BSA Course Day 19 - Olympia

Weather: Sunny & humid, 33 degrees

Step count: 18,818

The last stop on our amazing study tour was the iconic site of Olympia, birthplace of the most famous of the ancient athletic games.

Pheidias' workshop, Olympia

I had visited with my family several years before, when my daughter was learning about the games in junior school, so it was a real treat for me to go back and see areas of the sprawling site that I'd missed the first time, as well as seeing the main sights again as a student rather than a tourist.

My first highlight was the workshop of the renowned sculptor Pheidias, whose works adorned the pediments of the temple of Zeus and even the Parthenon itself. It was incredible to think that he had spent time in this relatively small space which we can still visit today. I was disappointed to learn however that the inscription 'I am of Pheidias’ on a cup found at the site (which I had seen in the museum at Olympia on my earlier visit) was likely made by a 20th century archaeology student. It had made me smile to think that even an ancient Greek artisan needed to mark his own cup much as we do in our work places today. You can read more about the forged inscription in an article by James Hua here.

Pheidias' workshop, Olympia

We continued our tour, as we did in Nemea, by placing ourselves in the metaphorical shoes of the athletes, swearing an oath to participate honourably and without cheating. Our blend of accents allowed us to imagine how it may have sounded when competitors from various parts of Greece came together to do the same from 776 BCE, when the games were said to have commenced.

We then moved around the site to experience a little of what it would have been like to visit as a spectator. We passed the various temples and treasuries dedicated to the gods and placed along the route to the stadium which advertised the presence of city-states to those who passed by, in much the same way as the statues and treasuries at Delphi. One of the most recognisable is perhaps the Philippeion, which stands out due to its circular structure - it is a tholos - dedicated to Alexander the Great's father Philip in celebration of his victory at Chaeronea (you can read about that in my earlier post). As the only building in this area dedicated to a human, rather than to a god, it says a lot about its dedicator!

Philippeion, Olympia

Entering the stadium itself through an archway reminiscent of dramatic modern entrances to sports grounds, we quickly realised how hot the crowds surrounding the competition space would have been, as there was space for some 45,000 people.

Cheered on by the group, tutors Michael and Anastasia hopped the length of the track, a race which would definitely have made the ancient - and modern! - games a little more fun.

We were fortunate to have one last 'behind the rope' visit to the ruins of the temple of Zeus, destroyed in the 6th Century CE likely by earthquake. As we found with the Parthenon and at Bassae, after climbing just a few steps up to the base of the temple the elevated space took on a sense of quiet and peace that seemed somehow separate from the surrounding crowds. It was a joy to wander the ruins imagining how it would have felt as a visitor seeing the temple in all its glory, complete with the chryselephantine statue of Zeus - one of the seven wonders of the ancient world - as the focal point of the cella. The noise and bustle of the crowds was noticeable once again as we stepped down from contemplation of the spiritual design of temple sites, something we would not have experienced without the privileged access which made many of our tour stops so very special.

Thankful for air conditioning after the heat of the stadium, we retreated to the museum which houses the many finds from the site. It is difficult not to be impressed by the display of the East and West pedimental sculptures from the temple of Zeus, along with the metopes from around the outer edge of the building.

Metopes depicting the labours of Heracles from the temple of Olympian Zeus. Photo credit: British School at Athens

The East pediment group depicts the chariot race in which Pelops - who gave his name to the Pelopponese - gained victory over king Oenomaus of Pisa and won the hand of his daughter Hippodamia. Following a prophecy which foretold that he would be killed by his son-in-law, the king, who was a skilled charioteer, challenged potential suitors to a race after which he executed the unlucky loser. Pelops however was determined to win, and even though he is said to have raced with winged horses given to him by the god Poseidon, he made certain of victory by bribing Oenomaus' charioteer Myrtilos - with the promise of the first night with his bride - to replace the axle pins with wax so they melted as they heated during the race. The king was duly killed, and Pelops claimed his bride. Myrtilos was not so lucky, and never claimed his reward as Pelops had him thrown off a cliff.

So it is interesting that perhaps the most prominent sculpture group in the whole of Olympia, placed above the entrance to the temple dedicated to the king of the gods at a site where fairness in competition was the subject of a sacred oath, celebrated an act of victory through deception. Or perhaps it was a warning, as the cursed house of Atreus - which included Agamemnon Menelaus of Trojan war fame - descended from Pelops.

Sculpture group from the East pediment of the temple of Olympian Zeus.

Over recent years I have found a real appreciation for sculpture, especially depictions of Nike, goddess of victory. The Nike of Paionios is beautifully set against a blue background showing what she may have looked like when complete, and still gives a sense of grace and movement despite missing her face and much of her body.

Dedicated by the Athenians after a victory over Sparta in efforts to reclaim the small island of Sphacteria, it has been argued that her placement on a plinth visible from much of the site, in an area associated with Sparta, was yet another example of political one-upmanship seen so often at panhellenic sites.

Nike of Paionios, Olympia museum

My final memory of the museum was the sheer amount of bronze and clay votives that were found at the altar of Zeus. Dating from the Geometric period - between 1050 and 700 BCE - these would have been left as offerings to the god, and although the altar itself no longer survives, the votives are reminders of the lives of those who brought and placed them carefully thousands of years ago.

Votives from the altar of Zeus, Olympia

We packed a lot into our half day visit, which left just enough time for some last minute souvenir shopping in the town before our last group dinner. We enjoyed delicious traditional Greek food cooked for us by an octogenarian chef, which was followed by speeches and the big reveal of all the pranks our tutors had played on us throughout the course. Some had seemed a little far-fetched at the time, like the 'top secret discovery' of evidence of dolphins in the Mycenaean plain, but others were more believable and I was mortified that one had actually made it into my blog about Delphi (which has now been footnoted)! Forgiven for their trickery, we presented our fantastic tutors with little gifts as a token of thanks, then had one last group photo before heading to a nightclub for a few final hours of fun.

Our bus journey back to the airport the following morning was a little quiet; the late night and early start didn't help. But for me it was the realisation that our amazing adventure had come to an end, and I spent time reflecting on the diverse array of sites we had visited, the sheer amount I'd learned and the friends I'd made along the way. It truly was one of the most special times of my life, and proof that it really is never too late to find and follow your passion, wherever it may lead.