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Interesting places around Olympia |
| One of the most popular tourist destinations in Greece is ought to be Olympia. The village of Olympia is a storehouse of a number of incredible tourist sites such as tourist shops, cafes, restaurants and a Historical Museum of the Olympic Games. The Museum Art of Greece art gallery is a one stop destination for all tourists and no tourist should be missing out on halting at this one of its kind museum in Olympia. |
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Olympia is the site of the ancient Olympic Games. Nothing much is left in this historical site because of the destruction of the site by Theodosius and also because of several earthquakes which this place has been a witness to down the long and turbulent years of history. The area is also known by the name of The Altis which means the area sacred to Zeus. The flooding of the river had buried this place until in 1875 when it was rediscovered by the archaeologists. The 5th century Temple of Zeus, built by Livon, is the most outstanding building.
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This Temple also contained the 12 meter high statue by Phideas, which is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was removed to Constantinople by Theodocious and eventually destroyed in a fire. The Temple of Hera is the place from where the Olympic flame is lit from the sun and taken by runners in turn to light the torch wherever the games are being held. This tradition dates back to 1936 AD.
The Museum contains the 4th century BC statue of Hermes by Praxiteles. The Temple at Bassae, dedicated to Apollo Epicurus and located south of Olympia, was built around the year 420 BC by the Phygeleans as a token of thanks for being saved of a cholera epidemic during the Peloponesian wars. The temple was discovered in 1765. One of the most important museums in Olympia is The Olympia Archaeological Museum,opened in 1982. There is a terracotta portrayal of Zeus and Ganymede in this museum which has many galleries which are arranged chronologically with separate galleries for the pediment and metope sculptures from the Zeus temple, and also artifacts from the Olympic Games. The 5th century BC statue Nike by Paionios is displayed. There is also the statue of Hermes and Dionysus. The mythological battle between the Lapiths and the Centaurs is depicted by the Western Pediment.
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