Peloponnese 2023, part 19 (Archaia Olympia)
While visiting the Archaeological Site of ancient Olympia, after seeing the remains of the Temple of Zeus, I also went to the southeast part of this not overly large site in order to see the relatively hidden remains of a villa that is referred to by different names: Southeast Building (SE Building), Nero’s House or Octagon. All of this makes sense.
Namely, in addition to being located in the southeast of the site, this villa was also where the Roman Emperor Nero stayed when he visited Olympia and participated (!!!) in the Olympic Games in 67 AD. It must have been quite a fun experience!
The villa includes numerous rooms, an inner courtyard with a peristyle, a garden, as well as luxurious baths. It was built in the 1st century CE on the site of a former sanctuary dedicated to goddess Hestia and some other structures from the 5th to 4th centuries BCE. Certain modifications were also made in the 3rd century CE.
Now I returned to the central part of the sanctuary of Altis, walking among the remains of various structures, once again admiring the ruins of the Temple of Zeus from a distance.
Practically across from the entrance to the temple, on the other side of the open space, there was a very interesting structure – the Echo Portico or Heptaechos, dating back to the mid-4th century BCE. This portico, or stoa (a covered walkway with a long rectangular ground plan), was famous for its acoustics – the sound would echo seven times, which is how the name of this structure originated. It was also known for its richly painted walls. Along the front (longer) side of the portico, about 100 m long, there was a row of Doric columns, but only ruins remain of the structure today.
In front of the building stood the Votive Monument of Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II, in the form of a podium measuring 20 m long and 4 m wide. At each end, there were two Ionic columns, about 9 m high, on which stood the statues of the Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy II (b/r c. 309/284 BCE – 246 BCE) and his sister and wife Arsinoe II, who ruled Egypt alongside her brother/husband.
By the way, it’s worth mentioning that after the death of Alexander the Great, Egypt came under the rule of the Ptolemaic dynasty, named after Ptolemy I, who was in fact one of Alexander’s generals, a Macedonian Greek. The last ruler of this dynasty, and also the last pharaoh of Egypt, was the famous Cleopatra. While it was quite normal among Egyptians for siblings to marry to ensure "blood purity," this was very unpopular among Greeks. In any case, although they obviously embraced the customs of ancient Egypt, these rulers were also tied to ancient Greece, which is why they erected this monument here. It is assumed that Ptolemy II also financed the construction of the Palaestra in the western part of the site.
The northern column was restored in 2017.
Now I walked along the row of ruins of the Echo Portico towards the stadium.
Before the construction of the Echo Portico, the finish line of the Stadium directly faced the Temple of Zeus. However, over time, the stadium was shifted slightly to the east, while a long stoa with a colonnade was built in-between to create a certain boundary between the sanctuary and the stadium, where the athletic competitions took place.
So, it was here, in the main Panhellenic sanctuary dedicated primarily to the supreme god Zeus, that the Olympic idea was born, emphasising peace and competition in the service of virtue. It is well known that during the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, a Sacred Truce was enforced, requiring all armed conflicts to cease for the duration of the games. On the other hand, ancient Greek athletic competitions highlighted not only physical harmony, but also mental balance, promoting the ideal of noble competition and how to best engage in it.
Today, it might be best to approach the Stadium by passing through the monumental entrance from the late Hellenistic period, or rather, through what has remained of it.
The Stadium visible here today was constructed in the mid-5th century BCE and it reached its final position at that time (in other words, it had been moved). The dimensions of the track are 192.27 by 28.50 m, and there were seats arranged on gentle slopes around it. However, those seats were not made of stone, except for the preserved platform on the southern side of the track, which served as seating for the judges during the Olympic Games. It is estimated that the stadium could accommodate 45,000 spectators.
I continued along the narrow dirt path visible in the previous photograph, which soon widens, leading to the series of Treasuries of Olympia.
These were small structures built in the form of temples, erected by Greek city-states and their colonies in southern Italy and Sicily. There were 13 of them here, but only five have been identified in terms of which cities they belonged to.
For me, however, it was much more interesting to observe the site from this vantage point.
However, while I was still on the path leading past the Treasuries, I went to see the remains of the Nymphaion, a monumental fountain from the 2nd century CE. This was a two-story structure that obtained its water through an aqueduct.
Here, I descended the stairs to the remains of the Metroon from the 4th century BCE. It was a temple with 11 columns on the longer sides and six on the shorter ones, dedicated to the Mother of the Gods, i.e., goddess Rhea. During the Roman period, the temple was used for the worship of emperors and their statues were placed in the cella. What a spectacular brownnosing that was!!!
I have already mentioned at the beginning of my account of visiting the ruins of ancient Olympia that this area had been inhabited since prehistoric times. Thus, you can see here the excavated remains of a structure from the period of 2150-2000 BCE. Numerous finds have been uncovered at the site, indicating a developed culture.
From here, I had a lovely view of the Temple of Zeus again.
And now I finally arrived at the structure dedicated to goddess Hera, one part of which still serves an important function today. This is the Temple of Hera, with an altar in front of the temple.
Namely, since 1936, before the Olympic Games held in Berlin, the Olympic flame has been lit here, marking the official start of the modern Olympic Games.
As for the Temple of Hera, it was built in the late 7th century BCE, making it the oldest temple within the sanctuary. The structure was surrounded by Doric columns, with six on the shorter sides and sixteen on the longer sides, resulting in dimensions of 50 by 18.75 m, while the temple stood 7.80 m high. Originally, the columns were made of wood, but over time they were replaced with stone columns designed in the Doric style.
Interestingly, during the Roman period, the cella of the Temple of Hera housed Praxiteles’ sculpture of Hermes with the infant Dionysus, which was discovered in 1877 and is now located in the nearby archaeological museum. More about it a bit later.
I took a stroll here and also from this direction photographed the Philippeion that I wrote about in the previous sequel of the account of my travels in the Peloponnese in 2022.
Here I also concluded my tour of the Archaeological Site of Olympia, so I just crossed the street and continued a bit further into the park where the archaeological museum is located.
There are various very interesting and beautiful exhibits there. Here is some kind of my selection:
There is a statue of the winged goddess Nike that once stood atop a column with a triangular plan in front of the Temple of Zeus in Olympia. The remains of the column can be seen in the previous part of my account of the travels in the Peloponnese. The sculpture is 2.11 m tall and was likely created in the late 5th century BCE, as the entire structure with the column and the statue of the goddess of victory was erected in gratitude for the victory over the Spartans in 421 BCE, as a votive offering to Zeus.
This sculpture is the only work that can be attributed with certainty to the sculptor Paeonius of Mende, who was active in the second half of the 5th century BCE. While today we are accustomed to the Greek sculptures and temples being the colour of stone, it is believed that the dress of this winged goddess was painted red.
Within the museum, there is also a large room displaying preserved and richly detailed sculptural elements from the eastern and western pediments of the Temple of Zeus in Olympia.
All the exterior sculptures from the Temple of Zeus in Olympia are now attributed to the anonymous sculptor known as the "Olympia Master." The sculptures created for both pediments are not arranged haphazardly; rather, they convey very clear narratives. So, on the eastern pediment, the sculptures depict Oenomaus and Pelops, along with their chariot race and other details related to this mythological story. In the centre stands the sculpture of Zeus, which dominates the other figures with its height (the preserved height is 2.91 m). To his right is Oenomaus, while to his left is Pelops, and of course, there are other important characters from the legend as well.
On the western pediment, the story of the Battle of Lapiths and Centaurs is depicted.
There is again a god in the centre, but in this case it is god Apollo, whose statue is 3.09 m tall. With his outstretched right hand, he brings peace and order.
Here, too, it is well-known which sculptures depict whom, but I didn't delve into that level of detail. However, I certainly admired the skill with which they were crafted.
In the museum, you can also see displayed clay moulds that were used to create parts for one of the most famous works by Phidias (around 480-430 BCE), the seated statue of Zeus in Olympia, which was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
As I’ve mentioned in the previous part of the story, Phidias used these moulds to create parts of the chryselephantine statue of Zeus. It is presumed that the moulds were used for making parts of the clothing or decorative elements of the statue.
Within the museum, there are also numerous sculptures from the Roman period that were found at the site of ancient Olympia. Here are a couple of them:
But, as interesting as all these exhibits are, the statue of Hermes and the Infant Dionysus from the 4th century BCE, created by the renowned ancient Greek sculptor Praxiteles, is truly a must-see. Here are two photographs of the same statue taken from almost the same spot, one with a mobile phone and the other with a camera.
The statue was discovered in 1877 within the ruins of the Temple of Hera that had collapsed due to an earthquake that struck Olympia in the late 3rd century CE, leaving the statue buried for centuries. Interestingly, this is one of the relatively rare originals by famous ancient Greek sculptors. Typically, only Roman copies have survived to this day, but the absence of Roman replicas of this sculpture leads to the belief that it was not one of the sculptor's more famous works.
Praxiteles is known in art history as the first sculptor to create a life-size female nude, the Aphrodite of Cnidus. While details about his birth and death are not known, it is understood that he was active in the 4th century BCE. On the other hand, it is believed that he died before the reign of Alexander the Great (b/r 356/336-323 BCE) since Alexander did not commission him.
As for Hermes with the Infant Dionysus, he is depicted here carrying the young Dionysus to the nymphs who are meant to nurse him, as instructed by Zeus. It is thought that Hermes held a bunch of grapes in his right hand, which the future god of wine is trying to reach. The highly polished surface of the sculpture is also quite impressive.
It's very nice to walk around the sculpture and admire the different details from various angles.
Although the sculpture on display today is actually composed of joined found parts, with some sections clearly missing (like the calves and left foot that have been restored in plaster), it has been established that it was originally made from a single piece of marble. Hermes stands 2.13 m tall, while with the base, the total height is 3.70 m. This is significant because Hermes' right leg forms part of the base itself.
Here I concluded my visit to the museum and the ancient site of Olympia, so I headed towards the town of Archaia Olympia in order to collect my things, pack them into the car and continue my journey.
Although I was more than pleased with my decision to visit as early as possible, as I watched the hordes of tourists heading towards the site, the other reason for this choice was that I needed to move on. On this day, I didn’t plan to drive as long as the previous day or to cover the same distance, but I still had to navigate some pretty winding and often very narrow roads.
That wasn’t a problem in itself, but I thought it would be good to arrive early at my next destination so I could rest, considering my plans for the day after. The weather forecast also predicted rain, so I figured it was better to avoid steep roads with sharp curves in wet conditions.
As it turned out, everything went according to plan – except for the rain, which I practically didn’t see this day.
The landscapes I passed through as I headed southeast were exceptionally beautiful, so I didn’t mind stopping occasionally to take photographs.
Here’s a map as a reminder of my journey through the Peloponnese: