Posted at Oct 26/2005 11:18PM:
Alison: Hi! Just figuring out the wiki! We talked a little bit on Thursday about project ideas, and I'm excited about Olympia. You mentioned a few resources on athletics/sanctuaries, and any other suggestions would be great! Also, I'm not sure what format my project should take - whether it should be a paper or entries for the online database. But I'm sure I'll have a better sense of where to take it after I've done more research!

Hi Alison, so you now have the huge Games and Sanctuaries book. This will be a good start.

Athens

Delphi

That "K" One

I looked around a little on archaeopedia (still trying to decide if I should write a paper or entries!). Most of the entries looked quite short, and it made me wonder what an entry on "olympia" might look like. Would it be a collection of normal-encyclopedia-like entries? Or would it be one super long entry with subcategories?

Hi Alison, most of the entries are meant to prime the system as it were, so there are not any set standards. We'll work these out as we go. So either format is fine, though the latter would make the most sense for your project.

By the way, great pictures! I may use some in class if it ia alright with you, Chris.

Olympia

Stadium: The stadium at Olympia did not exist during the early years of the games. Pre-stadium athletes made use of an open stretch of flat ground within the Altis boundaries. A line scratched in the ground marked the start, and the finish was drawn near the Alter of Zeus. Spectators could watch the events from the slopes of Kronos Hill. However, as the Games increased in both popularity and prestige, a new facility became necessary.

Around 350 BC, the new stadium was constructed outside the Altis walls. That the stadium was constructed outside the sacred precinct was of symbolic importance: it recognized the Games’ increasing departure from a strictly religious event. The stadium track was made of clay, and stretched 600 Olympic feet (192.3 meters). The distance was fixed in agreement with an Heraklion myth (in the myth, the hero measured out the distance of the first race by placing one foot in front of the other 600 times). At either end of the track were a series of marble slabs that marked the races’ beginning and end. There is some evidence that mechanical devices were used in conjunction with the blocks to prevent false starts. In an effort to preserve some of the religious character of the event, it was desirable that the races conclude at the western end of the track, which faced the Altis.

The ground around the track rose naturally to the east, and artificial embankments were created on the north, south and west sides. These slopes provided room for approximately 45,000 spectators to watch the races. Stone seats were never constructed for the guests, who in accordance with the austere Olympic conception of athletic events, sat on the ground. Between the embankments and track, a ridge of stone blocks traced the perimeter of the stadium. Along the blocks, a trench was constructed to transport drinking water to the thirsty fans. A third of the way down the southern embankment, a platform was constructed to seat the Hellanodikai, who oversaw the games and acted as judges. Opposite the judges, on the north side of the stadium, was later constructed the Roman alter of Demeter; the priestess of Demeter was the only woman allowed to watch the Games. The west end of the stadium faced the Altis, and there a tunnel was constructed that led from the sanctuary to the western embankment. The tunnel was vaulted and stretched 32 meters in length. At the ends of the tunnel were Cornthian columns along with small statues of Nemesis to warn competitors against cheating and unfair play. The “Secret Entrance” was completely hidden by earth, and closed with bronze gates. Only athletes and Olympic officials were allowed to use the tunnel. These select few paraded into the stadium through the tunnel in a grand procession before the events took place. The stadium procession was considered a highlight of the games.

Hippodrome: The hippodrome was an immense oval structure constructed to the east of the Altis and to the south of the stadium. The hippodrome was flanked by an embankment to the north, east and south, and by the Stoa of Agnaptos to the west. Although nothing remains of the Hippodrome today, scholars have made an effort to reconstruct the racecourse from descriptions left by ancient writers. It may be reasonably assumed that the total length of the Hippodrome was 900 meters and the width 64 meters. The track itself only stretched about 550 meters in length, making the total racetrack approximately 1200 meters around. Depending on the event, the track would be lapped 3 to 12 times in the course of a race. Two pillars stood at either end of the arena to mark the turns; these pillars were topped with bronze statues of Hippodameia crowning Pelops. There was likely a gated barrier around the perimeter of the track through which injured athletes and broken equipment could be removed. Perhaps the most important feature of the hippodrome at Olympia was the hippaphesis, a starting mechanism for the horses designed by Kleoetas, son of Aristokles. The hippaphesis staggered the chariots into a prow-shaped starting gate. Using a mechanical starting system, the chariots at the back of the gate were released first, followed by the chariots spaced in front of them, and so on until the chariots at the front of the prow were finally released. When all the competitors had formed a straight line, a trumpet blew to signal the beginning of the race. The staggered gate was likely designed for spectacle as well as fair starts.

Palaistra: The Palaistra at Olympia was built in the late 3rd century BC during the reign of Hellenistic king Ptolemy II. The substantial square building covered over 4400 m2, and enclosed a large peristyle courtyard. Although nothing remains of the brick superstructure and tiled roof of the building, its general layout can be deduced from the surviving columns of the peristyle. The courtyard itself was large, and mostly unpaved. However, a small strip of pavement composed of smooth and fluted tiles was found in the north corner of the courtyard. The purpose of the strip is unknown, although it has been suggested that the patch was used as an ancient bowling alley. Nineteen rooms have been identified around the courtyard, the uses of which are detailed by the Roman architect Vitruvius: among the 19 chambers were rooms for oiling, powdering, changing, bathing and storage. However, the most important use the Palaistra was to provide indoor training rooms for athletes during bad weather. Because of this, nearly all the rooms were equipped with stone benches for spectators. The largest room, located on the north side of the Palaistra, contained nine Ionic columns on the façade and had benches around all the sides. This was possibly a changing room, although it may have served as a common room for use by athletes and philosophers during their stay at Olympia. Athletes stayed at Olympia only during the games. The month prior to the games, they trained at the gymnasia of Elis.

Gymnasium: The gymnasium at Olympia was constructed adjacent to the Palaistra in the 2nd century BC. The large rectangular building (120 x 222 m) was built around a courtyard, and surrounded on at least three sides by colonnades. Like the Palaistra, the building contained arenas for athletes to practice their sport. Under the eastern colonnade was a two-lane track for athletes to practice running events in hot or rainy weather: the track measured 192.28 meters: the exact length of the stadium. The dimensions of the courtyard were quite large, and provided space for javelin and discus practice. Nothing remains of the western half of the building, which was destroyed by flood. However, it is likely that the western gymnasium contained living quarters for the athletes during the games.

Heraion: The temple dedicated to the cult of Hera is found on the southern slopes of Cronos Hill. Construction of the Heraion began in the middle of the 7th century BC; the commencement of the construction of monumental buildings in the 7th century marks the increasing importance of Olympia as a Pan-Hellenic sanctuary. The Heraion is one of the oldest examples of monumental temple architecture in Greece. Originally the small temple, 10 x 39.5 meters, lacked both naos and opithodomos; it wasn’t until nearly 150 years later, around 600 BC, that an opithodomos and peristyle were added; these features increased the dimensions of the temple to 18.5 x 50 meters. The substructure of the naos was constructed from local limestone, while the upper walls were constructed from unbaked brick. Terracotta tiles roofed the building. The entablature and the original columns were made of wood. The wooden columns were eventually replaced over centuries with stone ones according to the style of the period they were replaced in. These replacements occurred from the Archaic to the Roman period; when Pausanias visited Olympia around the middle of the 2nd century AD, he noted that a column of oak still stood in the opithodomos. The Heraion housed several important statues and offerings. Among them, a megalithic statue of Hera seated on her throne (of which only the head has survived), the bronze disk of Iphitus, the carved chest of Cypselos, and the Hermes of Praxitles. The temple stood for almost 1000 years until it was destroyed in the late 3rd century AD.

Temple of Zeus: The Temple of Zeus at Olympia is one of the earliest examples of fully developed temple design in Greece, and is considered a model of Doric temple architecture. The temple was designed by local architect, Libon of Elis, and constructed between 470 BC – 456 BC to commemorate the Elean defeat of the Pisatans in 470 BC. The hexastyle temple was constructed of local limestone, and coated with stucco. Its dimensions stretched 64.12 x 27.68 m, with six columns at each end and thirteen columns along each side. The columns were 10.43 m high and slightly tapered, measuring 2.21 – 2.25 meters in diameter at the base and 1.68 – 1.72 meters in diameter at the top. They had 20 flutings around the shaft, three incised rings around the neck, and four rings around the capital. The architrave and triglyph freize were large and colorful; paint traces suggest that the upper band of the architrave was red, and the metopes blue. The roof was originally tiled with Parian marble slabs, but these were replaced during Roman times with Pentelican marble. A continuous marble sima supported the roof, interrupted only by lion’s head water spouts. The 39 mostly intact lion’s heads found at the temple are of varying styles and material; this suggests the temple underwent constant repairs and upkeep until it was destroyed in the 5th century AD. The floor of the temple was originally made of limestone blocks covered in rough cement; this early flooring was replaced by in the Roman times with a floor of hexagonal marble tiles. The ceiling of the temple was wooden. Like most classical temples, the structure contained three rooms: the pronaos, naos and opithodomos. The pronaos was equipped with three bronze doors that opened to the outside. At one point, the floor was covered with colorful mosaics constructed from round pebbles and shaped stones; the maritime scenes depict a Triton, fish and seabirds. Eventually these mosaics were covered with marble tiles. The pronaos itself was full of votive offerings, including the throne of Arimnestos, a statue of Iphitos, a bronze tripod and 25 bronze shields. A doorway from the pronaos led into the naos (or cella). The naos was 28.74 m long and 6.5 m wide. It was lined with seven columns on each side. This central aisle was divided into four sections. In the third section, the great statue of Zeus was erected, filling the aisle, and almost touching the ceiling. The proportions and plan of the aisle are similar to that of the Parthanon; this seems to suggest that Pheidias designed the layout of both. Important votives were also dedicated inside the naos. Behind, but not directly connected to, the naos, was the opithodomos. The opithodomos was similar in design to the pronaos, only it was open at the end and furnished with a stone bench that lined the room; it provided a place for the public to convene. The entire temple stood on a platform of three large steps, with a ramp at the East end that led up over the steps to the pronaos. The Temple of Zeus stood until it was destroyed in an earthquake in the 5th century AD.

Some of the most magnificent features of the temple were the sculptured pediments on its East and West sides. The triangular pediments, which stretched 26.5 x 3.5 meters, contained a large number of sculptures created by an unknown artist.

East Pediment: The statues on the East pediment depict one of the most common foundation myths of the Olympic games: the chariot race between Oinomaos and Pelops*. The scene illustrated on the pediment outlined the competitors’ pre-race preparations before the contest began. At the center of the pediment, stood Zeus, judge of the race and all human actions. To his right and left, stood the two contending couples: Oinomaos and Sterope on one side, Pelops and Hippodamia on the other. After the couples, came the racers’ chariots, each pulled by four horses, and attended by servants. Toward the edges of the pediment sat two prophets, and at the corners were two final statues, identified as the river gods Kladeos and Alpheios. Despite the highly charged scene unfolding on the West Pediment, the statues displayed the calm expression and static action characteristc of classical realism. This scene provides an interesting contrast to the livelier West Pediment.

*Although many versions of the myth exist, the most common relates the events as follows: It was prophesied that Oinomaos, king of Pisa, would be killed by his son-in-law. In an effort to escape his fate, Oinomaos decreed that he would let his daughter, Hippodameia marry only if a suitor could beat him in a chariot race. Oinomaos was confident that he was unbeatable because he drove a team of divine horses. After several suitors attempted and perished, Pelops arrived in Pisa. Before the race was to take place, Pelops bribed Myrtilos, Oinomaos’ charioteer, to insert wax lynchpins into Oinomaos’ chariot. Consequently, during the ensuing race, the wheels fell off Oinoamaos’ chariot, and the king was killed. Pelops married Hippodameia and became king of Pisa. According to legend, the race took place at latter-day Olympia, and Zeus presided as judge.

West Pediment: The scene portrayed on the West Pediment was taken from the myth of the wedding feast of Peirithoos. The statues on the West Pediment depict the struggle between the centaurs and the wedding guests*. At the center of the pediment, stood Apollo. There is some debate over the presence of Apollo in the scene. Some scholars believe he represented divine power to control the events of history; others argue he functioned to bear witness to the oracular function within the temple. On each side of Apollo, statues of Peirithoos and Theseus fought to save the guests from the centaurs. The rest of the pediment was filled with the intertwining bodies of the guests and the centaurs, as both sides struggled for victory.

*According to the myth, Peirithoos, king of the Lapiths, was making preparations to marry Deidameia. As a friendly gesture, he invited his neighbors, the centaurs to the wedding feast. At the celebration, the centaurs got drunk, attacked the women and boys, and tried to carry them off. Peirithoos, with the help of Theseus, eventually succeeded in driving the beasts off. There is much debate over the reason for the selection of this scene on the Olympian temple. Although Peirithoos was a grandson of Zeus, this reason alone does not justify the choice, especially since centauromachy is not prominent in the region. One theory suggests that the scene was selected for its analogous quality of the Elian struggle with Persia, and their eventual victory over the enemy. However, the Lapithian battle’s close association with the Olympic sport of wrestling is also noteworthy.

The prominent placement of the gods on the pediments, and their proximity to the ensuing action, emphasized the important place the gods held at the sanctuary and in everyday Greek life.

Metopes: The metopes of the temple of Zeus depicted the twelve labors of Herakles. There were six metopes on either side of the temple, over the pronaos and opithodomos porches. Herakles was a fitting subject for the sculpture: not only was he a son of Zeus, both also an exemplary athlete. Herakles was also something of a local hero because many of his deeds were performed in the Peloponesse. The metopes were 1.6 meters high and 1.5 meters across, and like the pediments, were carved from Parian marble. Iron spikes were fitted into holes on the upper surface of the figures to prevent birds from nesting among the sculptures. The similarity in style between the metopes and the pediments suggest that they were designed by the same local artists that created the pediment sculptures.

Statue of Zeus: The great statue of Zeus at Olympia was sculpted by the Athenian artist, Pheidias. After completing his work on the Acropolis in 438 BC, Pheidias was commissioned by the Olympian priesthood to design and produce a chryselephantine statue of the god. The statue took Pheidias over 12 years to complete, and the result was so astounding that those who saw the statue marveled and placed it among the seven wonders of the world. Pheidias is said to have used verses from Homer’s Iliad as inspiration for his masterpiece. The following lines served as a basis for his interpretation: He spoke, and awful bends his sable brows; Shakes his ambrosial curls, and gives a nod: The stamp of fate, and sanction of the God: High heaven with trembling the dread signal took, And all Olympus to the center shook.

The statue itself was destroyed around the 5th century AD; therefore any knowledge of the statue comes to us through second hand descriptions and representations. Luckily, Pausanias described the statue in great detail. The following description of the statue is based on his observations.

The statue sat on a throne in the middle of the temple of Zeus. At over 12 meters high, the statue nearly touched the ceiling. On his head, Zeus wore a crown of olive branches. In his right hand he held the goddess of victory, and in his left an eagle topped scepter. The god was clothed in a great mantle decorated with inlaid animals and lily-flowers. The crown, mantle and sandals were all made of gold. The throne on which the god sat was decorated with gold, precious stones, ebony and ivory. Figures of Victory adorned with legs of the throne, Sphinxes comprised the arms, and on the back of the throne were depictions of the Graces and the Hours: three on either side of Zeus’ head. In front of the statue, Pheidias placed a pool of oil to prevent the statue from being eroded in Olympia’s humid climate.

Although there exists no description of how the statue was completed, the main framework for the figure must have been made of wood. The flesh was made from sheets of ivory, and the drapery from sheets of gold. On the bottom of the god’s foot was inscribed a tribute to the statue’s creator: Pheidias son of Charmides of Athens made me.”

The statue sat in the naos of the Temple of Zeus for approximately 800 years. The exact manner of its destruction is the source of debate: some scholars argue that it perished with the temple in the 5th century AD, others argue that it was carried off to Constantinople, where it was destroyed by fire in 475 AD.

Pheidias’ Workshop: Pheidias’ workshop was located to the west of the temple of Zeus, outside the boundary of the Altis. The workshop was 32.15 meters long and 14.5 meters wide. It is interesting to note that these are the approximate dimensions of the naos of the temple of Zeus. The thickness of the walls (over one meter wide) suggest that the workshop was also very tall (likely up to 14 meters in height). The studio was divided into two rooms, the smaller was likely used for storage, and the larger for the construction of the statue of Zeus. Inside the larger room was found evidence of scaffolding and pulleys, and the remains of two rows of four columns that mimicked the pillars in the temple naos. The general construction of the workshop suggests that it was built as a replica of the naos; the workshop would have given the artist a sense of the how the statue would look in the temple itself. Outside the workshop were found pits containing tools, bits of bronze, iron, lead, amber and ivory, and remnants of clay moulds. Although most of the remains date later than the statue of Zeus, they provide important evidence for the style of chryselephantine statues. One of the most interesting finds at the site was a clay drinking-cup with an inscription on the base that read “I belong to Pheidias.” Although some have criticized the cup as a hoax, recent analysis of the encrustation within the inscription dates both the mug and writing to ancient times. Pheidias’ workshop was later turned into a Christian church, which accounts for the building’s remarkable preservation.

Phillipeion: The Philippeion was erected near the west wall of the Altis in 338 BC. The circular monument was commissioned by Philip II of Macedon in celebration of both athletic and military victories. Philip had already won several chariot races at Olympia, and his victory over the Thebans and Athenians at the battle of Chaeronea presented the opportunity for a lavish dedication at the Greek sanctuary. The Philippeion stood on a marble base 15.3 meters in diameter and was comprised of 18 ionic columns covered with a carved marble roof and topped with a bronze poppy head. Inside the Philippeon stood 8 Corinthian half columns and 5 statues of the Macedonian royal family that depicted Philip, his wife, his parents, and his son, Alexander. The statues were created by the sculptor Leochares, and composed of gold and ivory. Like his other dedications at Olympia, the Philippeon was constructed to portray Philip not as a conqueror, but as a champion of the panhellenic ideal. Philip lived only two years after the Philippeion was commissioned. Therefore it is likely the monument was completed by Alexander after the king’s death.

and just for fun: me (about to be in BIG trouble at Olympia)