The Columns of Palaestra |
The first competition held at Olympia had nothing to do with "going for the gold" as we think of it today. In fact, it was a chariot race, held to determine who would win the hand of a beautiful princess and inherit her father's kingdom, just as one would find in a fairy tale.
King Oionomaos of Elis had a much loved daughter, and he challenged each of her suitors to a chariot race. Thirteen suitors died before a man named Pelops took up the challenge. He bribed the king's charioteer to put wax in the wheel casing of the king's chariot, and in the race the king was killed and Pelops inherited his princess-bride and the kingdom. From Pelops' name came the Peloponnese area of Greece where Olympia is located. Here the first historically recorded Games began in 776 BC.
Even as it did in ancient times, Olympia makes an impact on the visitor.
Walking through the lush, tree lined grove, I could imagine seeing the glistening naked bodies of young athletes exercising in the palaestra, the grand processionals making their way to the stadium, voices cheering as the races were run. This sacred grove, known as the Altis, is associated with the cult of Hera, the Earth Mother. Today, the grove at the foot of the pine wooded Mt. Kronos in an area of gentle hills, is again planted with cypress and olive trees. Sitting alone under the trees, I began to realize what the Olympic Games signified.
The Author at the Temple of Zeus |
There was something majestic about the ruined temples and buildings standing in this sacred grove. Most outstanding to me was the Temple of Zeus, once enhanced by a magnificent ivory and gold statue of Zeus, considered to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, a masterpiece of the sculptor Phidias. His workshop was located nearby and it was here that a Byzantine church was later built.
Once an immense Temple, its huge pillars now lie like tumbled dominos in the grass. Nearby, the sturdy buff coloured Doric pillars of the Temple of Hera still stand in splendor amid the oleanders. Praxiteles' rendition of Hermes and the beautiful statue of Victory (Nike) by Paeonios can be viewed in the nearby museum. King Philip of Macedonia erected the impressive Philippeion here following his victory at the battle of Chaeronea in the 4th C. BC, and it once contained life-sized statues of his family, including his illustrious son, Alexander the Great.
Huge fallen columns at the Temple of Zeus |
The Games were held every four years in July or August, according to the full moom. From 776 BC, lists of winners were engraved on slabs of stone, known as stele, at the stadium, and thus began the method of Greek chronological reckoning by Olympiads.
Other sports were gradually included; the two stage race, long distance race, pentathion, boxing, chariot racing, pankration and a race with weapons. Winners received a branch of the sacred olive tree and were also rewarded by their home cities. During this time, the Games were for men only, and just one woman was allowed to attend the events in the Stadium. She was the priestess of Demeter, who sat on her dais by the shrine opposite the tribunal of judges.
The Greeks believed it was Herakles who laid down the regulations for the games and specified the length of the 'statium', which accommodated 30,000 people, but with no seats. Spectators sat on the grassy slopes around the 183 meter oval and the naked athletes ran with the sole aim of winning an olive crown and the praise of their fellow man. During the Games, all feuds and differences among the Greek city-states were put on hold, allowing the young men to participate in or attend the games.
The author at the starting line
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A direct consequence of the excavation of the site by German archaeologists which began in 1875 was the revival of the Olympic Games promoted by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, and held in Athens in 1896. The Baron's heart is buried at Olympia in a cairn as a commemoration of him.
It would be easy to get caught up in the media-hype and frenzy that the new Olympic Games create, but as I visited Olympia and the Museum of the Olympic Games in the town of Olympia, and viewed the exhibits and literature about the Games since they began in 1906, I was made aware of the ideals that created the first Games. Olmypia spoke to me and transported me centuries back into the past.
If You Go:
The site can be reached by train and bus from Athens via Pirgos.
Accommodations in hotels and pensions are available in Olympia as well as a campsite at Kyllini on the Ionic Coast. Most archaeological sites in Greece are closed on Mondays.