costs. Sometimes a roll of 24 photo film would last me an entire year! So this trip, where I shot 8 rolls of film in a month felt quite excessive!
Apologies for the photo quality.
Temple of Zeus
Fallen Giants: These fluted "drums" of limestone were once stacked to reach nearly 34 feet in height. .
A massive earthquakes in the 6th century CE caused the temple pillars to "unspool" onto the ground.
This is a reconstructed image of what the temple may have looked like.
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was a colossal seated figure of the king of the Greek gods, . As one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it was of immense scale and inspired awe in worshippers.
It was constructed of gold and ivory panels over a wooden framework by the renowned Athenian sculptor Phidias around 430 BC
and was 40 to 43 feet (12–13 meters) tall. His skin was rendered in ivory, while his beard, sandals, and robes were made of hammered gold.
In his right hand, he held a figure of Nike (the goddess of victory), and in his left, a scepter topped with an eagle.
The Throne was crafted from cedar wood and lavishly decorated with gold, ivory, ebony, and precious stones, featuring relief carvings of mythological scenes.
The statue was housed in the inner chamber of the Temple of Zeus and no longer exists, . In 391 CE, Emperor Theodosius I banned pagan festivals. The statue may have been destroyed when the temple was burned by order of Theodosius II in 426 CE.
Alternatively, some accounts suggest it was carried off to Constantinople, where it was reportedly destroyed in a great fire at the Palace of Lausus in 475 CE.
The Palaestra (Wrestling School)
was part of the gymnasium complex built in the 3rd century BCE.
This colonnaded courtyard was dedicated to the training of wrestlers, boxers, and jumpers. The path you see in my photo is lined with the remains of Doric columns that once supported a roofed portico, providing shade for the athletes.The central open space (the palaestra itself) was originally covered in fine sand to provide a soft landing for wrestling matches.
The Krypte (Stadium Entrance)
The stone-vaulted archway is the Krypte, the ceremonial entrance to the Ancient Stadium.
This was the private tunnel through which the judges and athletes entered the arena.. While it looks like a standalone arch today, it was originally a long, vaulted tunnel buried under the earth that supported the spectator embankments where approximately 45,000 spectators sat in the grass and watched the Olympic Games.
My memories of being there in June are of heat and the smell of dry grass. I remember being overwhelmed by the feeling of standing where people stood 2,500 years ago, right where the Olympics began!
