Ancient Olympia

In June of 2000 I drove to Olympia, Greece. The area is hilly and mountainous; most of the area around Olympia is forested.

I found the hotel and spent the evening exploring the town.

I walked into the school yard to take photos and was joined by three young girls who were delighted to try their English out on me. They requested that I take their photo.

The railroad depot in Olympia

But the reason for the visit to Olympia was to view the site of Ancient Olympia, the site of the first Olympics.  In the 6th century,  Olympia was abandoned to the flooding of the Peneus River and it remained buried until its discovery by archaeologists in the 19th century.

The entrance into the stadium

The starting line

The Temple of Zeus, completed in 456 BC, was one of the largest temples in Greece. Today, none of the columns remain standing; earthquakes have taken their toll.  The building held six columns on each end, with thirteen on the flanks, and was built entirely of local shell limestone.