Olympia

History

Olympia is the place where the very first Olympic Games were organized. These Games were held in honour of Zeus, once every four years, as part of a religious festival. They were greatly respected and even had the power to suspend wars for a period of three months.

In the beginning these games had a local character and only Greeks from the area of Olympia could take part. Over time, however, they got a Pan-Hellenic character and Greeks from all over the then known Greek world would travel to Olympia in order to be part of this feast. The highest moral award for an Olympic winner was a wreath made out of the branches of a wild olive tree. Victory symbolized by a wreath meant rather more than sponsors, deals and advertising campaigns. The Olympic winners won immortal fame.

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia

By Dipankar Maity
The most celebrated creative work in all of Greece and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World the Statue of Zeus at Olympia has created a deep impact on all who have seen it.
Pausanias, a Greek voyager who has written the initial guidebook to olden Greece in 150 AD, explains the statue in vast detail; nevertheless he also writes that reports are far small of the idea made by a sight of the image. To the Greeks the statue of Olympian Zeus was the personified God, and the one who does get an opportunity to see it even once was considered to be ...

Ancient Greek Temple of Zeus

By Kum Martin
The ancient Greek temple dedicated to Zeus was constructed at Olympia in the sacred sanctuary of Altis. Zeus was the king of all gods in ancient Greece. He lived on Mt. Olympus and was also the god of thunder and sky.
In ancient Greece, Olympics were held every 4 years for athletes. The athletes used to travel Mount Olympus to take part in the games. During this period, the wars would stop and the kings of different territories would call a truce to allow safe passage to the athletes. The Olympics were dedicated to Zeus, and were ...

Greek Mythology Hercules - The Mortal Who Became a God

By Randy Wilson
When Hercules was born to Alcmene, she named him Herakles. But in Roman, Herakles is pronounced Hercules, which is the name we use for Hercules to this day. Hercules in Greek mythology is a great figure of valor and muscle strength. Hercules bravery earned him a place among the gods. After he left the mortal world, he found a position on Mount Olympus, the gods' dwelling place.
Zeus, the King of the gods was an unfaithful husband. He had a weakness for worldly pleasures. He fell in love with ...

The Greek God Zeu

Author: BlairLevi
Generations of information on mythological figures and accounts have contributed to the different cultures of the world, helping to shape the world into what it is today. All of the gods and goddesses recognized throughout the history of mythology played an active role in the evolution of present myths people believe today. Although there have been many gods invented by humans this article will provide a brief description of one of the well-known gods Zeus, along with the roles Zeus played in the development of present day myths.

Zeus, god of the ...

Hellenistic Art: A Symbol of the Rich Greek Milieu

Author: Alice Shown
The Hellenistic civilization encompassed a wide territory, starting from south-west Asia to North-east Africa between 323 BC and 146 BC. Thus, it became a representation of Greek’s strong influence in the older world. This influence is predominant even in the Hellenistic art, which embodies the ancient Greek culture with some fragments of other indigenous cultures. ...

Load of Greek Gods

Author: Shelby Routledge Moran
I guess that many of us understand one thing about the traditional Geeks they were certainly into their Gods. Now as a occasionally crossword enthusiast I am frequently caught out by without knowing the name of one or the other of the Gods, and I thought that it must be an indication of a missing part of my education not to know their names. After a trip to Greece and conversion to a fan of Greece I became motivated enough to research these varied Gods. And, I assumed, at least my crosswords abilities would move up a bit. Right? Wrong! I must tell you that I just couldn't believe just how many Gods the traditional Greeks actually had. I will share with you ...