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Gallery of ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Olympics
by James Mayfield (Chairman, European Heritage Library)

Print this Article    •    About the Author    •    Bibliography/Sources

This is an article with historical background and my photos of Olympia from my 2007 vacation.

The nation of Greece, whose unified statehood only began for the first time since the fall of Alexander some 2,000 years later in the 19th century after a revolt against the rule of the Turkish Muslims, has its share of fantastic treasures from a time of polytheism and the admiration for physical perfection via honing and self-discipline. Today, the quiet, culturally- and ethnically-proud modern Greek city of Katakolon in the western Greek islands allows a person to walk from a brand new small village into one of the oldest and most developed cities in the world: Ancient Olympia, the site of the Olympics for nearly 1,000 years and a major center of pre-Christian Greek worship.

For a brief historical background, at the time of major development of Olympia in the 8th century, what is today Greece was divided into a variety of warring Greek tribes and city-states that embraced a common ethnicity, culture, set of pantheonic gods, and language family (the Attic tongue or Koine). Some of these Greek tribes were primitive, whilst others like that of the tiny city of Athens, Sparta, and the Peloponnese offered philosophical and political advancements still admired today. To the east, a far superior and more advanced cultural exerted rule of global proportions: Zoroastrian Iran. To the west, Roman tribes began to coalesce into the Roman kingdom. To the north, German nations borne of tribal confederations as in the Greek isles continued to form. More and more from 700BCE onward, local Greek city-states used Olympia as a site of religious piety, and political control of the city changed hands frequently. Originally, Olympia was only accessible to priests and holy men due to the fantastic spiritual importance of the site. 500BCE offered a golden age of scientific, architectural, military, and physical development. The world's largest temples outside of Iran and Egypt were built during this period, including pillars more than 25 feet high. Walking through the city of ancient Olympia today (which is not an inhabited city) takes more than an hour due to the vast size of the construction efforts. There are temples, headstones with Greek inscriptions, and shelters with every turn of the head. Roman ruins and baths can also be seen dating from after the Roman conquest of the Greek tribes following the collapse of Alexander's short-lived world empire in the east. The strong connection to the Greek gods in Olympia shifted to that of the Roman gods after the annexation of the Greek nations.

The massive Temple of Zeus in Olympia was believed to house a massive statue of Zeus adorned with marble and gems that stretched nearly 100 feet into the air. It is today a Wonder of the World, and appears completely unimportant and innocuous because it is no more today than a foundation and a few pillars after it was destroyed by earthquake, entropy, and a series of attacks by the new Christian population in the Byzantine-ruled Greek isles. Other seats of political administrators, chariot raceways stretching hundreds of feet into the distance (Hippodromes), and other physical workout areas can be seen dating from this period. Other statues devoted to old gods and kings all have collapsed due to earthquake, age, and Christian persecution as well. The area was an important site for physical training of sons of all of the Greek city-states and tribes who came to enjoy the Olympics and the economic and political exchange.

The Olympic Games began in various forms throughout what is today Greece before Olympia, but the first fully-developed Olympics initially began here at Olympia from about 776BCE onward every 4 years. During the Olympic Games, war between participants and local neighbors of the Greek race were deemed forbidden, and transgressors were severely persecuted as consequence of violation. The Olympics were not a game of sports and social pastimes like they are today; originally, they were a sign of physical perfection and self-honing as well as a religious duty to the Greek pantheonic gods. Great feasting, drinking, and massive festivals occurred here and locally. Many Greeks abstained from sexuality due to this piety whilst many are also reported to have engaged in a great deal of sexual promiscuity, especially by the coming Romans pre-Christians. By 400CE, however, the massive world empire of the Romans (which included what is today called Greece) was formally Christian. Constantine the Great had previously legalized Christendom, and forbade persecution of his adopted faith by his citizens (predictably, Jews were not protected). His successor Theodosius the Great became one of the most important men in the history of the world for instantly declaring the religion of the millions of Roman citizens all over three continents (Africa, Asia, Europe) as proto-Christianity (Catholicism was not yet of any formal importance). During the rule of Theodosius, all Olympic Games were formally banned as pagan, obscene, and reactionary.

Any visitor to Greece cannot miss a trip to the lovely and culturally-proud seaside town of Katakolon followed by a beautiful trip through the countryside to Olympia, one of the greatest archaeological and historical sites in the world. Below are some photos from my vacation, including of the local town of Katakolon.


the lovely local city of Katakolon. Squid, octopus, pita bread, strong red wine, and licorice ouzo liquer make this small town a gem. (click to enlarge)


Katakolon up the mountains. (click to enlarge)


the main walkway of Olympia proper. (click to enlarge)


a later Roman bath directly to the left of the above. (click to enlarge)


a major felled pillared structure. (click to enlarge)


a strange tomb-like structure.


a formerly-walled enclosed room. (click to enlarge)


an Olympian courtyard. There are tombs, headstones, and Greek-inscribed blocks everywhere and everywhere. (click to enlarge)


a Greek inscription on a stone block. Near-mint condition!


another strange structure.


the archway leading out to the physical area. (click to enlarge)


the main Hippodrome for chariot and personal competitive racing. (click to enlarge)


the Temple of Zeus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. (click to enlarge)


an endless horde of treasures from the local Olympian museum. (click to enlarge)


another gallery therein. (click to enlarge)


a wall of Greek helmets akin to the movies "Troy" and "300".


a Greek pottery treasure. (click to enlarge)


some strange discovered relics. Notice the non-Greek Zoroastrian influence. Iranian-made? Thracian? Hittite?

 

________________________________________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

James Mayfield is the owner and Chairman of the European Heritage Library. I am working for a doctorate in history, with a specific emphasis on Islamic and European histories. I am well versed in all world cultures, ethnicities, religions, languages, politics, and historical evolution in relation to and against each other.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES USED:

Personal observations, photographs.


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