We were tired this morning getting up because we spent most of the night watching the rescue of the Chilean miners. I even took pictures on our TV screen. It was well worth being tired – the rescue was so awesome and heartwarming.
In getting to Katakolon, we sailed around the Peloponnese peninsula and into the Ionian Sea. While the port town is small, the reason to visit is to go to Olympia, home of the Olympic Games, 25 miles to the east. Below is a picture of what Olympia looks like in general – not a specific site.
The first Olympic games were held in 776 BC and dedicated to Zeus. Originally the festival was only open to Greek born men, but later Romans and others were allowed to participate. Women were not only not allowed to participate, they were not even allowed to be spectators – and if caught, would be put to death.
There were not only athletic events such as foot races, wrestling, horse and chariot racing, etc. but non-athletic events took place such as writing, poetry, and history readings.
There was an important condition of war. One month before and after the Olympic events, there was an official hiatus on hostilities between the various city states.
The prize for the victorious athlete was simply a wreath made of an olive branch. The branches were always cut from the same sacred tree. No money was involved – people competed purely for honor.
The games were banned in 426 by Theodosius II (who spread began spreading Christianity) because he considered them to be pagan (dedicated to Zeus), and the temples were destroyed. The games resumed once again in 1896 in Athens by French historian Pier de Coubertin.
Anything not destroyed then was later destroyed in 522 by an earthquake followed by flooding. The whole area was covered with layers and layers of mud. It stayed that way for four centuries until the French man mentioned above started excavations. Excavation continues today.
There are specific areas, such as the Temple of Zeus, but it too is in ruins. Only one column is there, but it was reconstructed for the 2004 Olympic games.
We also saw Hera’s alter where the Olympic torch is lit every four years using a concave mirror that concentrates sunlight to ignite the fire.
We also saw the wrestling area where the Palaestra (wrestling school) had been. Before the actual wrestling began, the men rubbed olive oil all over their bodies. Since they didn’t use mats, their “floor” was sand. Judges determined the winners by the amount of sand sticking to the oil on their bodies. Anyone with sand on his back was instantly disqualified.
This is the race track for the foot races. The starting line is near the front of the clear area. It is made of marble. People sat on the sides (where the grass is) to watch the event and cheer the athletes on to victory!
Next, we took a short walk over to the newly renovated Archaeological Museum. The exhibits here are findings from the excavations at the site. The most prized exhibit is the 4th century Parian marble statue of Hermes, a masterpiece of classical sculpture from the Temple of Hera. Other exhibits are the sculptured head of Hera and remains from the Temple of Zeus.
There were so many wonderful exhibits, and we took lots of pictures. If the Internet worked better, and I could upload my Blog more easily, I would have included some pictures of these exhibits – but alas, the technology available to me is seriously lacking!
Back on the ship, Doug and I dined in the Canaletto restaurant on the Lido deck. It serves only Italian food – and it was an excellent meal (actually much better than the one on the Amsterdam!)
It was one of the most interesting days with so much history about the Olympics. Seeing the site itself was amazing. Great day!
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