Olympia – a Sanctuary for Zeus and the Gods
The ancient Olympic Games were a religious event held in honor of Zeus.
In the centre was the massive Temple of Zeus with the famous statue of Zeus, made of gold and ivory, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
There sacrificial acts were held in honor of Zeus during the games.
Sports in Olympia and a special Audio Guide
The oldest and most prestigious event was the stadion race, a sprint covering a distance of about 192 meters.
In ancient times, athletics and martial arts were sports that were practiced naked. The ancient Greek term gymnos means naked.
Audio Guide with fantastic Virtual Reality: View Olympia as it was thousands of years ago*
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Flame Lighting Ceremony in Olympia
The Flame Lighting Ceremony is a modern invention: The fire is lit with a parabolic mirror in the Temple of Hera.
In the ancient stadion the flame is given to the first runner.
In ancient times there was no Olympic flame, no Olympic torch relay and no Olympic rings.
The “stadion” originally was an ancient Greek unit of length, consisting of 600 ancient Greek feet (c. 192 meters).
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