Olympia, Undated Model

Ancient Greek Mythology, Religion, Art

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Although Olympia was long a site dedicated to Zeus, the Greeks believed that it wasn't always a site of athletic competitions. According to Greek legends, this change was instituted by Herakles who arrived there to call a truce among various warring Greek groups and launching a series of games to occupy them instead. All the Greek cities agreed to honor the truce and send athletes to compete - and thus began the Olympic Games in Greece.

The Olympics in ancient Greece were not simply a set of athletic events as we see them today; instead, they were a sort of religious ritual and the games were dedicated to Zeus. Thus, the focal point of Olympia was not the stadium (located off to the side) but the Temple of Zeus, prominent in this undated model of Olympia.

The first achaeological investigations of Olympia were conducted in 1829 and continued through most of the 19th century. Not until the 20th century, however, was the stadium itself located and excavated. Capable of holding as many as 40,000 spectators (there were no seats), it was located to the east of the central complex, which is to the right off the edge of this model.

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