Ancient site · Temple
Olympia
Olympia, in the western Peloponnese, was a great sanctuary of the god Zeus and the home of the ancient Olympic Games. By tradition the first Games were held in 776 BCE, and they took place every four years for more than a thousand years.
Athletes from all over the Greek world competed, which helped Greeks feel they were one people. The site had temples, treasuries, a stadium and training grounds. The Games ended in the 390s CE under the Christian emperor Theodosius I and later inspired the modern Olympic Games.
- Dates
- Games c. 776 BCE (traditional) – 390s CE
- Still standing
- Yes
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Yes
- Location
- 37.64° N, 21.63° E
How we know
Greek inscriptions, victor lists and writers record the sanctuary and its Games, alongside excavations since the 1870s.
Nearby sites
- Mycenae citadel c. 1600–1100 BCE (Lion Gate c. 1250 BCE)
- Acropolis of Athens (Parthenon) Parthenon 447–432 BCE; damaged 1687
- Sesklo c. 7000–4400 BCE (earliest levels possibly older)
- Akrotiri settled by c. 4500 BCE; buried c. 1600 BCE
- Knossos (Palace of Minos) palace c. 1900–1350 BCE (hill settled from c. 7000 BCE)
- Troy (Hisarlik) c. 3600 BCE – c. 500 CE