OLYMPIA (Lat., front Gk. The scene of the celebrated Olympic games. held every four years by the Greeks. It was situated in the Pisatis, the southeastern district of Elis, at the junction of the with the Al pheus. It was never a town, but only a sanctu ary with the buildings connected with the wor ship and the games. The central spot was the An is, or sacred inelosure, an irregular quad ran?de about 200 meters from east to west and 175 from north to south. On the west and south it was inclosed by a wall in Roman times, and at this period was somewhat enlarged, as there are traces of an earlier inner Greek wall. On the north was the hill of Crones. the Pry taneion, and the row of Treasuries: on the east the Ntadium, to which a vaulted passage led. the echo portico opening into the Altis and southeast building, which seems to have been demolished to make room for a Roman house built for the Emperor Nero. Within the inelosure the chieF structures were the temples of Zeus and llera. the Metroon. the Pelopion, the Philippeion. and the great altars. The oldest place of worship seems to he marked by the remains of a great altar south of the Ileneum, and evidently ante dating that temple. as the earth and ashes con taining very rude bronzes extended under the foundations. The ilegieu:nn. or Temple of Hera, was the oldest temple, and is probably the oldest Doric building known. it was a hexastyle perip terns with sixteen columns at the sides. The walls were of crude brick on a stone foundation and the eolonnade Was originally of wood, though those eilnnos were gradually displaced by stone, a fact which has led to n great variety in the capitals. In the second century after Christ the building seems to have contained many ancient relies and works of art, among them the venerable chest of Cypelus, covered with scenes from Greek legend in early Corinthian style, and the Bermes of Praxiteles, the great prize of the German excavations. In the southwestern part of the Altis was the great Temple of Zeus, erected by the Eleans about n.c. 460, and containing the colossal statue of the god in gold and ivory by the Athenian 'Adding. '['he sculptures of the pediments and metopes, though the artists are unknown, and the very school is disputed, are examples of Greek art just before its full development at Athens and Argos. The Pciopion was an irregular inclosure consecrated to Pelops. The Philippeion was a circular ionic building, erected by Philip of Macedon after the battle of Clneronea, and containing statues of Philip, his parents, his wife Olympias, and his son Alexander, all by the Athenian Loochares.
Besides the buildings, the whole inelosure was filled with statues of victors and votive offerings. conspicuous among which was the Nike of on a triangular basis about 30 feet in height, erected by the Messenians and Naupac tians shortly after n.c. 425. Outside of the Altis lay the Paliestra, or wrestling-school, and the great tIymnasium where all competitors were obliged to train for at least one month. After the suppression of the games (A.n. 3114) the de cline of Olympia was rapid. To provide a de fense against the barbarian invaders, a fort was built in the Altis, of which the Temple of Zeus formed the northwest corner, while to provide material for the wall the other buildings were ruthlessly destroyed. Early in the sixth century of our era the Temple of Zeus seems to have been overthrown by earthquakes, and inundations of the Cladens covered the plain with gravel. Though a scanty population still inhabited the place, the rivers frequently flooded it, and finally buried the whole field, in some places to a depth of twenty feet. Suggestions as to excavations were made by Montfaucon and Winekelmann, and in 1829 the French expedition to the Morea worked for a time at the Temple of Zeus and se cured a few' sculptures. The final excavation was due to Ernst Curtius, who aroused the in terest of the Prnssian Crown Prince (afterwards the Emperor Frederick) and secured the support of the German (1°N-eminent. From 1575 to 1851 the work was carried forward in a masterly fash ion, and finally, at an expense of SO0,000 marks, the entire Altis and a great part of the surround ing buildings were cleared. Preliminary reports were published yearly under the title Die A ns grahungen zu Olympia (Berlin, but the authoritative publiention is Olympia, die Enrich nisse der ran. rein dent sehen Bridle reranstal telen dusgrabungen, 5 vols. text and 4 vols. plates (Berlin, 1891-97). A popular account is B6t ticher, Olympia (P,erlin, 1 Sti?.. ) . Consult also: Flach. in Baumeister, Denkmiiler de klassisclun A7termminx, s. v. Olympia (Munieh, 1859) ; Gard ner, :Veto Chapters in. Greek History (T,ondon. 1892) ; Diehl. Excursions in Greece (Eng. trans. London and New York, 1593). Ancient Olympia is described by Patisanias (hooks v. and vi.), best consulted in the edition of Ititzig and Bliimner (Leipzig. 1901). or the translation and full Com Bient cry of Frazer (London, 1595). An attempt at reconstruction is found in Laloux et Moneeaux, La rcstauration d'Olympie (Paris, 1859),