Ancient Olympia. The birthplace of a mega brand! One of the most important sanctuaries of antiquity, dedicated to the father of the gods Olympian Zeus. Olympia is the birth-place of the Olympic Games and also where they were held.
The area, of great natural beauty, has been inhabited uninterruptedly since the 3rd millenium B.C. and in the late Mycenaean period it became a religious centre. The excavations at Olympia were begun in May 1829, two years after the battle of Navarino, by French archaeologists.
The finds (metopes from the opisthodomus and parts of the metopes from the pronaos of the Temple of Zeus) were transferred to the Louvre where they are still being exhibited. When the Greek government was informed of the looting of artifacts, the excavation wa s stopped.
Excavation s started again 45 years later by German archaeologists. The research is being continued to this day by the German Institute of Archaeology in Athens, and the Ephorate of Antiquities in Olympia.

Discover the Archaeological site of Olympia and enjoy some free time in the village of Olympia on this excursion. The first Olympiad was held in 776 BC in honor of Olympian Zeus at the mystical site of Ancient Olympia, some twenty-five miles to the east of Katakolon and lies in the center of a fertile valley with the rivers of Alphios and Kladhios flowing past. The site was a sanctuary even before the Stadium, was built and the games took place in the sacred area called Altis. The most imposing monument in this area was the outstanding Temple of Zeus housing the gold-and-ivory statue of Zeus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, today only the ruins of the temple remain and the statue has disappeared. In the sacred grove you 'll also have the opportunity to see the Temple of Hera, the Prytaneion, and the Philippeion.